huntd

huntd [options]

-u username
    Show processes owned by username.

-p pid
    Hunt for a specific process ID.

-n command_name
    Hunt for processes with the specified command name.

-t tty
    Hunt for processes running on the specified TTY (terminal).

-i
    Start in interactive mode (default).

-q
    Quiet mode. Suppress most output.

-V
    Display version information.

-h
    Display help message.

The huntd command is a powerful tool for locating and terminating processes based on criteria such as user, command name, or TTY. It allows a system administrator or user to quickly identify unwanted or resource-intensive processes and eliminate them. Unlike a simple kill command, huntd offers more refined process selection via interactive search. It enables interactive process selection via curses, so the user can view the process details and select the processes that should be killed from a TTY.

The command presents a curses-based interface that allows you to browse through the list of running processes. You can then select one or more processes to send a signal to (typically SIGKILL). Its interactive nature makes it suitable for environments where visual inspection and confirmation are necessary before terminating processes.

huntd requires root privileges or appropriate permissions to terminate processes owned by other users. Improper use of this command can lead to system instability or data loss if essential processes are terminated.

By default, huntd sends SIGKILL (signal 9). This cannot be changed without modifying the source code.

huntd typically requires the ncurses library for its terminal-based user interface.

huntd was created as a more user-friendly and interactive way to find and kill processes, offering improvements over command-line utilities such as kill and ps. It's designed to be used in terminal environments, especially where a GUI is unavailable or impractical.

kill(1), ps(1), top(1), pkill(1)