Linux & Shell
Inspect lexical tokens, PATH order or environment keys without running a command.
Input stays in this browser. Commands are never executed.
Dialect: POSIX sh / Bash quoting subset. Tokens are lexical words, not runtime argv. Expansions and shell operators are rejected.
Up to 65,536 UTF-16 units and 512 entries. Display expands by 50.
Result is out of date. Parse again before exporting.
A command line parser is useful when a filename with spaces becomes two arguments, an empty argument disappears, or a copied command ends inside a quote. Compare each original fragment with its decoded value before changing the caller.
Switch to PATH for an ordered directory list, or to environment keys for a names-only inventory. These are separate input formats: a shell assignment, a raw PATH value and a list of NAME=VALUE lines are not interchangeable.
Keep meaningful boundaries visible before editing the source.
This command line parser preserves empty quoted tokens and joins adjacent quoted fragments. The display includes source text and physical positions, so a missing quote produces a diagnostic instead of a silently repaired command.
PATH entries retain their original spelling and order. A duplicate refers back to its first occurrence; an empty slot remains visible. Preview exactly what would change, apply it, and restore the previous input and result with one undo.
Command mode uses the POSIX sh quoting subset shared with Bash. PATH mode accepts the raw variable value; environment mode accepts one NAME=VALUE record per line. Changing modes does not replace your input.
Values are shown as JSON strings so spaces, empty strings and embedded newlines remain distinguishable. PATH duplicates point to their first occurrence; environment duplicates identify repeated key names.
PATH removal and movement, loading an example and clearing text open a preview first. Automatic parsing runs after 350 ms; when it is off, use the Parse button or Ctrl/Cmd+Enter.
Shell quoting controls word boundaries. Single quotes preserve their contents; double quotes retain spaces and support the limited POSIX backslash rules. Adjacent fragments form one token, and -1 remains a token rather than a guessed option.
Choose colon or semicolon explicitly. The result shows directory order, duplicate references and empty entries. Deduplication keeps the first exact nonempty match; moving an entry affects two positions and requires confirmation.
Read ASCII variable names, optional export prefixes, blank lines and whole-line comments. Repeated names are retained with their positions. Values after the equals sign are neither interpreted nor included in the result or JSON export.
The panel shows 50 entries at a time and can reveal more. JSON export includes every entry, with source positions and duplicate markers. A failed parse does not yield a partially successful report that can be copied by mistake.
Only the POSIX sh/Bash common quoting subset described above. It is not a full script parser, and a semicolon-separated PATH is still just a list. Windows CRT, cmd and PowerShell quoting need their own implementations.
A shell treats quotes written in its source differently from quote characters already stored in a variable. This inspector processes the source you paste once; it does not reparse expanded variable contents or use eval. Check which layer actually owns the quotes.
Select PATH mode, choose its separator and parse the raw value. Preview deduplication removes later exact nonempty duplicates while retaining the first. Empty entries are preserved, and applying the preview can be undone.
For a normal PATH search, earlier directories have priority. Aliases, builtins, cached lookups and shell rules can affect actual execution. This page only shows the pasted order and cannot tell which executable exists on your machine.
In a POSIX colon-separated PATH, an initial, trailing or adjacent colon creates an empty entry that denotes the current directory. The inspector keeps every such slot. An entirely empty editor is treated as missing input, not as a request to inspect the live system PATH.
Have a prefix or address case to check?
Return to the command line parser to compare the raw fragments and positions, then export the current report only after reviewing its boundaries.
No command is executed and no system environment is modified.