tuc

Cut the first field (tab-delimited)

$ echo "[a\tb\tc]" | tuc -f 1

$ echo "[a:b:c:d]" | tuc -d ':' -f 1:3

$ echo "[a,b,c]" | tuc -d ',' -f 3,1,2

$ echo "[a b c]" | tuc -d ' ' -f -1

$ echo "[a1b2c3]" | tuc -e '[0-9]' -f 1:

$ echo "[a:b:c]" | tuc -d ':' -r '-' -f 1:

$ echo "[hello]" | tuc -c 1:3

$ echo "[a,b,c]" | tuc -d ',' -f '{1} - {2}'

tuc [flags] [options] [file]

tuc is a modern alternative to the classic cut command, written in Rust. It provides enhanced field selection with features like negative indexing, regex delimiters, multi-character delimiters, and field reordering.
Field syntax supports ranges (1:3), lists (1,3,5), negative indexes (-1 for last), and combinations. Template formatting with {1}, {2} allows custom output formatting.
Unlike cut, tuc can reorder fields, use regex patterns for splitting, and handle Unicode characters correctly. The -g option treats consecutive delimiters as one, useful for whitespace-separated data with variable spacing.

-f, --fields bounds

Fields to select (default: 1:)

Select specific bytes

Select characters (UTF-8 aware)

Select lines

Field delimiter (default: tab)

Use regex as delimiter

Replace delimiter with custom text

Trim delimiters: l (left), r (right), b (both)

Match consecutive delimiters as one

Merge consecutive delimiters before cutting

Show only lines containing the delimiter

Invert field selection

Rejoin selected parts with the delimiter

Use NUL instead of newline as line terminator

Output fields as JSON array

Regex support increases binary size; build with --no-default-features for a smaller binary. Field numbering starts at 1, not 0. The default delimiter is tab, not whitespace.

tuc was created by Riccardo Attilio Galli (riquito) as a Rust-based enhancement to the traditional cut utility. The name is a playful reversal of "cut." The project was motivated by cut's limitations with regex delimiters, field reordering, and negative indexing.

cut(1), awk(1), choose(1), sed(1)