Repo Viewer

Mobile-friendly read-only web file browser for repositories.

Features

• Browse repository folders and files
• Preview text files, images, and Markdown (with Mermaid diagrams)
• Upload and manage images via a .clipboard panel
• View image galleries in any folder
• Tailscale Serve integration (tailnet-only by default)
• Optional Basic Auth with password

Intentionally no text editing to keep remote access simple and lower risk.

Quick Start

Run in any repo with npx:

cd /path/to/your/repo
npx @haowjy/repo-viewer

Global Install

npm install -g @haowjy/repo-viewer

Then from any repo:

repo-viewer

By default it serves on 127.0.0.1:18080 with Tailscale Serve (tailnet-only).

Options

repo-viewer [options]

--repo-root <path>    Repository root to expose (default: cwd)
--port <port>         Listen port (default: 18080)
--config <path>       Config file path
--always-hidden <csv> Extra always-hidden path segments (comma-separated)
--show-hidden <csv>   Show hidden/gitignored folders (repo-relative, comma-separated)
--password [pwd]      Enable Basic Auth (optional inline password)
--no-serve            Skip Tailscale Serve (local-only)
--serve               Force Tailscale Serve
--funnel              Enable Tailscale Funnel (public internet, requires --password)
--install             Force dependency install before start
--skip-install        Skip install check

Examples

repo-viewer                                      # default: Tailscale Serve
repo-viewer --no-serve                           # local-only
repo-viewer --password mypass                    # auth, local-only
repo-viewer --password mypass --serve            # auth + Tailscale
repo-viewer --password mypass --funnel           # auth + public internet
repo-viewer --port 3000
repo-viewer --show-hidden .clipboard,.playwright-mcp
repo-viewer --always-hidden .env,.secrets

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
REMOTE_WS_PORT	18080	Listen port
REMOTE_WS_PASSWORD		Enables Basic Auth when set
REMOTE_WS_ALWAYS_HIDDEN		Extra hidden path segments (comma-separated)
REMOTE_WS_SHOW_HIDDEN	.clipboard	Hidden/gitignored folders to expose (comma-separated)
REMOTE_WS_CONFIG_FILE		Config file path override
REMOTE_WS_MAX_PREVIEW_BYTES	1048576	Max file preview size
REMOTE_WS_MAX_UPLOAD_BYTES	26214400	Max upload size

Config File

Config file format (default: .repo-viewer.conf in repo root):

REMOTE_WS_PASSWORD=your-password

Config file precedence:

1. --config <path>
2. REMOTE_WS_CONFIG_FILE env var
3. <repo-root>/.repo-viewer.conf
4. ~/.config/repo-viewer/config

Auth

When a password is set, Basic Auth is required for all routes. Mutating routes (POST/DELETE) also require same-origin headers.

When password is set without an explicit serve mode, the launcher defaults to local-only (--no-serve). Use --serve to override. --funnel requires --password.

Tailscale

Tailscale Serve is enabled by default and stays private to your tailnet. If Tailscale is missing or disconnected, the launcher exits with guidance.

Development

pnpm dev
pnpm dev -- --no-serve
pnpm dev -- --password mypass