try-rs — Your experiments deserve a place

CLI Commands

You can also bypass the UI and use direct commands for automation:

Command	Description
`try-rs`	Opens the TUI
`try-rs <name>`	Create (or jump to) a named experiment
`try-rs <https://github.com/user/repo>`	Clones a repository into a dated folder
`try-rs <https://...> <name>`	Clones a repository into a specific folder name (destination)
`try-rs -s <url>` `try-rs --shallow-clone`	Shallow clone (--depth 1) when cloning repositories
`try-rs -w <name>` `try-rs --worktree`	Create a git worktree from current repository (must be inside repo)
`try-rs --setup <shell>`	Setup shell integration (fish, zsh, bash, nu-shell, power-shell)
`try-rs --setup-stdout <shell>`	Print shell integration script to stdout (for manual setup)
`try-rs --completions <shell>`	Generate shell completion script for tab completion
`try-rs --inline-picker [--inline-height <n>]`	Open the picker inline (non-fullscreen) in the current terminal
`try-rs --show-preview --show-legend`	Explicitly show panel sections
`try-rs --hide-preview --hide-disk`	Explicitly hide panel sections
`try-rs --version`	Show application version
`try-rs --help`	Show help message

After setup, you can use the shorter alias try.

Features

Everything you need to manage temporary project sandboxes.

Blazing Fast

Built in Rust, compiled to native binary. No interpreter lag.

Rich TUI

Beautiful terminal interface built with Ratatui.

Fuzzy Search

Instantly find old experiments with smart matching.

Auto-Dating

Creates directories like rust-test automatically.

Git Integration

Auto-clones URLs (try-rs <url>) and marks repos with ().

Content Preview

Inspect files inside a folder before entering it.

Editor Integration

Open experiments directly in your editor (Ctrl+E).

Theming

Switch themes at runtime (Ctrl+T) or customize via config.

Safe Deletion

Delete old experiments via UI with confirmation (Ctrl+D).

Tabs

Multiple workspaces in tabs (← → to switch).

Configurable

Supports XDG Base Directory (view section Configuration).

Multi-Shell Support

Supports Fish, Zsh, Bash, Power Shell and Nushell.

Inline Picker

Adds support for a non-fullscreen picker.

Multi-OS Support

Supports Linux, macOS and Windows.

Shell Tab Completion

Dynamic tab completion for directory names from your tries path.

Icons Identification

 󰬔     

Supports project identification icons.

Built-in Themes

Switch themes on the fly inside the app with Ctrl + T.

Default

Catppuccin Mocha

Catppuccin Macchiato

Dracula

JetBrains Darcula

Gruvbox Dark

Nord

Tokyo Night

One Dark Pro

Everforest

SynthWave '84

OLED True Black

Silver Gray

Black & White

Matrix

Tron

Key Bindings

Master the interface with these lightning-fast shortcuts.

General Navigation

Filter the list (Fuzzy) Type

Navigate the list

↑↓ or Ctrl+K/J/P/N

Clear search box Ctrl+U

Switch tabs (multiple workspaces)

←→

Select / Create new Enter

Delete directory (triggers popup) Ctrl+D

Cancel / Exit

EscCtrl+C

App Shortcuts

Open in editor Ctrl+E

Open theme selector Ctrl+T

Open about popup Ctrl+A

Toggle right panel (disk/preview) Alt+P

Theme Selector

Navigate themes

↑/↓orj/k/n/p

Select theme Enter

Close theme selector

EscCtrl+C

Configuration

Customize your playground via config.toml

Linux

~/.config/try-rs/config.toml

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/try-rs/config.toml

Windows

%AppData%\try-rs\config.toml

Environment Variables

TRY_PATH

Overrides path where experiments are stored.

TRY_CONFIG_DIR

Overrides default configuration directory.

TRY_CONFIG

Overrides config filename (default: config.toml).

VISUAL / EDITOR

Default editor if not set in config.

config.toml Example

# config.toml
tries_path = "~/Development/playground"
editor = "code" # Optional: code, nvim, hx, etc.
apply_date_prefix = true # optional, default is false
transparent_background = true # optional, default is true

# ui configuration
show_right_panel = true # optional, default is true
right_panel_width = 25 # optional, right panel width in percentage (20-80)
show_disk = true # optional, default is true
show_preview = true # optional, default is true
show_legend = true # optional, default is true

# Theme configuration
theme = "Catppuccin Mocha"

Stop cluttering your
development folders.