Oils offers an upgrade path from Bash to a different shell language and runtime, with support for shell and other language users.
oils
Oils provides OSH, a shell intended as an upgrade path from Bash, alongside its documentation.
About oils
Oils is a project that provides OSH, a shell intended as an upgrade path from Bash, and YSH, a companion language for Python and JavaScript users who want to avoid shell syntax. According to the homepage, OSH runs existing shell scripts, and both OSH and YSH are included in the same 2 MB oils-for-unix binary. The site links to installation instructions, a reference, a blog, and community discussion on Zulip.
The homepage shows two examples: an error message for an undefined variable in a shell script, and a YSH command that reads a JSON file. Pricing is not stated and is listed as unknown.
Key features
- OSH, a shell that runs existing shell scripts
- YSH, a language aimed at Python and JavaScript users
- OSH and YSH together in one 2 MB oils-for-unix binary
- Error output that marks the exact location of an undefined variable
- Example YSH command: json read < x.json, with results stored in _reply
- Editor support for Vim through the oils.vim plugin
Best for: Bash users who want to keep their existing shell scripts while moving toward a more structured language, and Python or JavaScript users who prefer to avoid shell.
Good for
- OSH is described as able to run existing shell scripts
- OSH and YSH are distributed together in a single 2 MB binary
- Error messages include a marker showing where the problem occurs
oils at a glance
- Website
- oils.pub
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Linux & Mac Apps
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
oils alternatives
Tools and sites you could use instead, ranked by how closely they match.
bpkg manages Bash packages from the command line, according to its documentation.
Fuzzel launches applications and finds matches on Wayland, with inspiration from rofi and dmenu.
Albert launches apps and actions from a keyboard interface, with plugin extensions implemented in Python or other languages.
CHARL-E runs Stable Diffusion image generation on Mac, letting users enter a prompt to create images.
mantra.py displays online manual pages from the terminal, according to its project description.
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oils FAQ
Where can I ask questions or get help?
The homepage lists a Zulip chat at oilshell.zulipchat.com. The #oil-help channel is for users to ask questions.
Where can I find the latest release?
The homepage links to a latest-release page at /release/latest/ and to a list of all releases.
Where is the project's source code repository?
The homepage links to the oils-for-unix/oils repository on GitHub.
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