Fren Config & Theme Guide

Fren Configuration & Theme Guide

Config File

Location: ~/.config/fren/config.toml

Settings

Key	Type	Default	Description
remember	bool	true	Save and restore last working directory on exit/launch

Keybinds

All keys are single characters. Section: [keybinds]

Key	Default	Action
quit	q	Quit fren
open	enter	Open file or enter directory
focus	tab	Toggle focus between panels
copy	c	Copy selected file(s)
cut	x	Cut selected file(s)
paste	v	Paste from clipboard
trash	d	Move to trash
sort	s	Cycle sort mode (Name → Size → Modified)
toggle_hidden	.	Toggle hidden files
create_file	n	Create new file
create_folder	f	Create new folder
rename	r	Rename selected file
pin	u	Pin selected directory
unpin	i	Unpin selected item
go_to	m	Go to path (supports ~/)
toggle_select	(space)	Toggle multi-select

Quick Apps

Define programs for the "Open With" popup (press Enter on a file, then type a program).

Section: [quick_apps]

[quick_apps]
default = "xdg-open"
terminal = "kitty"
editor = "nvim"
code = "code"
browser = "firefox"
video = "mpv"
docs = "zathura"

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Theme File

Location: ~/.config/fren/theme.toml

Colors

Colors support hex (#RRGGBB) or named values: black, white, red, green, blue, yellow, magenta, cyan, gray, darkgray.

Field	Default	Used For
background	#0f1419	Main background, header, modals
foreground	#e6edf3	File names, text, metadata values
border	#26323d	Panel borders
focus_border	#00d4ff	Focused panel title, selection highlight, status indicator
directory	#4fc3f7	Directory names
status_bg	#0b1014	Status bar background
status_fg	#9fb3c8	Status bar text
muted	#5c6a72	Unfocused items, icons, help text, empty states

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Data Files

File	Location	Purpose
pinned.txt	~/.config/fren/pinned.txt	Pinned directories (one path per line)
session.txt	~/.config/fren/session.txt	Last working directory
thumbnails/	~/.cache/fren/thumbnails/	Image thumbnail cache

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Hardcoded Keys (not configurable)

Key	Action
Tab	Cycle focus: Files → Pinned → Storage → Clipboard → Files
/	Toggle help popup
Esc	Cancel/close popup
y/n	Confirm/cancel delete
s/r/n	Conflict resolution (skip/replace/rename)
Up/Down	Navigate in popup menus

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Example Config

[settings]
remember = true

[keybinds]
quit = "q"
open = "enter"
focus = "tab"
copy = "c"
cut = "x"
paste = "v"
trash = "d"
sort = "s"
toggle_hidden = "."
create_file = "n"
create_folder = "f"
rename = "r"
pin = "u"
unpin = "i"
go_to = "m"
toggle_select = " "

[quick_apps]
default = "xdg-open"
terminal = "kitty"
editor = "nvim"
code = "code"
browser = "firefox"
video = "mpv"
docs = "zathura"

Example Theme

background = "#0f1419"
foreground = "#e6edf3"
border = "#26323d"
focus_border = "#00d4ff"
directory = "#4fc3f7"
status_bg = "#0b1014"
status_fg = "#9fb3c8"
muted = "#5c6a72"