qrcat

qrcat (pronounced Purr Cat) is a command line utility that prints QR codes directly to your terminal using nothing but block characters.

pipx install qrcat

Aside from being a standalone application, you can also use qrcat in your Python project. See dev docs for more information.

Features

• Pure-Python, single runtime dep (segno) — no Pillow, no browser, no PNG.
• Pluggable renderer architecture — half-block today, quadrant / ANSI-color drop-in tomorrow.
• Works in any unicode-capable terminal.
• Library for your Python project and CLI tool from the same package.

Example

$ qrcat https://MarcinOrlowski.com

█▀▀▀▀▀█  ██▀ █▄▄▀ █▀▀▀▀▀█
█ ███ █ █▄▄ █▄█▀▀ █ ███ █
█ ▀▀▀ █ █▄▀█▄▄█▄▀ █ ▀▀▀ █
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ █▄█▄█ █ ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
▀▄██▀▀▀▄▄▀█ █▀█▀█ ▀█▀▀▀▄
█▄▀█ █▀▀▀  █ ▀▄▀█▄██▄▀ ▀█
▄▄ ▀▄█▀▀█▄▀▀██▀▄▄█▀▄ ▄▀█▀
█  █ ▄▀  █▀  ▀▄▀▄ ▀██▀ ▀█
▀ ▀▀  ▀▀██ █▀█▀▄█▀▀▀█▄▀
█▀▀▀▀▀█ ▄▄▀▄  ▄ █ ▀ █▄▀▀▀
█ ███ █ ██▀█▀█ ▀▀██▀█▄█▄▄
█ ▀▀▀ █ ▀▄█▄▄▀▀██ ▄▄▄█▀ █
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀  ▀▀▀  ▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀

Easy installation

Use pipx package manager to install qrcat as standalone application.

pipx install qrcat

Once installed qrcat binary should be instantly available in your terminal.

License

• Written and copyrighted ©2026 by Marcin Orlowski <mail (#) marcinorlowski (.) com>
• qrcat is open-source software licensed under the MIT license