cd-browser/README.md

cd-browser

Stop typing paths. Browse them.

cd-browser is a fast keyboard-driven directory navigator for the terminal. It lets you explore directory trees visually and jump to any folder instantly.

Repository (full demo + docs): https://gitea.sakydogalo.es/saky/cd-browser

Why cd-browser?

Working in the terminal often means:

• typing long directory paths
• navigating deep folder trees
• repeating cd .. multiple times

cd-browser provides an interactive terminal UI that allows you to browse directories with the keyboard and return the selected path directly to your shell.

Features

• ⌨️ Fully keyboard-driven workflow (↑ / ↓ / ← / →)
• 🌲 Expand and collapse directories (→ to expand/enter, ← to collapse/back)
• 📜 Persistent history between sessions (h history mode, b back, f forward)
• 🔎 Incremental filter mode (/, type to filter, Backspace, Esc)
• 🧭 History filter mode (/ inside history) with most-recent-first ordering
• 📄 Toggle file visibility (a) to switch between directories-only and mixed view
• ⚡ Fast jumps in large lists (PgUp/PgDn, Home/End, g/G in normal mode)
• 🚀 Contextual open with menu (o) with app detection based on your environment
• 🔁 Blocking terminal editors restore the UI state when they exit (nvim, nano, less, bat)
• 🧩 Configurable app menu via config.toml with automatic template creation
• 🛠 Development snapshot in header + detailed info panel (i)
• 👀 Toggle hidden entries with .
• 🖥 Native terminal interface
• 🔁 Works with Bash, Zsh and other shells
• ⚡ Returns the selected path to the shell (Enter to confirm, Esc to cancel)

Controls

Normal mode:

• ↑ / ↓: Move selection
• →: Expand directory, or enter when already expanded
• ←: Collapse directory, or go to parent
• Enter: Confirm selected path and exit
• Esc: Cancel and return the original path
• h: Toggle history mode
• b / f: Back / forward in navigation history
• .: Toggle hidden entries
• a: Toggle file visibility
• /: Enter filter mode
• o: Open selected entry with an app
• i: Toggle development info panel
• PgUp / PgDn: Page jump
• Home / End: Jump to first/last entry
• g / G: Jump to first/last entry

Filter mode:

• Type text: Filter visible entries in real time (case-insensitive)
• ↑ / ↓: Move inside filtered results
• Enter: Apply filter and perform contextual action:
  • Directory: navigate into it without exiting cd_
  • File: open app selection menu
• Esc: Exit filter mode and clear query
• Backspace: Remove last filter character

History mode:

• ↑ / ↓: Move through history entries (most recent at top)
• Enter: Jump to selected history path
• Esc or h: Exit history mode
• PgUp / PgDn, Home / End: Fast history navigation
• /: Enter history filter mode

History filter mode:

• Type text: Filter history entries in real time (case-insensitive)
• ↑ / ↓: Move inside filtered history results
• Enter: Jump to selected history path
• Esc: Exit history filter mode and clear query
• Backspace: Remove last filter character

Open with menu (o):

• ↑ / ↓: Move between app options
• Enter: Launch selected app
• Esc: Cancel

The menu only shows apps available in your system (PATH) and context:

• GUI options (when GUI is available): code, system open/xdg-open
• Terminal options: antigravity, opencode, nvim, nano, less, bat (as applicable)

Opener Configuration

cd-browser reads opener settings from:

• macOS/Linux: ~/.config/cd-browser/config.toml
• Windows: %APPDATA%/cd-browser/config.toml

If the file does not exist, cd-browser creates it automatically with defaults.

Example:

[open_with]
files = ["code", "open", "antigravity", "nvim", "nano", "less", "bat"]
directories = ["code", "opencode", "antigravity", "nvim"]

You can reorder or remove entries to customize app priority.

Quick Demo

Run:

cd_

Browse directories using the arrow keys and press Enter to jump directly to the selected folder.

Documentation

See the documentation index:

docs/index.md

Installation

Install the project in user mode:

pip install cd-browser

Important: After installation, run this to set up the cd_ command:

cd_browser_post_install

This interactive script will guide you through enabling cd_ in your shell.

Shell Integration For cd_

Because a Python subprocess cannot directly change the parent shell directory, use a shell wrapper that captures the final path printed by cd_browser.

Bash or Zsh example:

cd_() {
  local target
  target="$(cd_browser)" || return

  if [ -n "$target" ] && [ -d "$target" ]; then
    cd "$target"
  fi
}

After adding the function to your shell profile, reload it:

source ~/.bashrc

Or:

source ~/.zshrc

Then use:

cd_

• Inside cd_browser, press . to toggle hidden entries.

Platform Compatibility

Practical conclusion:

• Best current support: macOS and Linux
• Windows is partially supported, but still needs real-world validation in Windows terminal environments before being considered fully supported

Uninstall

If the project was installed with pip, remove it with:

pip uninstall cd-browser

Important: After uninstalling, remove the cd_() function from your shell profile (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc) to clean up completely.

Developer Setup

Recommended setup:

make dev

Run the application in development mode:

python -m app.main

Useful development commands:

make fix
make quality
make run

Template Origin

This project was created from the Python AI Dev Template.

The original template documentation has been preserved in README_TEMPLATE.md so the project-specific README can focus on cd-browser usage and development.

For the original template setup, conventions, and generic workflow notes, see README_TEMPLATE.md.