{"slug": "a-shell", "name": "a-Shell", "category": "terminal", "category_name": "Terminal and shell", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 6, "warners": 0, "score": 3.992, "rising": -0.31, "first": "2025-11-06", "latest": "2026-10-24", "why": "You can do that already without jailbreaking with a-Shell", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 5, "neutral": 2, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [2, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "You can do that already without jailbreaking with a-Shell", "kind": "", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/holzschu/a-shell", "official_url": "https://holzschu.github.io/a-Shell_iOS/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["a-Shell"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 803529888, "item_id": 50220618, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50220618", "by": "ctippett", "date": "2026-10-24", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can do that already without jailbreaking with a-Shell", "excerpt": "You can do that already without jailbreaking with a-Shell[1]. It includes a wasm compiled ffmpeg binary and you can install (Python only) pip packages. [1]: https://holzschu.github.io/a-Shell_iOS/", "context": "", "use_case": "Terminal on iOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Today, we hacked what we'd set out to hack: the iPhone"}, {"id": 760295296, "item_id": 47518456, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47518456", "by": "NegativeLatency", "date": "2026-03-25", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Depending on your definition of shell there are some", "excerpt": "Depending on your definition of shell there are some: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/a-shell/id1473805438", "context": "", "use_case": "Shell on iOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple Just Lost Me"}, {"id": 739081744, "item_id": 46192609, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46192609", "by": "ctippett", "date": "2025-12-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I found a-Shell's documentation[1] quite interesting", "excerpt": "I couldn't tell you the exact details (I'm only passingly familiar with how it works myself), but you'd almost certainly want to start by looking into web assembly. I found a-Shell's documentation[1] quite interesting, it describes their use of web assembly and offers some practical tips for compiling stuff so it can work in a sandboxed environment. [1]: https://bianshen00009.gitbook.io/a-guide-to-a-shell/lets-do-mor", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Twelve Days of Shell"}, {"id": 735386209, "item_id": 45961638, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45961638", "by": "fooker", "date": "2025-11-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/a-shell/id1473805438", "excerpt": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ish-shell/id1436902243 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/a-shell/id1473805438", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "People are using iPad OS features on their iPhones"}, {"id": 733399392, "item_id": 45837462, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45837462", "by": "dunb", "date": "2025-11-06", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "you can integrate a-Shell[0] with iOS Shortcuts.", "excerpt": "This isn't rsync, but you can integrate a-Shell[0] with iOS Shortcuts. You would need to make the syncing happen in the script instead of in the background though. I use a Python script to create aliases for my email this way, so I don't have to turn on wildcard addressing to my inbox. [0] https://github.com/holzschu/a-shell", "context": "", "use_case": "scripting on iOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I am deeply integrating Emacs"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["terminal on ios", "tool execution on iphone", "shell on ios", "scripting on ios"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50211474", "title": "Today, we hacked what we'd set out to hack: the iPhone", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47783940", "title": "Is anyone actually using OpenClaw?", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47601555", "title": "Apple Removes iPhone Vibe Coding App from App Store", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47517701", "title": "Apple Just Lost Me", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46190577", "title": "Twelve Days of Shell", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45950408", "title": "People are using iPad OS features on their iPhones", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 2}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {"neutral": 2}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 803529888, "item_id": 50220618, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50220618", "by": "ctippett", "date": "2026-10-24", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "You can do that already without jailbreaking with a-Shell", "excerpt": "You can do that already without jailbreaking with a-Shell[1]. It includes a wasm compiled ffmpeg binary and you can install (Python only) pip packages. [1]: https://holzschu.github.io/a-Shell_iOS/", "context": "", "use_case": "Terminal on iOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Today, we hacked what we'd set out to hack: the iPhone"}, {"id": 764579297, "item_id": 47786206, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47786206", "by": "skvmb", "date": "2026-04-15", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "a-Shell for tool execution", "excerpt": "On iPhone I use ChatGPT via Shortcuts and a-Shell for tool execution and Files for memory and state. I can schedule it to run or can invoke it from the home-screen via a shortcut.", "context": "", "use_case": "tool execution on iPhone", "switched_from": "", "story": "Is anyone actually using OpenClaw?"}, {"id": 761650273, "item_id": 47603142, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47603142", "by": "circuit10", "date": "2026-04-01", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Not sure why this is downvoted, it's true", "excerpt": "Not sure why this is downvoted, it's true: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ish-shell/id1436902243 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/a-shell/id1473805438", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple Removes iPhone Vibe Coding App from App Store"}, {"id": 760295296, "item_id": 47518456, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47518456", "by": "NegativeLatency", "date": "2026-03-25", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Depending on your definition of shell there are some", "excerpt": "Depending on your definition of shell there are some: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/a-shell/id1473805438", "context": "", "use_case": "Shell on iOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "Apple Just Lost Me"}, {"id": 739081744, "item_id": 46192609, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46192609", "by": "ctippett", "date": "2025-12-08", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I found a-Shell's documentation[1] quite interesting", "excerpt": "I couldn't tell you the exact details (I'm only passingly familiar with how it works myself), but you'd almost certainly want to start by looking into web assembly. I found a-Shell's documentation[1] quite interesting, it describes their use of web assembly and offers some practical tips for compiling stuff so it can work in a sandboxed environment. [1]: https://bianshen00009.gitbook.io/a-guide-to-a-shell/lets-do-mor", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Twelve Days of Shell"}, {"id": 735386209, "item_id": 45961638, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45961638", "by": "fooker", "date": "2025-11-17", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/a-shell/id1473805438", "excerpt": "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ish-shell/id1436902243 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/a-shell/id1473805438", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "People are using iPad OS features on their iPhones"}, {"id": 733399392, "item_id": 45837462, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45837462", "by": "dunb", "date": "2025-11-06", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "you can integrate a-Shell[0] with iOS Shortcuts.", "excerpt": "This isn't rsync, but you can integrate a-Shell[0] with iOS Shortcuts. You would need to make the syncing happen in the script instead of in the background though. I use a Python script to create aliases for my email this way, so I don't have to turn on wildcard addressing to my inbox. [0] https://github.com/holzschu/a-shell", "context": "", "use_case": "scripting on iOS", "switched_from": "", "story": "How I am deeply integrating Emacs"}]}