v1.0·Cross-Platform · Built with Go

Stop typing long
directory paths.

Goto is a cross-platform CLI tool that lets you bookmark directories with short names, then jump to them instantly from anywhere.

# Save a directory with a short name
$ goto add projects /home/user/projects
Saved 'projects' -> /home/user/projects

# Jump to it from anywhere
$ goto jump projects
/home/user/projects $

#Overview

📌

Bookmark

Save any directory with a short, memorable alias.

⚡

Jump

Instantly cd to any bookmarked directory by name.

🌐

Cross-Platform

Works on Mac, Linux, and Windows with shell-specific setup.

How it works

  • The Go binary (gotocli) handles all data storage and retrieval, saving directories to ~/.goto.json
  • The shell wrapper (goto) intercepts the jump command and runs cd in the current shell
  • This is the same pattern used by popular tools like z and autojump

#Installation

You can either download a pre-built binary or build from source.

Option A — Download pre-built binary

Grab the latest binary for your platform from the releases page. No dependencies required.

Mac & Linux

# Download the binary for your platform from the releases page
$ chmod +x gotocli
$ sudo mv gotocli /usr/local/bin/

Windows

# Download gotocli.exe from the releases page
Move gotocli.exe to C:\Program Files\gotocli\

Option B — Build from source

Requires Go 1.25+ installed on your system.

# Clone the repository
$ git clone git@github.com:CharlesChinedum/goto-cli.git
$ cd goto-cli

# Build the binary
$ go build -o gotocli app/main.go

Then add to your PATH — Mac & Linux

$ sudo mv gotocli /usr/local/bin/

Then add to your PATH — Windows

Move gotocli.exe to C:\Program Files\gotocli\

#Shell Setup

A shell wrapper function is required so that goto jump can actually change your working directory. The wrapper also lets you use goto directly instead of gotocli goto.

Mac & Linux — add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc

function goto() {
    local command=$1
    local name=$2
    local path=$3
    local extra=$4

    if [ "$command" = "jump" ]; then
        TARGET=$(/usr/local/bin/gotocli goto jump "$name" 2>/dev/null)
        if [ -z "$TARGET" ]; then
            echo "No directory found for '$name'"
        else
            cd "$TARGET"
        fi
    elif [ "$command" = "edit" ]; then
        /usr/local/bin/gotocli goto edit "$name" "$path"
    elif [ "$command" = "rename" ]; then
        /usr/local/bin/gotocli goto rename "$name" "$path"
    else
        /usr/local/bin/gotocli goto "$command" "$name" "$path" "$extra"
    fi
}

# Then reload your shell
$ source ~/.zshrc

Windows — add to PowerShell $PROFILE

function goto {
    param($command, $name, $path, $extra)

    if ($command -eq "jump") {
        $TARGET = & "C:\Program Files\gotocli\gotocli.exe" goto jump $name 2>$null
        if (-not $TARGET) {
            Write-Host "No directory found for '$name'"
        } else {
            Set-Location $TARGET
        }
    } elseif ($command -eq "edit") {
        & "C:\Program Files\gotocli\gotocli.exe" goto edit $name $path
    } elseif ($command -eq "rename") {
        & "C:\Program Files\gotocli\gotocli.exe" goto rename $name $path
    } else {
        & "C:\Program Files\gotocli\gotocli.exe" goto $command $name $path $extra
    }
}

Why a shell wrapper? A subprocess (like a Go binary) cannot change the parent shell's working directory. The wrapper intercepts the jump command to run cd in the current shell session, and forwards all other commands directly to gotocli.

#Commands

add

Save a directory path with a short alias name. Paths with spaces are supported.

# Usage
$ goto add <name> <path>

# Example
$ goto add projects /home/user/projects
Saved 'projects' -> /home/user/projects
jump

Jump to a saved directory. The shell wrapper intercepts this command to cd into the target path.

# Usage
$ goto jump <name>

# Example
$ goto jump projects
list

Display all saved directory bookmarks and their paths.

# Usage
$ goto list

# Example
$ goto list
  projects -> /home/user/projects
  docs -> /home/user/Documents
remove

Delete a saved directory bookmark by its alias name.

# Usage
$ goto remove <name>

# Example
$ goto remove projects
Removed 'projects'
edit

Update the path of an existing saved directory bookmark.

# Usage
$ goto edit <name> <newpath>

# Example
$ goto edit projects /home/user/new-projects
rename

Rename an existing directory bookmark without changing its path.

# Usage
$ goto rename <oldname> <newname>

# Example
$ goto rename projects work-projects

#Quick Reference

ActionCommand
Save a directorygoto add <name> <path>
Jump to a directorygoto jump <name>
List all bookmarksgoto list
Remove a bookmarkgoto remove <name>
Edit a directory pathgoto edit <name> <newpath>
Rename a bookmarkgoto rename <oldname> <newname>
Config file location~/.goto.json