Speed Read It!


A command line tool to speed read any text using RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation).

!demo

Installation

``bash
npm i -g @yurug-js/srit
`

Requires Node.js 18 or higher.

Features

- Read text, markdown, PDF, Word documents (.doc/.docx), and web pages
- Adjustable reading speed (words per minute)
- Median letter highlighting for optimal eye fixation
- Progress bar showing position in text
- Pipe mode for reading from stdin
- AI-powered adaptive pacing (slows on complex words)
- AI-powered comprehension testing

Usage

`bash
srit document.txt # Plain text file
srit article.md # Markdown (rendered to plain text)
srit report.pdf # PDF document
srit paper.doc # Word document
srit paper.docx # Word document (modern format)
srit https://example.com # Web page
cat file.txt | srit - # Read from stdin
`

The terminal clears and displays one word at a time, centered on screen. The median letter is highlighted in red to provide an optimal fixation point. Punctuation introduces a brief pause for natural reading rhythm.

$3

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| ← | Previous word |
| → | Next word |
| ↑ | Increase speed |
| ↓ | Decrease speed |
| Esc | Exit |

Adaptive Pacing Mode

Let AI adjust your reading speed based on text complexity:

!demo-auto

`bash
srit --auto document.txt
`

Uses LLM token surprisal to slow down on complex or unusual words, with a smooth "halo" effect around surprising content. Results are cached for instant re-runs.

| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| --gamma N | Slowdown intensity (0.0-2.0, default: 0.6) |
| --target-wpm N | Base target WPM (default: 360) |
| --max-cost N | Cost threshold before confirmation (default: $1) |

Controls: +/- adjust gamma, ↑/↓ adjust speed.

Comprehension Check Mode

Test your reading comprehension with AI-generated questions:

!demo-check

`bash
srit --check document.txt
`

Questions appear throughout your reading, placed at sentence boundaries to avoid interrupting the flow. Answer with number keys (1-4). At the end, you'll see your score and total reading time.

| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| --questions N | Number of questions (default: 10) |
| --frequency N | Target words between questions |

API Keys

Both --auto and --check modes require an LLM provider.

Cloud providers (require API key):
`bash
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
export GEMINI_API_KEY=...
`

Local with Ollama (free, no API key):
`bash
srit --auto --provider ollama document.txt
`
Requires Ollama running locally. Set OLLAMA_HOST to override the default http://localhost:11434.

Additional options: --provider NAME and --model NAME to override defaults.

Configuration

Settings are stored in ~/.srit.json:

`json
{
"wpm": 300,
"highlightColor": "red",
"textColor": "white"
}
`

Available colors: black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan, white.

Other Options

`bash
srit --version # Show version number
srit --help # Show help (use -h)
``

License

MIT

Philosophy

This program follows the KISS principle: it does one specific thing and aims to do it right, with minimal dependencies and clear semantics. Contributions are welcome as long as they adhere to this philosophy!