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What is lowfi?

lowfi is a tiny Rust app that serves a single purpose: play lofi. Created by talwat, it does this as simply as it can - no albums, no ads, no distractions, just pure lofi music for coding and focus. It's designed with the "suckless" philosophy in mind, providing exactly what you need and nothing more.

🎯 Design Philosophy: "I really hate modern music platforms, and I wanted a small, 'suckless' app that would just play random lofi without video." - talwat, creator of lowfi

            🚀 Why Latest Versions Matter: lowfi is actively developed with frequent releases containing new track sources, performance improvements, and enhanced features. The latest versions include custom track list support, MPRIS integration, and better network resilience for uninterrupted coding sessions.
        

⚡ Key Features of lowfi

🎵 Pure Simplicity

Single purpose application - just plays lofi music. No complex interfaces, no distractions, perfect for maintaining coding flow state.

🌐 Network Resilient

Buffers 5 whole songs at a time instead of streaming fragments. Designed for inconsistent networks and uninterrupted listening.

🎛️ Media Key Support

Works with media keys and MPRIS (playerctl). Control playback without leaving your editor or breaking focus.

📻 Custom Track Lists

Support for custom track lists including Chillhop, local files, and community-contributed playlists for variety.

⚡ Lightweight

Tiny binary with minimal resource usage. Won't slow down your development environment or consume system resources.

🎨 Customizable UI

Minimalist mode, borderless display, alternate screen support, and adjustable player width for different terminal setups.

🎮 Controls

Key	Function
`s`, `n`, `l`	Skip Song
`p`, `Space`	Play/Pause
`+`, `=`, `k`, `↑`	Volume Up 10%
`→`	Volume Up 1%
`-`, `_`, `j`, `↓`	Volume Down 10%
`←`	Volume Down 1%
`q`, `Ctrl+C`	Quit

🆕 What's New in lowfi 1.6.0+

Enhanced Track Lists: Better support for custom track sources and playlists
Improved Buffering: More reliable network handling and audio streaming
MPRIS Integration: Better media key and system integration support
UI Enhancements: More customization options and visual improvements
Performance Optimizations: Reduced memory usage and faster startup times
Alternative Sources: Support for Chillhop and other lofi sources

📦 Installation from debian.griffo.io

Step 1: Add Repository

curl -sS https://debian.griffo.io/EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/debian.griffo.io.gpg
echo "deb https://debian.griffo.io/apt $(lsb_release -sc 2>/dev/null) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.griffo.io.list
sudo apt update
                

curl -sS https://debian.griffo.io/EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256.asc | gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/debian.griffo.io.gpg
echo "deb https://debian.griffo.io/apt $(lsb_release -sc 2>/dev/null) main" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.griffo.io.list
apt update
                

Step 2: Install lowfi

# Install latest lowfi
sudo apt install lowfi

# Verify installation
lowfi --version
                

# Install latest lowfi
apt install lowfi

# Verify installation
lowfi --version
                

🎯 Basic Usage Examples

Start listening:

# Just start lowfi - that's it!
lowfi

# Start in minimalist mode (no bottom bar)
lowfi --minimalist

# Start paused
lowfi --paused

# Use alternate terminal screen
lowfi --alternate
        

Custom track lists:

# Use Chillhop instead of Lofi Girl
lowfi --track-list chillhop

# Use custom track list file
lowfi --track-list ~/my-lofi-tracks.txt

# Use community track lists
lowfi --track-list minipop
        

Advanced options:

# Borderless UI
lowfi --borderless

# Custom player width
lowfi --width 5

# Debug mode (for troubleshooting)
lowfi --debug

# Custom buffer size
lowfi --buffer-size 10
        

🚀 Why Choose debian.griffo.io?

📊 Installation Comparison:

Official Debian: Not available in official repositories
Cargo Install: Requires Rust toolchain and compilation
Manual Binary: Manual updates and no package management
debian.griffo.io: Latest version (1.6.0+) with automatic updates

✅ Latest Features: Get newest track sources and player improvements
✅ No Rust Compilation: Pre-built binaries, no toolchain needed
✅ Automatic Updates: Packages updated within hours of upstream releases
✅ Proper Audio Setup: Correctly packaged with ALSA and audio dependencies
✅ Multi-Distribution: Works on Bookworm, Trixie, and Sid
✅ Easy Maintenance: Standard apt commands for updates

📦 Package Build Repository

The Debian packages are automatically built and maintained in this GitHub repository:

🎼 lowfi-debian - Latest release builds

🔗 Related Packages

Also available from debian.griffo.io:

termusic - Full-featured terminal music player
Ghostty Terminal - Modern terminal for development
Yazi File Manager - Terminal file management

            🎯 Perfect for: Developers who need focus music while coding, anyone who wants distraction-free lofi without ads or complex interfaces, terminal enthusiasts who appreciate minimalist tools, and users seeking consistent background music for productivity.
        

🎼 Install Latest lowfi on Debian