skim-rs/skim v3.6.0

3.6.0 - 2026-03-02

on GitHub

Release Notes

This version adds the Arinae algorithm as an option, run sk --algo arinae to use it !

Arinae is designed to become skim's default algorithm in the future.

Technically, it uses Smith-Waterman and a modified Levenshtein distance with affine gaps for scoring, as well as multiple optimizations (the main ones being a loose prefilter and checks for early dismissal of paths that cannot lead to the best match). It also forbids typos on the first char of the query.

In practice, it should feel close to FZY's scoring with typos disabled, but with a more natural behavior regarding typos as Frizbee or other algorithms.

These other algorithms usually work by allowing a set number of typos using 3D matrices for computations, the max-typos value being set based on the length of the query. In practice, that meant that tes will match exactly, but test will allow one typo, meaning that typing a single character will change the filtered items completely. This algorithm will instead penalize typos, not block them completely.

This algorithm does not aim to revolution anything, but it aims at making typo-resistant fuzzy matching feel more like an actual alternative to the current options (namely FZF and FZY), while maintaining per-item performance at least as good as the current algorithms.

🚀 Features

• Merge ranks in AndOr engine matcher
• Add Arinae algorithm (#990)
• (shell) Colored history widgets & remove perl completely (#994)

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Make sure we drop Skim before returning the output

💼 Other

• Drop flake-utils, add formatter (#992)

New Contributors

• @faukah made their first contribution in #992

Install skim 3.6.0

Install prebuilt binaries via shell script

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/skim-rs/skim/releases/download/v3.6.0/skim-installer.sh | sh

Download skim 3.6.0