rfc

A command-line tool to search, retrieve, and display IETF RFCs and Internet-Drafts.

Features

• View RFCs and Internet-Drafts - Fetch and display documents in your preferred viewer
• Search - Search the IETF Datatracker for RFCs and drafts by keyword
• Local caching - Documents are cached locally for offline access and faster retrieval
• Flexible viewing - Open documents in your editor, pager, or any custom program
• Format conversion - Automatically converts HTML to plain text when needed

Installation

This tool requires Rust. If you don't have Rust installed, visit rustup.rs for installation instructions.

Build and install from source using Cargo:

git clone https://github.com/your-username/rfc.git
cd rfc
cargo install --path .

Usage

Viewing Documents

View an RFC by number:

rfc 9000                    # View RFC 9000 (QUIC)
rfc rfc9000                 # Also works with "rfc" prefix
rfc RFC9000                 # Case insensitive

View an Internet-Draft:

rfc draft-ietf-quic-transport       # Latest version auto-resolved
rfc draft-ietf-quic-transport-34    # Specific version

Viewer Options

By default, documents open in your $EDITOR (or less if not set):

rfc -p 9000                 # Use $PAGER instead of $EDITOR
rfc -o bat 9000             # Open with a specific program
rfc -o "code -" 9000        # Open in VS Code

Bypassing Cache

Force a fresh fetch from the network:

rfc -f 9000                 # Fetch fresh copy, ignoring cache

Searching

Search for RFCs by keyword (default):

rfc -s quic                 # Search for RFCs containing "quic"
rfc -s "congestion control" # Search with multiple words

Search for drafts or both:

rfc -s quic -d              # Search only Internet-Drafts
rfc -s quic -a              # Search both RFCs and drafts

Limit results:

rfc -s bgp -l 20            # Show only first 20 results

Cache Management

rfc --cache-info            # Show cache location and size
rfc --list-cache            # List all cached documents
rfc --uncache 9000          # Remove a specific document from cache
rfc --clear-cache           # Clear all cached documents

Configuration

Viewer Selection

The viewer is selected in the following order:

1. -o/--open-with - If specified, use this program
2. -p/--pager flag - If set, use $PAGER environment variable
3. $EDITOR - Use the editor environment variable
4. less - Final fallback if nothing else is set

The cache is stored in the platform-specific cache directory:

• Linux: ~/.cache/rfc/
• macOS: ~/Library/Caches/rfc/
• Windows: {FOLDERID_LocalAppData}\rfc\cache\

Command Reference

Usage: rfc [OPTIONS] [DOCUMENT]

Arguments:
  [DOCUMENT]  RFC number or draft name to view

Options:
  -s, --search <QUERY>      Search for documents
  -p, --pager               Use PAGER instead of EDITOR
  -o, --open-with <PROGRAM> Program to open document with
  -f, --fresh               Fetch fresh copy, ignoring cache
  -d, --drafts              Only show drafts (with -s)
  -a, --all                 Show both RFCs and drafts (with -s)
  -l, --limit <N>           Limit search results (with -s)
      --list-cache          List cached documents
      --clear-cache         Clear all cached documents
      --cache-info          Show cache info
      --uncache <DOC>       Remove a document from cache
  -h, --help                Print help
  -V, --version             Print version

Examples

# Read the QUIC specification
rfc 9000

# Search for TLS-related RFCs
rfc -s tls

# Find the latest HTTP/3 draft
rfc -s http3 -d

# View a document in VS Code
rfc -o "code -" 8446

# Check what's cached
rfc --cache-info

License

BSD-3-Clause