mirror of
https://github.com/PR0M3TH3AN/Marlin.git
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276 lines
7.4 KiB
Markdown
276 lines
7.4 KiB
Markdown
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# Marlin
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**Marlin** is a lightweight, metadata-driven file indexer that runs 100 % on your computer. It scans folders, stores paths and file stats in SQLite, lets you attach hierarchical **tags** and **custom attributes**, takes automatic snapshots, and offers instant full-text search via FTS5.
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*No cloud, no telemetry – your data never leaves the machine.*
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---
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## Feature highlights
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| Area | What you get |
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| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| **Safety** | Timestamped backups (`marlin backup`) and one-command restore (`marlin restore`) |
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| **Resilience** | Versioned, idempotent schema migrations – zero-downtime upgrades |
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| **Indexing** | Fast multi-path scanner with SQLite WAL concurrency |
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| **Metadata** | Hierarchical tags (`project/alpha`) & key-value attributes (`reviewed=yes`) |
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| **Search** | Prefix-aware FTS5 across paths, tags, and attributes; optional `--exec` per match |
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| **DX / Logs** | Structured tracing (`RUST_LOG=debug`) for every operation |
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---
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## How it works
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```text
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┌──────────────┐ marlin scan ┌─────────────┐
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│ your files │ ─────────────────────▶│ SQLite │
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│ (any folder) │ │ files/tags │
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└──────────────┘ tag / attr │ attrs / FTS │
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▲ search / exec └──────┬──────┘
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└────────── backup / restore ▼
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timestamped snapshots
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```
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---
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## Prerequisites
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| Requirement | Why |
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| ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
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| **Rust** ≥ 1.77 | Build toolchain (`rustup.rs`) |
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| C build essentials | Builds bundled SQLite (Linux) |
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macOS & Windows users: let the Rust installer pull the matching build tools.
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---
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## Build & install
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/yourname/marlin.git
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cd marlin
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cargo build --release
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sudo install -Dm755 target/release/marlin /usr/local/bin/marlin # optional
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```
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---
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## Quick start
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```bash
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marlin init # create DB (idempotent)
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marlin scan ~/Pictures ~/Documents # index files
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marlin tag "~/Pictures/**/*.jpg" photos/trip-2024 # add tag
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marlin attr set "~/Documents/**/*.pdf" reviewed yes
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marlin search reviewed --exec "xdg-open {}" # open matches
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marlin backup # snapshot DB
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```
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### Database location
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* **Linux** `~/.local/share/marlin/index.db`
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* **macOS** `~/Library/Application Support/marlin/index.db`
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* **Windows** `%APPDATA%\marlin\index.db`
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Override with:
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```bash
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export MARLIN_DB_PATH=/path/to/custom.db
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```
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---
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## CLI reference
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```text
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marlin <COMMAND> [ARGS]
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init create / migrate database
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scan <PATHS>... walk directories & index files
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tag "<glob>" <tag_path> add hierarchical tag
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attr set|ls … manage custom attributes
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search <query> [--exec CMD] FTS query, optionally run CMD on each hit
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backup create timestamped snapshot in backups/
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restore <snapshot.db> replace DB with snapshot
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```
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### Attribute subcommands
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| Command | Example |
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| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
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| `attr set` | `marlin attr set "~/Docs/**/*.pdf" reviewed yes` |
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| `attr ls` | `marlin attr ls ~/Docs/report.pdf` |
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---
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## Backups & restore
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*Create snapshot*
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```bash
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marlin backup
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# → ~/.local/share/marlin/backups/backup_2025-05-14_22-15-30.db
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```
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*Restore snapshot*
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```bash
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marlin restore ~/.local/share/marlin/backups/backup_2025-05-14_22-15-30.db
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```
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Marlin also takes an **automatic safety backup before every schema migration**.
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---
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## Upgrading
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```bash
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cargo install --path . --force # rebuild & replace installed binary
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```
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The versioned migration system preserves your data across upgrades.
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---
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## Roadmap
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See [`ROADMAP.md`](./ROADMAP.md) for the full development plan.
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---
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## Five-Minute Quickstart
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Paste & run each block in your terminal.
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---
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### 0 Prepare & build
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```bash
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# Clone or cd into your Marlin repo
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cd ~/Documents/GitHub/Marlin
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# Build the release binary
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cargo build --release
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```
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---
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### 1 Install on your PATH
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```bash
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sudo install -Dm755 target/release/marlin /usr/local/bin/marlin
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```
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> Now `marlin` is available everywhere.
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---
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### 2 Prepare a clean demo directory
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```bash
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rm -rf ~/marlin_demo
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mkdir -p ~/marlin_demo/{Projects/{Alpha,Beta},Media/Photos,Docs}
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printf "Alpha draft\n" > ~/marlin_demo/Projects/Alpha/draft.txt
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printf "Beta notes\n" > ~/marlin_demo/Projects/Beta/notes.md
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printf "Receipt PDF\n" > ~/marlin_demo/Docs/receipt.pdf
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printf "fake jpg\n" > ~/marlin_demo/Media/Photos/vacation.jpg
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```
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---
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### 3 Initialize & index files
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```bash
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# Use --verbose if you want full debug traces:
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marlin init
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marlin scan ~/marlin_demo
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# or, to see every path tested:
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marlin --verbose init
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marlin --verbose scan ~/marlin_demo
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```
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> **Tip:** Rerun `marlin scan` after you add/remove/modify files; only changed files get re-indexed.
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---
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### 4 Attach tags & attributes
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```bash
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# Tag everything under “Alpha”
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marlin tag "~/marlin_demo/Projects/Alpha/**/*" project/alpha
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# Mark all PDFs as reviewed
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marlin attr set "~/marlin_demo/**/*.pdf" reviewed yes
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# (or with debug)
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marlin --verbose tag "~/marlin_demo/Projects/Alpha/**/*" project/alpha
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marlin --verbose attr set "~/marlin_demo/**/*.pdf" reviewed yes
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```
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---
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### 5 Search your index
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```bash
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# By tag or filename
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marlin search alpha
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# Combined terms (AND across path+attrs)
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marlin search "reviewed AND pdf"
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# Run a command on each hit
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marlin search reviewed --exec "echo HIT → {}"
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# If things aren’t matching, add --verbose to see the underlying FTS query:
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marlin --verbose search "reviewed AND pdf"
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```
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> `{}` in `--exec` is replaced with each file’s path.
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---
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### 6 Backup & restore
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```bash
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# Snapshot and store its name
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snap=$(marlin backup | awk '{print $NF}')
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# Simulate data loss
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rm ~/.local/share/marlin/index.db
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# Restore instantly
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marlin restore "$snap"
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# Verify your files still show up
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marlin search reviewed
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```
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> Backups live under `~/.local/share/marlin/backups` by default.
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##### What you just exercised
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| Command | Purpose |
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| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
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| `marlin init` | Create / upgrade the SQLite database |
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| `marlin scan` | Walk directories and (re)index files |
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| `marlin tag` | Attach hierarchical tags |
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| `marlin attr set` | Add/overwrite custom key-value attributes |
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| `marlin search` | FTS5 search across path / tags / attrs |
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| `--exec` | Pipe hits into any shell command |
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| `marlin backup` | Timestamped snapshot of the DB |
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| `marlin restore` | Replace live DB with a chosen snapshot |
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That’s the complete surface area of Marlin today—feel free to play around or
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point the scanner at real folders.
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---
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## License
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MIT – see `LICENSE`
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