---
title: "Turtle"
description: "Duolingo for the terminal. Teaches tmux and shell commands through gamified, spaced microlearning in a TUI."
canonical_url: "https://2389.ai/products/turtle/"
last_updated: "2026-03-17T10:45:41-05:00"
doc_version: "1.0"
date: 2026-01-13
product_type: "Tool"
status: "Beta"
tags: ["go", "tui", "terminal", "learning", "tmux", "spaced-repetition", "cli", "education", "open-source"]
---

# Turtle

> Duolingo for the terminal. Teaches tmux and shell commands through gamified, spaced microlearning in a TUI.


Turtle is a TUI app that teaches terminal and tmux basics the way Duolingo teaches languages: short sessions, immediate feedback, and a progression system that keeps you coming back. You run it, pick a skill, type the real command, and it tells you whether you got it right.

## Install

```bash
brew install 2389-research/tap/turtle
```

Or with Go:

```bash
go install github.com/2389-research/turtle/cmd/turtle@latest
```

Then just run `turtle`.

## What it does

**Gamified progression.** XP for correct answers, streaks for consecutive days, levels that unlock as you prove competence, and combo multipliers for answering correctly in a row. Progress saves automatically to `~/.local/share/turtle/progress.json`.

**Bite-sized lessons.** Each session takes 2-5 minutes. You're learning `pwd`, `ls`, `cd`, `mkdir`, `cp`, `mv`, tmux sessions, panes, and windows — but never more than a few concepts at a time.

**Spaced repetition.** The SM-2 algorithm schedules reviews based on how well you remembered each command. Skills you struggle with come back sooner. Skills you've nailed fade into longer intervals.

**Mastery-based unlocks.** You can't skip ahead. Level 0 covers navigation (`pwd`, `ls`, `cd`, tab completion). Level 2 introduces file operations. Level 3+ moves into tmux: sessions, panes, and windows. Each tier unlocks when you've demonstrated the previous one.

**Real commands, not quizzes.** Turtle asks you to type actual commands, not pick from multiple choice. You build muscle memory, not test-taking strategy.

## How it works

Built with [Bubble Tea](https://github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea) and [Lip Gloss](https://github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss). The lesson content is structured as a skill tree in YAML. The spaced repetition engine tracks per-skill ease factors, intervals, and next-review dates using a standard SM-2 implementation. Navigate with arrow keys or `j`/`k`, select with Enter, quit with `q`.


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