McFly replaces your default Ctrl-R shell history search with an intelligent search engine that takes into account your working directory and the context of recently executed commands. McFly's suggestions are prioritized in real time with a small neural network.
TL;DR: an upgraded Ctrl-R where history results make sense for what you're working on right now.
Publisher’s description
What is McFly?
McFly by Andrew Cantino is open-source Windows software in the terminals & cli tools category. It is written in Rust.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides Portable installers for 64-bit Windows. It runs without installation (portable).
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.9.4, released on December 24, 2025. The version history goes back to January 13, 2025: 4 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 2.9 releases a year.
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (cantino/mcfly) has 7,810 stars. Similar programs include PowerShell, Oh My Posh and QPDF.
Project description on GitHub: “Fly through your shell history. Great Scott!”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Portable: runs without installation
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
In short: McFly is an open-source terminals & cli tool tool for 64-bit PCs.
Is McFly safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
A390A094A8DFC324F4E474F8D8EB4EED956386170242ADBA3EADBE3A298F8193· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the cantino/mcfly repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No binaries in the repository10
- No dangerous workflows10
- Licence declared10
- Code review4
- Actively maintained2
- Restricted token permissions0
- Pinned dependencies0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Fuzzing0
- Signed releases0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 4 versions ›4 versions over 1 year · about 2.9 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9.4Latest | December 24, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.9.3 | February 11, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.9.2 | August 12, 2024 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
| 0.9.1 | January 13, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id AndrewCantino.McFly -escoop install main/mcflyRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install mcflyInformation
- Publisher
- Andrew Cantino
- Category
- Terminals & CLI tools
- Licence
- MIT
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/cantino/mcfly
- Written in
- Rust
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- Portable
- Version
- 0.9.4
- Released
- December 24, 2025
- Added to the catalogue
- January 13, 2025
- Versions listed
- 4
- Updates / year
- 2.9
- GitHub stars
- 7,810
- GitHub forks
- 203
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- AndrewCantino.McFly
- Scoop package
- main/mcfly
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to McFly
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Frequently asked questions
Is McFly free?
Yes. McFly is open-source software under the MIT licence.
Is McFly safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install McFly with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Does McFly run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of McFly?
The versions page lists all 4 versions with links to their official installer files, back to January 13, 2025.
Can I use McFly without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to McFly?
PowerShell, Oh My Posh, QPDF, fd and Alacritty. The alternatives page compares them.
