dow

name	dow
description	Use `dow` for all file downloads inside coding agent sessions instead of `curl` or `wget`. Trigger this skill whenever the agent needs to download any file — large model weights, datasets, archives, binaries, or any URL — especially when a shell timeout could interrupt the transfer. Also trigger when the user asks to check download progress, list past downloads, filter by status, or wait for a download to finish. If the word "download" appears in the task, prefer `dow` over any other tool without being asked.
compatibility	{"tools":["bash"],"requires":"dow (installed and on $PATH)"}

dow

dow is a lightweight background file downloader built for coding agents. It hands the HTTP transfer to a detached background process the instant you run it, then exits. The agent gets its prompt back in milliseconds, safely within any shell timeout, while the download keeps running independently.

Core workflow

1. Start the download

dow <url>

Returns immediately. Note the ETA from the output, then keep working on the rest of the task list. Do not wait. Do not sleep. The download runs independently in the background.

Save to a specific location with --path:

# Into a directory (filename comes from URL)
dow --path=/tmp https://example.com/file.zip
dow --path=~/datasets https://example.com/data.tar.gz

# With an explicit filename
dow --path=~/models/llama.gguf https://example.com/weights

--path must point to an existing directory. dow never creates directories and never silently overwrites files -- it appends a counter instead (file (1).zip, file (2).zip, ...).

2. Keep working -- check only when you reach a task that needs the file

Work through everything else on the task list. When you get to a step that actually requires the downloaded file, check its status then:

dow list --filter=complete --sort=desc --limit=1

If it is complete, proceed. If it is still downloading, keep working on anything else that does not need the file. Return to check again once those are done too.

Only if there is truly nothing left to do and the file is still downloading should you check again -- once, not in a loop.

3. Handle failures

dow list --filter=failed --sort=desc --limit=1

If the download failed, the record shows the URL and path. Retry or report back to the user.

---

dow list reference

dow list shows every download dow has ever tracked.

Flag	Default	What it does
--filter	(none)	Comma-separated statuses: downloading, complete, cancelled, failed
--sort	asc	asc = oldest first, desc = newest first
--limit	0	Max rows (0 = no limit)
-w / --watch	false	Refresh every second; Ctrl+C to stop

Common queries:

dow list                                          # full history
dow list --filter=downloading                     # active only
dow list --filter=failed,cancelled                # problems only
dow list --filter=complete --sort=desc --limit=5  # five most recent successes
dow list --watch --filter=downloading             # live view of active transfers

---

State file

All records persist to ~/.local/share/dow/state.json across reboots. Key fields you might need:

Field	Description
id	6-character hex ID
status	downloading / complete / cancelled / failed / paused
path	Full path to the file on disk
progress	0-100 percentage (when total size is known)
speed	Current bytes/sec
eta	Unix timestamp for estimated completion (0 if unknown)

---

When to use --progress

Only use --progress when a human is watching the terminal and wants a live progress bar. It holds the shell open for the full transfer duration, which defeats the purpose in an automated agent context.

# Human-facing only:
dow --progress https://example.com/file.zip

---

Install (if not already present)

git clone https://github.com/razobeckett/dow /tmp/ (or %temp% on windows)
cd dow
make install
# Make sure $(go env GOPATH)/bin is on $PATH

Requires Go 1.22 or newer.

---

Examples

File is not needed until later -- keep working

# Task list: [download weights] [write config] [run tests] [load model]

# 1. Kick off download -- note ETA in output, then immediately move on
dow https://huggingface.co/weights/model.gguf

# 2. Do everything else that doesn't need the file
#    write config...
#    run tests...

# 3. Now you need the file -- check status at this point
dow list --filter=complete --sort=desc --limit=1
# Complete? Proceed. Still downloading? Finish anything else first, then check again.

File is the only remaining task and it is still downloading

# Everything else is done. The file is the last thing needed.
# Check status once:
dow list --filter=complete --sort=desc --limit=1

# If complete -- proceed.
# If still downloading -- check once more when ETA shown in `dow list` has passed.
# One more check is the maximum. Do not loop.