🧭 nav

Universal File Navigator

or instead use : cd long/nested/path/that/you/have/to/type/perfectly

A simple, fast terminal-based file navigator that opens directories and files in new terminal windows. Navigate your filesystem with keyboard shortcuts and launch new terminal sessions instantly.

🚀 Quick Start

# Navigate current directory
nav

# Navigate specific directory  
nav /path/to/directory

# Show help
nav --help

📦 Installation

go build -o nav
mv nav /usr/local/bin/  # Optional: add to PATH

⌨️ Keybindings

Key	Action
↑/↓	Navigate up/down through items
Enter	Open directory / Open file's parent directory in terminal
o	Open selected item in new terminal window
/	Search (type to filter, Esc to exit)
q	Quit

🎯 Smart Terminal Detection

nav automatically detects your terminal with this priority:

1. $TERMINAL environment variable (highest priority)
2. $TERM_PROGRAM detection (iTerm2, Ghostty, Wezterm, etc.)
3. OS defaults (Terminal.app, gnome-terminal, cmd)

Examples:

# Use your preferred terminal
export TERMINAL="open -a Ghostty"
export TERMINAL="wezterm start --cwd"
export TERMINAL="alacritty --working-directory"

✨ Features

• Fast & Responsive: Instant startup, smooth navigation
• Tree-Style Display: Clean visual hierarchy with ├── and └──
• Hidden Files: Shows all files including .hidden files
• Real-Time Search: Filter files as you type with /
• Cross-Platform: macOS, Linux, Windows support
• Smart Sorting: Directories first, then files (alphabetical)
• Error Handling: User-friendly messages for permission and access issues
• Smart Truncation: Intelligently truncates long filenames while preserving extensions

🖥️ Interface

/Users/sam/Documents/coding/nav

├── ../
├── main.go
├── navigator.go
├── navigator_test.go
├── go.mod
└── README.md

[5 items] • ↑↓ navigate • Enter open • o open in terminal • q quit • / search

🔧 How It Works

• Directories: Navigate into them with Enter, or open in new terminal with o
• Files: Enter opens the file's parent directory in a new terminal
• Search: Press / to filter items, Esc to clear search
• Terminal Spawning: Non-blocking - nav keeps running after opening terminals
• Error Recovery: Automatically handles permission issues and path problems

📋 Requirements

• Go 1.21+
• Works in most terminal emulators
• Supports tcell-compatible terminals

🎨 Design Philosophy

nav follows the Unix philosophy: do one thing well. It's a focused tool for quick filesystem navigation and terminal launching, without complex features that would slow it down or complicate its use.

📄 License

under ☕️, check out the-coffee-license

I've included both licenses with the repo, do what you know is right. The licensing works by assuming you're operating under good faith.