witr exists to answer a single question:

Why is this running?

When something is running on a system, whether it is a process, a service, or something bound to a port, there is always a cause. That cause is often indirect, non-obvious, or spread across multiple layers such as supervisors, containers, services, or shells.

Existing tools (ps, top, lsof, ss, systemctl, docker ps) expose state and metadata. They show what is running, but leave the user to infer why by manually correlating outputs across tools.

witr makes that causality explicit. Ports, services, containers and files all map back to a PID, and for that PID witr answers:

1. What is running?
2. How did it start?
3. What is keeping it running?
4. What context does it belong to?

The answer comes as a single human-readable report, as JSON for scripts and AI agents, or in an interactive TUI dashboard.

witr node                 # why is this node process running?
witr --port 8080          # what is holding port 8080, and why?
witr --pid 1234 --tree    # its ancestry and children as a tree
witr --container redis    # a container, across Docker, Podman, Kubernetes and more
witr --port 8080 --json   # the same answer for scripts and AI agents
witr                      # browse everything in the interactive TUI

📖 Curious how witr came to be? Read the story.

witr is distributed as a single static binary for Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, and Windows.

witr is also independently packaged and maintained across multiple operating systems and ecosystems. An up-to-date overview of packaging status is available on Repology. Please note that community packages may lag GitHub releases due to independent review and validation.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pranshuparmar/witr/main/install.sh | bash

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pranshuparmar/witr/main/install.sh | INSTALL_PREFIX="$HOME/.local" bash

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pranshuparmar/witr/main/install.ps1 | iex

APT (Debian, Ubuntu & Derivatives)

You can install witr from the official Debian and Ubuntu repositories (Ubuntu 26.04+, Debian sid and later), as well as derivative distributions like Kali Linux, Devuan, and Raspbian:

sudo apt install witr

Note: The apt-shipped version may lag the latest GitHub release. For the newest features, use the install script or another installation method.

Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

You can install witr using Homebrew on macOS or Linux:

brew install witr

MacPorts (macOS)

You can install witr using MacPorts on macOS:

sudo port install witr

Conda (macOS, Linux & Windows)

You can install witr using conda, mamba, or pixi on macOS, Linux, and Windows:

conda install -c conda-forge witr
# alternatively using mamba
mamba install -c conda-forge witr
# alternatively using pixi
pixi global install witr

Arch Linux (AUR)

On Arch Linux and derivatives, install from the AUR package:

yay -S witr-bin
# alternatively using paru
paru -S witr-bin
# or use your preferred AUR helper

Winget (Windows)

You can install witr via winget:

winget install -e --id PranshuParmar.witr

NPM (Cross-platform)

You can install witr using npm:

npm install -g @pranshuparmar/witr

FreeBSD Ports

You can install witr on FreeBSD from the FreshPorts port:

pkg install witr
# or
pkg install sysutils/witr

Or build from Ports:

cd /usr/ports/sysutils/witr/
make install clean

Chocolatey (Windows)

You can install witr using Chocolatey:

choco install witr

Scoop (Windows)

You can install witr using Scoop:

scoop install main/witr

AOSC OS

You can install witr from the AOSC OS repository:

oma install witr

GNU Guix

You can install witr from the GNU Guix repository:

guix install witr

Uniget (Linux)

You can install witr using uniget:

uniget install witr

Aqua (macOS, Linux & Windows)

You can install witr using aqua:

# Add package
aqua g -i pranshuparmar/witr

# Install package
aqua i pranshuparmar/witr

Brioche (Linux)

You can install witr using brioche:

brioche install -r witr

Mise (macOS, Linux & Windows)

You can install witr using mise:

mise use github:pranshuparmar/witr

go install github.com/pranshuparmar/witr/cmd/witr@latest

# 1. Determine OS and Architecture
OS=$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
ARCH=$(uname -m)
[ "$ARCH" = "x86_64" ] && ARCH="amd64"
[ "$ARCH" = "aarch64" ] && ARCH="arm64"
[ "$ARCH" = "loongarch64" ] && ARCH="loong64"

# 2. Download the binary
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/pranshuparmar/witr/releases/latest/download/witr-${OS}-${ARCH}" -o witr

# 3. Verify checksum (Optional)
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/pranshuparmar/witr/releases/latest/download/SHA256SUMS" -o SHA256SUMS
grep "witr-${OS}-${ARCH}" SHA256SUMS | (sha256sum -c - 2>/dev/null || shasum -a 256 -c - 2>/dev/null)
rm SHA256SUMS

# 4. Rename and install
chmod +x witr
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/bin
sudo mv witr /usr/local/bin/witr

# 5. Install man page (Optional)
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/share/man/man1
sudo curl -fsSL https://github.com/pranshuparmar/witr/releases/latest/download/witr.1 -o /usr/local/share/man/man1/witr.1

# 1. Determine Architecture
if ($env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE -eq "AMD64") {
    $ZipName = "witr-windows-amd64.zip"
} elseif ($env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE -eq "ARM64") {
    $ZipName = "witr-windows-arm64.zip"
} else {
    throw "Unsupported architecture: $($env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE)"
}

# 2. Download the zip
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/pranshuparmar/witr/releases/latest/download/$ZipName" -OutFile "witr.zip"
# 3. Extract the binary
Expand-Archive -Path "witr.zip" -DestinationPath "." -Force

# 4. Verify checksum (Optional)
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/pranshuparmar/witr/releases/latest/download/SHA256SUMS" -OutFile "SHA256SUMS"
$hash = Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\witr.zip
$expected = Select-String -Path .\SHA256SUMS -Pattern $ZipName
if ($expected -and $hash.Hash.ToLower() -eq $expected.Line.Split(' ')[0]) { Write-Host "Checksum OK" } else { Write-Host "Checksum Mismatch" }

# 5. Install to local bin directory
$InstallDir = "$env:LocalAppData\witr\bin"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $InstallDir -Force | Out-Null
Move-Item .\witr.exe $InstallDir\witr.exe -Force

# 6. Add to User Path (Persistent)
$UserPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User")
if ($UserPath -notlike "*$InstallDir*") {
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$UserPath;$InstallDir", "User")
    $env:Path += ";$InstallDir"
    Write-Host "Added to Path. You may need to restart PowerShell."
}

# 7. Cleanup
Remove-Item witr.zip
Remove-Item SHA256SUMS

nix run github:pranshuparmar/witr -- --help

pixi exec witr --help

witr --version
man witr

echo 'eval "$(witr completion bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

echo 'eval "$(witr completion zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

witr completion fish | source
# To make it permanent:
witr completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/witr.fish

witr completion powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression
# To make it permanent, add the above line to your $PROFILE

sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/witr
sudo rm -f /usr/local/share/man/man1/witr.1

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LocalAppData\witr"

# Remove the install directory from your User PATH
$InstallDir = "$env:LocalAppData\witr\bin"
$UserPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", (($UserPath -split ';') | Where-Object { $_ -and $_ -ne $InstallDir }) -join ';', "User")

AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and others) regularly run into ports that are already in use, leftover dev servers and confusing containers, and work around them by chaining lsof, ps, netstat and docker ps. witr answers the same questions in one command, and two things make it easy for an agent to use:

• --json prints the full report (the process, its ancestry chain, the source that started it and any warnings), and a failed lookup as {Target, Error}. Every shape is listed in 7.3 JSON Output.
• Exit codes say what happened without parsing any text (see 7.1 Exit Codes). Exit code 1 means the process was found and has warnings; it is not a failure.

Add a short note like this to your project's agent instructions (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md or similar):

## Process and port debugging

Use `witr` instead of chaining lsof/ps/netstat/docker commands:

- Port already in use: `witr --port <PORT> --json`
- Unknown or stuck process: `witr <name> --json`, or `witr --pid <PID> --tree`
- Container: `witr --container <name or ID> --json`

Exit codes: 0 found, 1 found with warnings (not a failure), 2 not found,
3 permission denied (retry with sudo), 4 ambiguous name or bad input
(re-run with --pid), 5 internal error, 6 found but what started it can't
be traced. Run `witr --help` for all options.

For fuller guidance, install the official skill: it tells an agent which command fits the situation, how to read the JSON and exit codes, and to ask before stopping anything witr finds. The witr binary still needs to be installed.

• Claude Code: run /plugin marketplace add pranshuparmar/witr, then /plugin install witr@witr.
• Other agents that read Agent Skills, or a manual install: copy plugins/witr/skills/witr into the agent's skills folder (for Claude Code, ~/.claude/skills/).

Running witr without any arguments or with the -i flag launches the Interactive Mode (TUI). This provides a real-time, terminal-based dashboard with four tabs for exploring processes, ports, containers, and file locks. Combine -i with a target to open the TUI already focused on it: witr -i -p 1234 selects that PID, witr -i nginx pre-fills the process filter, and witr -i -o 5432 / -c web / -f /path open the Ports / Containers / Locks tab with the filter set.

• Processes Tab: Live, sortable, filterable list of all running processes with a side panel showing the ancestry tree of the highlighted process.
• Ports Tab: Open/listening ports with the owning processes attached in a side panel. Toggle between LISTEN-only and ALL with a. Enter on an owner opens it, or the container a port is published for; an owner hidden from your user shows the user it runs as (run with sudo to see the process).
• Containers Tab: All running containers across Docker, Podman, nerdctl, K8s/crictl, Incus, LXC, LXD, and FreeBSD jails in one list - name, image, status, ports, command, plus a per-container detail view with mounts, networks, and compose project metadata.
• Locks Tab: System-wide file locks (POSIX/FLOCK on Linux, from lsof on macOS and fstat on FreeBSD). Press a to switch into "all open files" mode, where locked entries are merged with every interesting open fd; type into / to search across the merged set.
• Process Details: Deep-dive into a process to see its full ancestry tree, child processes, environment variables, working directory, sockets, file context, and more.
• Process Actions: Send signals (Kill, Terminate, Pause, Resume) or Renice processes directly from the UI (Unix only). Press a on a process in the list or in its detail view; the confirmation names the exact process before anything is sent.
• Mouse Support: Navigate, sort columns, and click rows using your mouse.
• Adaptive Theme: Colors adapt automatically to light and dark terminal backgrounds.
• Auto-Refresh: The process, port, container, and lock lists refresh automatically on an adaptive cadence (starts at 3 seconds, backing off under load).

💡 Prefer learning by doing? These examples come from the simulated box in the interactive browser tutorial, where you can run them yourself — no install required.

witr node

Target      : node

Process     : node (pid 14233)
User        : deploy
Command     : node /srv/expense-manager/index.js
Started     : 2 days ago (Fri 2026-10-02 10:28:38 +00:00)
Restarts    : 3

Why It Exists :
  systemd (pid 1) → PM2 v5.3.1: God (pid 5034) → node (pid 14233)

Source      : pm2-deploy.service (systemd)
Description : PM2 process manager for user deploy (app: expense-manager)
Unit File   : /etc/systemd/system/pm2-deploy.service

Working Dir : /srv/expense-manager
Git Repo    : expense-manager (main)
Sockets     : 127.0.0.1:5000 (TCP | LISTENING, 2 connections)
              127.0.0.1:51744 → 127.0.0.1:5432 (TCP | ESTABLISHED)

witr --port 5000 --short

systemd (pid 1) → PM2 v5.3.1: God (pid 5034) → node (pid 14233)

witr --pid 40141 --tree

systemd (pid 1)
  └─ sshd (pid 711)
    └─ sshd (pid 40122)
      └─ sshd (pid 40140)
        └─ bash (pid 40141)
          ├─ python3 (pid 8123)
          └─ ngrok (pid 14290)

Note: Tree view includes child processes (up to 10) and highlights the target process.

witr ssh

Multiple matching processes found:

[1] sshd (pid 711)
    sshd: /usr/sbin/sshd -D [listener] 0 of 10-100 startups
[2] ssh (pid 27311)
    ssh -l backup 10.0.4.20 rsync --server -logDtpre.iLsfxCIvu --partial . /backups/uploads/
[3] sshd (pid 40122)
    sshd: deploy [priv]
[4] sshd (pid 40140)
    sshd: deploy@pts/0

Re-run with:
  witr --pid <pid>

Names match as substrings, so ssh also finds every sshd. To match only processes named exactly ssh, use the --exact flag:

witr ssh -x

witr --file /var/lib/dpkg/lock

Target      : unattended-upgr

Process     : unattended-upgr (pid 33871)
User        : root
Command     : /usr/bin/python3 /usr/bin/unattended-upgrade --download-only
Started     : 4 min ago (Sun 2026-10-04 10:24:38 +00:00)

Why It Exists :
  systemd (pid 1) → unattended-upgr (pid 33871)

Source      : apt-daily-upgrade.service (systemd)
Description : Daily apt upgrade and clean activities
Unit File   : /lib/systemd/system/apt-daily-upgrade.service

witr --container api

Target      : gunicorn

Process     : gunicorn (pid 3141)
User        : root
Container   : docker: expense-manager-api-1 (id 7c41e0b9a2d3)
Image       : expense-manager-api:1.4.2
Published   : 0.0.0.0:8081->8080/tcp
Compose File: /srv/expense-manager/docker-compose.yml
Compose Dir : /srv/expense-manager
Command     : /usr/local/bin/python /usr/local/bin/gunicorn app:app --bind 0.0.0.0:8080 --workers 2
Started     : 5 days ago (Tue 2026-09-29 10:28:38 +00:00)
Restarts    : 1 (policy: unless-stopped)

Why It Exists :
  systemd (pid 1) → containerd-shim (pid 3120) → gunicorn (pid 3141)

Source      : docker (container)

Working Dir : /app

Warnings    :
  • Process is running as root
  • Container has no healthcheck configured

Looks up a container by name, ID, image, command, or compose project/service across every detected runtime (Docker, Podman, nerdctl, K8s/crictl, Incus, LXC, LXD, FreeBSD jails). The output includes the container's image and, for Compose services, the Compose file and project directory on the host. Pass --verbose to include mounts.

witr node --port 5432 --pid 8123

----- [name: node] -----
Target      : node

Process     : node (pid 14233)
...

----- [port: 5432] -----
Target      : postgres

Process     : postgres (pid 2010)
...

----- [pid: 8123] -----
Target      : python3

Process     : python3 (pid 8123)
...

All target flags are repeatable and can be mixed. Results appear in the order you typed them. All output modes (--short, --tree, --json, --env, --warnings, --verbose) work with multiple inputs.

Warnings close the standard report (see 5.6). --warnings shows only them:

witr --pid 8123 --warnings

Process     : python3 (pid 8123)
Command     : python3 -m http.server 8000
Warnings    :
  • Process is listening on a public interface

witr node --verbose

...                       (the report from 5.1)

Memory:
  Virtual  : 1.1 GB
  Resident : 179.0 MB
  Shared   : 40.0 MB

I/O Statistics:
  Read  : 15.0 MB (2140 ops)
  Write : 4.0 MB (512 ops)

File Descriptors: 34/1024

Threads: 11

witr --port 5000 --json

{
  "Target": { "Type": "port", "Value": "5000" },
  "ResolvedTarget": "node",
  "Process": {
    "PID": 14233,
    "PPID": 5034,
    "Command": "node",
    "Cmdline": "node /srv/expense-manager/index.js",
    "StartedAt": "2026-10-02T10:28:38Z",
    "User": "deploy",
    "WorkingDir": "/srv/expense-manager",
    "GitRepo": "expense-manager",
    "GitBranch": "main",
    "Sockets": [
      { "Port": 5000, "Address": "127.0.0.1", "State": "LISTEN", "Protocol": "TCP" },
      ...
    ],
    ...
  },
  "RestartCount": 3,
  "Ancestry": [
    { "PID": 1, "Command": "systemd", ... },
    { "PID": 5034, "Command": "PM2 v5.3.1: God", ... },
    { "PID": 14233, "Command": "node", ... }
  ],
  "Source": {
    "Type": "systemd",
    "Name": "pm2-deploy.service",
    "Description": "PM2 process manager for user deploy (app: expense-manager)",
    "UnitFile": "/etc/systemd/system/pm2-deploy.service",
    "Details": { "NRestarts": "3" }
  },
  "Warnings": null,
  ...
}

  -c, --container strings container(s) to look up (repeatable)
      --env              show environment variables for the process
  -x, --exact            use exact name matching (no substring search)
  -f, --file strings     file(s) held open by a process (repeatable)
  -h, --help             help for witr
  -i, --interactive      interactive mode (TUI)
      --json             show result as JSON
      --no-color         disable colorized output
  -p, --pid strings      pid(s) to look up (repeatable)
  -o, --port strings     port(s) to look up (repeatable)
  -s, --short            show only ancestry
  -t, --tree             show only ancestry as a tree
      --verbose          show extended process information
  -v, --version          version for witr
      --warnings         show only warnings

Positional arguments (without flags) are treated as process or service names. Multiple names can be passed. By default, name matching uses substring matching (fuzzy search). Use --exact to match only processes with the exact name.

All target flags (--pid, --port, --file, --container) are repeatable and can be mixed with each other and with positional name arguments. When multiple targets are provided, results are shown sequentially with labeled dividers. All output modes (standard, short, tree, JSON, env, warnings, verbose) work with multiple inputs.

The --container flag searches across Docker, Podman, nerdctl, K8s/crictl, Incus, LXC, LXD, and FreeBSD jails, and matches against container name, image, command, and compose project/service labels, or a container ID (full, short, or a prefix of at least 4 characters).

The TUI is launched if no arguments or relevant flags (--pid, --port, --file, --container) are provided, or if the --interactive flag is explicitly used. It needs a terminal: run without one (from a script, a pipe or CI) and witr exits with code 4 and asks for a target instead. An output mode with no target (witr --json, --short, --tree, --warnings, --verbose or --env) also exits with code 4 and asks for a target, rather than opening the TUI.

witr returns meaningful exit codes for use in scripts, CI pipelines, and monitoring:

With several targets, the most severe result wins. Cause unknown ranks above warnings but below every failure (2 to 5).

witr nginx --short
case $? in
  0) echo "All clear" ;;
  1) echo "Warnings detected" ;;
  2) echo "Process not running" ;;
  3) echo "Need elevated privileges" ;;
  4) echo "Invalid input or ambiguous match" ;;
  5) echo "Internal error" ;;
  6) echo "Cannot tell what started it" ;;
esac

What the user asked about.

Executable, PID, user, command, start time and restart count. The restart count comes from the managing system: a systemd unit, or the container runtime (Docker, Podman, nerdctl and Kubernetes), which also shows the container's restart policy, e.g. Restarts : 12 (policy: unless-stopped).

On Windows the user carries the process's integrity level when it isn't the normal Medium: (elevated) for a process run as administrator, (system integrity), (low integrity) or (untrusted integrity) for sandboxed ones. On Linux, a Security line shows the AppArmor profile or SELinux context confining the process; unconfined processes have none.

A causal ancestry chain showing how the process came to exist. This is the core value of witr.

When the process that started it has exited, the chain marks the break with ? (original parent exited) (or ? (parent pid N exited) when that parent's PID no longer exists or now belongs to an unrelated process) instead of crediting whatever adopted it.

The primary system responsible for starting or supervising the process (best effort).

Examples:

• systemd unit with schedule info for timer-triggered services (Linux)
• launchd service with schedule/trigger details (macOS)
• SSH session (with remote IP and terminal)
• docker container
• pm2
• cron
• interactive shell (detects tmux/screen sessions)
• Snap/Flatpak sandbox (Linux)

Only one primary source is selected. If the original parent has exited and nothing about the process itself (its container, service unit, login session or app scope, or launchd job) explains it, the source is reported as unknown rather than guessed. On systems without such a service manager it stays init, with a note that init only adopted it.

• Working directory
• Git repository name and branch
• Container name / image (docker, podman, kubernetes, colima, containerd)
• Sockets: listeners first, each with the number of connections it accepted, then other sockets; a connection shows local → remote
• Public vs private bind

Non‑blocking observations:

• Process is a zombie (defunct) or stopped (T state)
• Process is using high CPU (>2h total) or high memory (>1GB RSS)
• Process is listening on a public interface (0.0.0.0 / ::)
• Process is running as root
• Dangerous Linux capabilities on a non-root process (CAP_SYS_ADMIN, CAP_SYS_PTRACE, etc.)
• Service or container has restarted more than 5 times
• No known supervisor or service manager detected
• Original parent process has exited, so what started the process can't be traced (shown instead of the one above)
• Process has been running for over 90 days
• Process is running from a suspicious working directory (/, /tmp or /var/tmp)
• Container has no healthcheck configured
• Service name and process name do not match
• Process is running from a deleted binary
• Library injection indicators (LD_PRELOAD, DYLD_*)

--json is meant for scripts and tools, and its output is a contract:

• Stable: field names, what they mean, and their types. Releases may add fields, so ignore any you don't recognise.
• Not part of the contract: field order, whitespace, and the wording of human-readable text (Error, Note, Description and warning messages). Match on fields and exit codes, not on sentences.
• Empty values may be null, an empty list, or left out.
• Breaking changes (renaming, removing or retyping a field) only ship in a release whose notes call them out.

A test pins every field of every shape, so an accidental rename fails the build.

• Linux (x86_64, arm64, loong64) - Full feature support (/proc).
• macOS (x86_64, arm64) - Uses ps, lsof, netstat, sysctl, launchctl.
• Windows (x86_64, arm64) - Native Win32 APIs (ToolHelp32, PSAPI, Service Control Manager). No PowerShell or WMI dependency.
• FreeBSD (x86_64, arm64) - Uses procstat, ps, sockstat, fstat.

Legend: ✅ Full support | ⚠️ Partial/limited support | ❌ Not available

witr inspects system directories which may require elevated permissions.

If you are not seeing the expected information, try running witr with sudo:

sudo witr [your arguments]

Without root, a port held by another user's process still shows which user it belongs to (it belongs to postgres), but not the process. With root, a port that no process on the system holds is reported as such (exit code 2): on WSL that's usually a process in another distro, since all distros share one network.

Some operations may require elevated permissions:

sudo witr [your arguments]

Note: Due to macOS System Integrity Protection (SIP), some system process details may not be accessible even with sudo.

On Windows, witr talks directly to Win32 APIs (ToolHelp32, PSAPI, Service Control Manager) rather than spawning PowerShell or WMI, so startup is fast and there's no Get-CimInstance hang. To see details for processes owned by other users or system services, you must run the terminal as Administrator.

# Run in Administrator PowerShell
.\witr.exe [your arguments]

Special thanks to the people who supported witr ❤️