Donghua CLI

A fast, Wuxia-themed terminal client for streaming and downloading Chinese animation (Donghua). Searches multiple sources simultaneously, auto-selects the best server, and plays via MPV/VLC.

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Install

pip install donghua-cli

That's it. Works on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android (Termux).

You also need a video player:

OS	Install player
Ubuntu/Debian	sudo apt install mpv
Fedora	sudo dnf install mpv
Arch	sudo pacman -S mpv
macOS	brew install mpv
Windows	winget install mpv
Termux	pkg install mpv

VLC works too, but MPV is recommended.

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Usage

# Launch the full-screen TUI (default)
dhua

# Classic terminal mode
dhua --classic

# Direct search
dhua "Battle Through the Heavens"

# Set quality
dhua "Soul Land" -q 1080

# Download instead of stream
dhua "Perfect World" -d

# Show version
dhua -V

Aliases

The install scripts set up shortcuts:

Command	What it does
dhua	Interactive mode
donghua	Same thing
dhua720	Stream at 720p
dhua1080	Stream at 1080p
dhuadl	Download mode

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Playback Controls

Key	Action
N / Enter	Next episode
P	Previous episode
S	Skip to episode #
R	Replay current
D	Download current
Q	Quit

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Platform Setup

Linux

# Install
pip install donghua-cli

# Dependencies
sudo apt install mpv ffmpeg    # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install mpv ffmpeg    # Fedora
sudo pacman -S mpv ffmpeg      # Arch

# Optional: add shell aliases
bash <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Thanukamax/donghua-cli/main/scripts/install.sh)

# Optional: add to app menu
bash packaging/desktop/install-desktop.sh

Windows

# Install Python (if needed)
winget install Python.Python.3.12

# Install donghua-cli
pip install donghua-cli

# Install mpv
winget install mpv

# Optional: run installer for PowerShell aliases
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Thanukamax/donghua-cli/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

Or download donghua.exe from Releases -- no Python needed.

macOS

# Install
pip3 install donghua-cli

# Dependencies
brew install mpv

# Optional: aliases
bash <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Thanukamax/donghua-cli/main/scripts/install.sh)

Android (Termux)

pkg install python mpv ffmpeg
pip install donghua-cli

# Run
dhua

Platform is auto-detected. Quality defaults to 360p, playback uses Android intents (MPV, VLC, MX Player).

From source

git clone https://github.com/Thanukamax/donghua-cli.git
cd donghua-cli
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Run
dhua

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How It Works

1. Search -- queries LuciferDonghua + AnimeXin concurrently, merges results by fuzzy title match
2. Episodes -- fetches episode lists from all available servers, merges by episode number
3. Extraction -- fast regex on partial HTML, falls back to full parse, then yt-dlp
4. Playback -- launches MPV/VLC with the resolved stream URL
5. Preloading -- background thread resolves the next 2-3 episodes while you watch
6. Cache -- LRU cache makes repeat plays instant
7. Fallback -- if one server fails, silently tries the next

Movies and series are detected automatically. Movie parts (PT-01, Part 01) are handled correctly.

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All CLI Options

donghua [query] [-q QUALITY] [-d] [--classic] [--logs] [--verbose]
                [--clear-cache] [--features] [-V]

positional:
  query              Series to search for

options:
  -q, --quality      Video quality (360, 480, 720, 1080)
  -d, --download     Download instead of stream
  --classic          Classic Rich terminal output (no TUI)
  --logs             Write debug log to file
  --verbose          Print debug output to stderr
  --clear-cache      Clear the stream cache
  --features         Show features and capabilities
  -V, --version      Show version

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
command not found: dhua	Restart your shell, or run pip install donghua-cli again
No video plays	Install mpv: see platform table above
Search returns nothing	Try a simpler query, or check your internet
Slow search	Normal -- source sites take 3-4s to respond
Download fails	Install yt-dlp: pip install yt-dlp
TUI looks broken	Your terminal needs 256-color support. Try --classic mode
Windows colors broken	Use Windows Terminal (not cmd.exe)

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Contributing

PRs welcome. Run pytest and ruff check src/ before submitting.

License

MIT -- see LICENSE.

Disclaimer

Educational purposes only. Support official releases when available. Not affiliated with any streaming sites.

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Made by Thanukamax