Mototli

Modern Gopher protocol server and client implementation using asyncio.

Mototli brings the classic Gopher protocol (RFC 1436) into modern Python with full Gopher+ extensions (RFC 4266), async/await support, and a developer-friendly API.

Part of the small internet protocol family alongside Nauyaca (Gemini) and Mapilli.

Features

• Async Client - Browse gopherspace with an elegant async API
• Full Server - Host your own gopherhole with static files, CGI, and directory listings
• Gopher+ Support - Complete RFC 4266 implementation with attributes and views
• CLI Tools - Rich command-line interface for browsing and serving
• TOML Config - Flexible server configuration
• Type Safe - Full type hints with strict mypy

Installation

# Using uv (recommended)
uv add mototli

# Using pip
pip install mototli

Quick Start

Browse Gopherspace

# Fetch a directory listing
mototli get gopher.floodgap.com

# Fetch a text file
mototli text gopher.floodgap.com /gopher/welcome

# Get Gopher+ attributes
mototli attrs gopher.floodgap.com /gopher

Serve a Gopherhole

# Serve current directory
mototli serve --port 7070

# With configuration
mototli serve --config server.toml

Python Client

import asyncio
from mototli.client import GopherClient

async def main():
    async with GopherClient() as client:
        response = await client.get("gopher.floodgap.com", "/")
        for item in response.items:
            print(f"[{item.item_type.value}] {item.display_text}")

asyncio.run(main())

Python Server

import asyncio
from mototli.server import run_server

asyncio.run(run_server(document_root="./gopherhole", port=7070))

Documentation

Full documentation is available at mototli.readthedocs.io:

• Installation Guide
• Quick Start
• Tutorials
• API Reference

Development

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/alanbato/mototli.git
cd mototli
uv sync

# Run tests
uv run pytest

# Run linting
uv run ruff check .

# Run type checking
uv run mypy src/

# Build docs locally
uv run mkdocs serve

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.