Show HN: Captan – Open-Source Cap Table Management CLI

I built Captan (https://github.com/acossta/captan), a tiny open-source CLI tool for managing startup cap tables.

Instead of juggling spreadsheets or paying for expensive SaaS cap table solutions, Captan stores everything in a simple JSON file that you can version-control in Git.

It supports:

- Stakeholders (founders, employees, investors)

- Security classes (Common, Preferred, Option Pool)

- Share issuances

- Option grants with vesting schedules (monthly, cliff)

- SAFEs (record + simulate conversion at a priced round)

- Cap table math (Outstanding vs Fully Diluted)

- CSV/JSON exports

- Audit log ("the ship’s log")

Overall a JSON in git will offer better auditability and version control than most commercial solutions out there.

Modeling different scenarios is super easy, just create a git branch and model whatever you need.

Quick taste:

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npm install -g captan

$captan init --name "Acme, Inc." --pool-pct 20

$captan enlist stakeholder --name "Alice Founder"

$captan issue --security sc_common --holder sh_alice --qty 5000000

$captan chart

Example output:

Captan — Cap Table (as of today)

Name Outstanding %

Alice Founder 5000000 100.00%

Totals

Issued equity: 5000000

Vested options: 0

Outstanding total: 5000000

Fully diluted total: 7000000

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Why I built it: early-stage founders (myself included) often don’t need Carta or Pulley yet — just a clean, hackable way to track ownership. I wanted something transparent, developer-friendly, and Git-native.

Repo: https://github.com/acossta/captan

npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/captan

I’d love feedback on what features would make this more useful to you?

Thanks!