fts-tool 2.0.0a1

Peer-to-peer file and directory transfer system

FTS

FTS (File Transfer System) is a lightweight CLI tool for file transfers, chatrooms, and more. It’s designed for fast local-network sharing, simple chat creation, and utility management in a single binary.

[!CAUTION] FTS should NEVER be run on a public network without permission from the proper authorities; there are safeguards in place to prevent fts from running on public networks

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Features

• Fast local-network file transfers (files or directories)
• Lightweight chatrooms for easy communication
• Discover and manage libraries for easy file sharing
• Aliases and default settings for quick operations
• Progress bars, rate limiting, and background servers
• Security via trusted connections and public-network safeguards
• Uses TLS to prevent man in the middle attacks
• Library does not expose the computers actual file system in anyway

[!IMPORTANT] FTS has currently only been tested on Windows. Other operating systems may not be supported.

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Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Usage
• Example use
• Project State
• Contributing
• License
• Commands
  • open
  • send
  • send-dir
  • close
  • version
  • trust
  • chat-create
  • chat-join
  • library
  • alias
  • defaults

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Installation

Install FTS globally using pip:

pip install fts-tool

To uninstall:

pip uninstall fts-tool

[!WARNING] Python must be installed and added to your system PATH to run fts from the terminal.

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Usage

fts  [--logfile FILE] [-q] [-v] COMMAND [OPTIONS]

Run fts -h to see all global options. Each command has its own -h/--help flag.

[!CAUTION] FTS is executed as fts in the terminal, but the pip package is named fts-tool.

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Example Use

# Start server
fts open downloads --progress

# Send a file
fts send C:\Users\Public\Pictures\family_photo.png 192.168.1.42 --progress

One computer opens the sever and the other sends the file

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Project State

FTS development is temporarily slowed but will resume in 2–4 weeks. The project is very much alive.

Upcoming Features

• Address any remaining issues in the current Windows build.
• Include troubleshooting tips (e.g., firewall or network issues).
• Support for common Linux systems.
• Limit FTS usage on public networks instead of disabling it entirely.
• Improve support for directory aliases in the GUI.
• Implement file checksums to detect corrupted transfers.
• Add scheduled or automated file transfers.
• Enable transfer resuming for interrupted downloads.
• Allow third-party extensions (e.g., custom compressors, encryption layers, notifications).

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Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you’d like to change.

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License

MIT

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Commands

open

Start a server and listen for incoming transfers.

fts open OUTPUT_PATH [OPTIONS]

Arguments:

• OUTPUT_PATH — Directory to save incoming transfers (required)

Options:

• -d, --detached — Run server in the background
• -l, --limit SIZE — Transfer rate limit (e.g. 500KB, 2MB, 1GB)
• -x, --extract — Automatically extract transferred archives
• --progress — Show progress bars during operations
• -p, --port PORT — Override port used (0-65535)
• --ip ADDR — Restrict requests to IP or hostname

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send

Send a file to a target host.

fts send PATH IP [OPTIONS]

Arguments:

• PATH — File to send (required)
• IP — Target IP or hostname (required)

Options:

• -n, --name NAME — Send file under a different name
• -p, --port PORT — Override port used (0-65535)
• -l, --limit SIZE — Transfer rate limit Transfer rate limit (e.g. 500KB, 2MB, 1GB)
• --nocompress — Skip compression (faster, larger transfers)
• --progress — Show progress bars

[!NOTE] FTS automatically skips compression for files that are already compressed. Enable this option only if FTS still attempts to compress such files.

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send-dir

Send a directory recursively.

fts send-dir PATH IP [OPTIONS]

Arguments:

• PATH — Directory to send (required)
• IP — Target IP or hostname (required)

Options:

• -n, --name NAME — Send directory under a different name
• -p, --port PORT — Override port used (0-65535)
• -l, --limit SIZE — Transfer rate limit Transfer rate limit (e.g. 500KB, 2MB, 1GB)
• --pyzip — Use Python’s built-in compression instead of OS-level compression
• --progress — Show progress bars

[!WARNING] The target directory will rezip after every send request; If this becomes a problem, it is recommended to pre-zip directories.

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close

Close a detached server.

fts close PROCESS

Arguments:

• PROCESS — One of all, receiving, or library

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version

Displays the FTS version

fts version

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trust

Trust an IP certificate, if a certificate has changed.

fts trust IP

Arguments:

• IP — IP address whose certificate should be trusted

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chat-create

Create a new chatroom.

fts chat-create NAME [OPTIONS]

Arguments:

• NAME — Your username (required)

Options:

• -p, --port PORT — Override port

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chat-join

Join an existing chatroom.

fts chat-join NAME IP [OPTIONS]

Arguments:

• NAME — Your username (required)
• IP — IP to join (required)

Options:

• -p, --port PORT — Override port

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library

Download and manage local file directories.

fts library TASK [OPTIONS]

Arguments:

• TASK — One of find, open, manage
• OUTPUT_PATH — Directory for incoming transfers (required for find)

Options:

• -d, --detached — Run library server in the background (open only)

[!TIP] The find command will automatically find open libraries on your local network

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alias

Manage aliases.

fts alias ACTION [ARGS]

Arguments:

• ACTION — One of add, remove, list
• NAME — Alias name (required for add/remove)
• VALUE — Alias value (required for add)
• TYPE — One of ip or dir (required for add)

[!NOTE]
Directory aliases are not supported when selecting commands in the gui

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defaults

Manage default settings.

fts defaults [OUTPUT_PATH]

Arguments:

• OUTPUT_PATH — Directory to save incoming transfers

[!NOTE]
Saved defaults exist even if they don’t appear in the GUI. Leaving the argument blank will use your default values.

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