QLPyCon - Quake Live Python Console

Terminal client for monitoring and controlling Quake Live servers via ZMQ RCON.

Installation

curl -sSL https://6bit.ch/qlpycon/install.sh | bash

Or from a cloned repo:

git clone https://git.6bit.ch/xbl/qlpycon.git
cd qlpycon
./install.sh

The installer sets up a virtualenv, installs dependencies, and writes a launcher to ~/.local/bin/qlpycon.

Configuration

Edit qlpycon.conf in your install directory. See qlpycon.conf.example for all options.

[connection]
password = ${QLPYCON_PASSWORD}

[servers]
ffa  = 10.13.12.93:28960
duel = 10.13.12.93:28961

Usage

qlpycon                                            # pick a server from a menu
qlpycon ffa                                        # connect by name
qlpycon --host tcp://10.13.12.93:28960 --password secret   # connect directly
qlpycon --list                                     # list configured servers

Without arguments, qlpycon shows the servers from [servers] numbered from 0 and connects to the one you select (Up/Down or j/k, Enter or the number key 0-9; q quits). If no servers are configured it connects to [connection] host.

Keys in the console:

• Enter: send the command
• Tab: cycle autocomplete suggestions
• Up/Down: command history
• PgUp/PgDn or mouse wheel: scroll the output back and forth (the last 2000 lines are kept)
• Hold Shift while selecting text with the mouse (the wheel is reported to qlpycon)
• Ctrl-C twice: quit

Options:

• --host URI: ZMQ RCON endpoint
• --password PASS: RCON password (or set QLPYCON_PASSWORD env var)
• --list: list configured servers and exit
• -v / -vv: verbose (INFO) or debug (DEBUG) logging
• --json FILE: log all JSON events to file
• --unknown-log FILE: log unparsed events (default: unknown_events.log)

Features

• Real-time kill/death/medal/team switch events
• Team-aware colorized output with Quake color code support
• Powerup pickup and carrier kill notifications
• Server info panel (map, gametype, scores, players)
• Tab autocomplete for cvars and commands with fuzzy matching; on connect the server's own cvarlist and cmdlist output is read so every cvar and command the server knows is suggested, not only the built-in list
• Argument suggestions for 22 commands (bot names, maps, gametypes)
• Command history (↑/↓)
• Output scrollback (PgUp/PgDn) that survives terminal resizes

Architecture

main.py        - entry point, arg parsing, signal handling
qlpycon.conf   - user configuration
lib/
  constants.py - weapons, teams, colors, limits
  settings.py  - config file loader
  state.py     - game state (server info, players, teams)
  network.py   - ZMQ connections (RCON DEALER, stats SUB)
  parser.py    - JSON event parsing
  formatter.py - message formatting and colorization
  ui.py        - curses interface (info / output / input panels)
  cvars.py     - built-in cvar/command database and autocomplete
  namelist.py  - learns cvar/command names from the server (cvarlist, cmdlist)

License

WTFPL

Autocomplete Feature

Overview

QLPyCon includes intelligent autocomplete for console variables (cvars) and commands with fuzzy matching support.

Features

• Real-time Suggestions: Fuzzy matches appear below the input line as you type
• Tab Cycling: Press Tab to cycle through suggestions
• Smart Argument Highlighting: Current argument position highlighted in reverse video
• Argument Value Suggestions: Intelligent suggestions for command arguments (bot names, maps, gametypes, etc.)
• Command Signatures: Automatic display when typing commands with arguments
• Fuzzy Matching: Finds matches even with partial or misspelled input
• Smart Scoring: Best matches appear first (exact > prefix > substring > fuzzy)

Usage

Type a partial command (2+ characters) and fuzzy matches appear below the prompt:

$ sv_m
sv_maxclients sv_minrate sv_maxrate sv_timeout sv_floodprotect

Press Tab to cycle through the suggestions:

$ sv_m          [Tab]  →  sv_maxclients
$ sv_maxclients [Tab]  →  sv_minrate
$ sv_minrate    [Tab]  →  sv_maxrate
$ sv_maxrate    [Tab]  →  sv_timeout
$ sv_timeout    [Tab]  →  sv_floodprotect
$ sv_floodprotect [Tab]  →  sv_maxclients  (cycles back)

Command signatures with argument highlighting:

When you type a command that has arguments, the signature appears automatically with the current argument highlighted:

$ addbot
[<botname>] [skill 1-5] [team] [msec delay] [altname]
     ↑ highlighted (currently typing this)

$ addbot sarge
<botname> [[skill 1-5]] [team] [msec delay] [altname]
              ↑ highlighted (now typing skill level)

$ addbot sarge 5
<botname> [skill 1-5] [[team]] [msec delay] [altname]
                         ↑ highlighted (now typing team)

$ kick
[<player>]
    ↑ highlighted

$ g_gametype
[<0=FFA 1=Duel 2=TDM 3=CA 4=CTF...>]
              ↑ highlighted

The highlighted argument (shown with [[ ]] above, displayed in reverse video) shows you exactly what to type next.

Matches update in real-time as you type or delete characters.

Argument value suggestions:

After typing a command with a space, the system suggests valid values for each argument with fuzzy matching:

$ addbot
Anarki Angel Biker Bitterman Bones
  ↑ Shows bot names

$ addbot sar
Sarge
  ↑ Fuzzy matches 'sar' → 'Sarge'

$ addbot Sarge
1 2 3 4 5
  ↑ Shows skill levels (1-5)

$ addbot Sarge 4
red blue free spectator r
  ↑ Shows team values

$ map
aerowalk almostlost arenagate asylum battleforged
  ↑ Shows map names

$ map blood
bloodrun
  ↑ Fuzzy matches 'blood' → 'bloodrun'

$ g_gametype
ffa duel race tdm ca
  ↑ Shows gametype values (string names first, then the numbers 0-11)

$ callvote
map map_restart nextmap gametype kick
  ↑ Shows vote types

The system knows valid values for 22 commands including:

• 32 bot names: Sarge, Ranger, Visor, Xaero, Anarki, etc.
• 38 maps: bloodrun, campgrounds, toxicity, aerowalk, etc.
• 12 game types: ffa, duel, tdm, ca, ctf, etc. (string and numeric forms)
• Vote types: map, kick, shuffle, teamsize, gametype, etc.
• Team values: red, blue, free, spectator (and r, b, f, s)
• Skill levels: 1-5 for bots
• Boolean values: 0, 1
• Common settings: timelimits, fraglimits, sv_fps values, etc.

Arguments with freetext (like player names or custom messages) fall back to showing the signature with highlighting.

Supported Commands

Right after connecting, qlpycon sends cvarlist and cmdlist to the server and adds every name from the answer to the autocomplete candidates (the listing itself is hidden from the output). The built-in list below is the fallback before that answer arrives and the source of signatures and argument values.

Built-in cvars and commands:

Commands with Signatures

The following commands show usage help when selected:

Bot commands:

• addbot - [skill 1-5] [team] [msec delay] [altname]
• removebot -

Player management:

• kick -
• kickban -
• ban -
• tempban -
• tell -

Game settings:

• g_gametype - <0=FFA 1=Duel 2=TDM 3=CA 4=CTF...>
• timelimit -
• fraglimit -
• capturelimit -

Map & voting:

• map -
• callvote - [args...]
• say -

Additional Cvars

Server Configuration:

• sv_hostname, sv_maxclients, sv_fps, sv_pure, etc.

Network & ZMQ:

• net_port, zmq_rcon_enable, zmq_stats_enable, etc.

QLX (minqlx):

• qlx_serverBrandName, qlx_owner, qlx_redditAuth

Technical Details

Fuzzy Matching Algorithm

Scoring system (higher = better match):

• 1000: Exact match
• 500+: Prefix match (prioritizes shorter results)
• 100-: Substring match (earlier = better)
• 50: Contains all characters in order

Examples:

autocomplete('sv_')
→ ['sv_fps', 'sv_pure', 'sv_maxrate', 'sv_minrate', 'sv_timeout']

autocomplete('time')
→ ['timelimit', 'sv_timeout']

autocomplete('stat')
→ ['status', 'zmq_stats_enable', 'zmq_stats_ip', 'zmq_stats_password', 'zmq_stats_port']

Customization

Add Your Own Cvars

Names the server reports via cvarlist/cmdlist are picked up automatically. To add a signature or argument values, or a name the server does not report, edit cvars.py and add to the appropriate list:

# Custom cvars
CUSTOM_CVARS = [
    'my_custom_cvar',
    'another_cvar',
]

# Add to ALL_CVARS
ALL_CVARS = (
    SERVER_CVARS +
    GAME_CVARS +
    # ...
    CUSTOM_CVARS
)

Adjust Behavior

In ui.py, modify:

# Minimum characters before showing suggestions
if len(current_word) >= 2:  # Change to 1 or 3

# Maximum suggestions displayed
suggestions = autocomplete(current_word, max_results=5)  # Change limit

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
Tab	Cycle through autocomplete suggestions
↑	Previous command in history
↓	Next command in history
←/→	Move cursor
Backspace	Delete (updates suggestions)
Enter	Send command

Notes

• Autocomplete starts after typing 2+ characters
• Suggestions appear on the line below the prompt
• Up to 5 matches shown at once (best matches first)
• Suggestions update in real-time as you type
• History navigation (↑/↓) works normally

Testing Autocomplete

# Run cvars module directly to test matching
python3 cvars.py

# Output shows test queries and results