Surge Download Manager

Blazing fast TUI download manager with multi-connection, queue management, server mode, multiple mirrors, and a beautiful terminal interface.

Surge

Blazing fast TUI download manager with multi-connection downloads.

When This Skill Activates

This skill triggers when user wants to download files fast with parallel connections or manage downloads via TUI.

Reasoning Framework

Step	Action	Why
1	INSTALL	Install surge binary (brew/go/binary)
2	START	Launch server mode or TUI
3	ADD	Add URLs to download queue
4	MANAGE	Monitor, pause, resume, or remove downloads
5	RETRIEVE	Get completed files from output directory

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Install

# macOS
brew install surge-downloader/tap/surge

# Go
go install github.com/surge-downloader/surge@latest

# Or download binary from releases

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Decision Tree

What are you trying to do?

├── Quick single download
│   └── Use: surge add "URL" -o ./folder
│
├── Multiple files (batch)
│   └── Use: surge add -b urls.txt -o ./folder
│
├── Headless/daemon downloads
│   └── Use: surge server + surge add
│
├── Beautiful TUI interface
│   └── Use: surge (no args, starts TUI)
│
└── Manage running downloads
    └── Use: surge ls/pause/resume/rm

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Basic Usage

Start TUI Mode

surge

Start Server Mode (Headless)

# Start server daemon
surge server

# Add download via CLI
surge add "https://example.com/file.zip"

# List downloads
surge ls

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Commands

Command	Description
surge server	Start headless daemon
surge add <url>	Add download to queue
surge ls	List downloads
surge pause <id>	Pause download
surge resume <id>	Resume download
surge rm <id>	Remove download
surge token	Get API token

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Options

Flag	Description	Default
-o, --output PATH	Output directory	./downloads
-b, --batch FILE	Batch file with URLs	-
--exit-when-done	Exit when complete	false
--host HOST	Target server	localhost:9090
--token TOKEN	API token	-

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Common Examples

# Download single file
surge add "https://example.com/file.zip" -o ~/Downloads

# Batch download from file
surge add -b urls.txt -o ./downloads

# Start server with output folder
surge server -o /tmp/downloads

# Add to running server
surge add "https://url.com/file.zip"

# Pause/Resume
surge pause 1
surge resume 1

# Remove from queue
surge rm 1

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Server Mode

Workflow

# Terminal 1: Start server
surge server

# Terminal 2: Add downloads
surge add "https://file1.zip"
surge add "https://file2.zip" -o /other/folder

# Check status
surge ls

# Server runs in background, downloads continue

API Token

# Get token for remote control
surge token

# Use token to connect
surge add "URL" --token YOUR_TOKEN --host remote:9090

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Troubleshooting

Problem: surge: command not found

• Cause: Surge not installed
• Fix: brew install surge-downloader/tap/surge or go install github.com/surge-downloader/surge@latest

Problem: Connection refused

• Cause: Server not running
• Fix: Start server first: surge server

Problem: Permission denied

• Cause: Output folder not writable
• Fix: Check folder permissions or use -o with writable path

Problem: Download failed

• Cause: URL invalid or network issue
• Fix: Verify URL, check network connectivity

Problem: Too many connections

• Cause: Server limit reached
• Fix: Wait for current downloads or pause some

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Self-Check

• Surge installed: surge --version
• Output directory exists and is writable
• For server mode: server is running (surge ls to check)
• For remote: token and host correct

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Notes

• Multi-connection downloads up to 32 parallel connections
• TUI mode for interactive downloads
• Server mode for headless/daemon operation
• Batch file support for bulk downloads
• Automatic retry on failure
• Benchmarks: 1.38× faster than aria2, 2× faster than curl/wget

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Quick Reference

Task	Command
Start TUI	surge
Start server	surge server
Add download	surge add "URL" -o ./folder
Batch download	surge add -b urls.txt
List downloads	surge ls
Pause/Resume	surge pause <id> / surge resume <id>
Remove	surge rm <id>

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