Tries — On-demand project directories

A command-line tool for managing experimental projects. Centralizes temporary work with auto-dating, fuzzy search, and git integration. Originally a python port of tobi/try.

The problem

cd ~/Desktop && mkdir rds-test && cd rds-test
# ... do stuff ...

# 3 weeks later: where did it go?
find ~ -type d -name "*redis*" 2>/dev/null  # Lost in the chaos

The solution

try redis                    # Jump to ~/.tries/experiments/2025-11-30-redis (create if missing)
# ... do stuff ...

# 3 weeks later...           # Fuzzy match ~/.tries/experiments/2025-11-30-redis !
try rd 

Features

• Centralized — All experiments in ~/.tries/experiments (configurable)
• Auto-dated — YYYY-MM-DD-name format for chronological sorting
• Fuzzy search — rds matches redis-server, connpool matches connection-pool
• Recency ranking — Recently used dirs float to top
• Git-first — Clone repos or create worktrees seamlessly
• Templates — Register reusable project scaffolds (remote or local)
• Dashboard — try stats shows disk usage, oldest/newest, top experiments
• Interactive TUI — Real-time filtering, keyboard nav
• Shell integration — Works with Bash/Zsh/Fish (enables cd on selection)
• Configuration — ~/.tries/config.json for experiments dir, templates, etc.
• Non-destructive — You control deletions

Quick start

Install

uv tool install tries

Enable shell integration

Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(try init)"

Fish:

try init fish | source

Then reload your shell.

Usage

try                              # Browse all experiments
try redis                         # Jump/create redis project
try new feature-xyz              # Create "YYYY-MM-DD-feature-xyz"
try new api --template python    # Create with template
try clone <repo-url>             # Clone into dated directory
try . [name]                     # Create worktree from current repo
try stats                        # Show dashboard (size, count, oldest/newest)
try template list                # List registered templates
try template add python --url <url>  # Register remote template
try template add local --path ~/templates/my-template  # Register local template
try --help                       # Show help

In the TUI

Search: redis
↓ 2025-11-30-redis-server [95%]
  2025-11-20-redis-test [82%]

Keys: ↑/↓ navigate, Enter select, Ctrl-D delete, ESC cancel

Configuration

Experiments are stored in ~/.tries/experiments by default. Customize via ~/.tries/config.json:

{
  "experiments_dir": "~/my-experiments",
  "templates": {
    "python": {
      "url": "https://github.com/user/python-template"
    },
    "nextjs": {
      "path": "~/templates/nextjs"
    }
  }
}

Priority for experiments directory:

1. TRY_PATH env var (if set)
2. experiments_dir in config.json
3. Default: ~/.tries/experiments

Development

git clone https://github.com/ajac-zero/try.git && cd try
uv sync
uv run pytest tests/
uv run ruff check && uv run ruff format