Zari

A fast, keyboard-driven terminal file manager for Linux, written in C++20.

Website · Documentation · Releases · AUR

Zari is inspired by modern terminal file managers but is an independent C++ implementation.

_{Illustrated preview — exact colors and glyphs depend on your terminal and active theme.}

Zari provides a wide-character ncurses interface, Vim-style navigation, tabs, selection, sorting, previews, safe file operations, recursive filename search, TOML configuration, remappable keybindings, and themes. It has no plugin or scripting runtime.

Zari 0.1.x is usable and under active development. Test destructive operations on non-critical data when evaluating a release.

Install

The verified installer selects the correct Linux release archive and installs into ~/.local without sudo:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nihitdev/zari/main/install.sh | sh

Other supported methods:

• Arch binary repository: follow the signed pacman repository guide
• Arch User Repository: yay -S zari or paru -S zari
• Debian / Ubuntu: install the matching .deb from GitHub Releases
• Source build: follow the build instructions

Launch the current directory or pass a path:

zari init
zari
zari ~/Projects

zari init creates zari.toml, keymap.toml, and theme.toml in the active Zari config directory without overwriting existing files. Inside Zari, press h for the parent directory or b for directory-history back.

Documentation

Guide	Contents
Getting started	Interface, essential keys, paths, and CLI options
Installation	Releases, Debian/Ubuntu, signed Arch repository, AUR, and source builds
Configuration	XDG paths, manager settings, preview settings, and safe reload
Keybindings	Default controls, remapping, multi-key chords, and bookmarks
Themes	Built-in presets and custom style overrides
Optional tools	Nerd Fonts, accelerated search, richer previews, and integration status
File operations	Selection, clipboard, collisions, trash, and permanent deletion
Architecture	C++ modules, ownership boundaries, and repository layout
Development	Tests, contribution checklist, design constraints, and roadmap
Troubleshooting	Terminal, build, configuration, and opener problems

Press ? inside Zari for help generated from the active keymap.

Build and test

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DBUILD_TESTING=ON
cmake --build build
ctest --test-dir build --output-on-failure

The project targets C++20 and compiles with -Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic. Issues and focused pull requests are welcome; read the development guide before making substantial changes.

License

Zari is free software licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 3 or later. See COPYRIGHT for the project notice.