> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.monolex.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # MonoTree > Browse large directory trees in a keyboard-first TUI with search, sorting, bounded expansion, history, and context actions. MonoTree is a native file-tree TUI for exploring a directory without loading every descendant eagerly. It provides keyboard navigation, incremental search, sort modes, explicit expansion depth, directory history, and a context menu. *Published contract: `monotree 0.1.5`, OpenCLIs build `2026-06-30-131509`. The executing binary, registry, and public CDN metadata agree on this release.* ## Quick Start ```bash theme={null} openclis install monotree monotree --version monotree # project-aware root detection monotree ~/Projects # exact explicit root monotree search renderer . # non-interactive search ``` The optional positional path becomes the exact root. Without it, MonoTree starts from the current directory and applies project-root detection before opening the TUI. ## Complete CLI Reference Version 0.1.5 has four operational families—interactive browse, search, docs, and test—plus help/version aliases. | Invocation | What it does | Output or effect boundary | | ------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `monotree [path]` | Opens the interactive tree at an explicit path or an auto-detected project root. | Full-screen TUI; context actions can edit files. | | `monotree search [path]` | Loads the tree to depth 5 and searches files beneath `path` or `.`. | Summary on stderr, at most 15 matching file rows on stdout; zero matches still exit successfully. | | `monotree docs [topic]` | Lists embedded docs or prints one topic. | Version 0.1.5 contains the `index` topic. Unknown/reserved topics exit non-zero. | | `monotree test` | Runs three breadcrumb/path-bar tests in a PTY harness. | Unix-only; creates and removes an isolated `/tmp/monotree-test-PID` fixture. | | `monotree help`, `-h`, `--help` | Prints the bundled TUI key reference. | Read-only. | | `monotree version`, `-V`, `--version` | Prints `monotree 0.1.5`. | Read-only installed-payload proof. | The bundled 0.1.5 help text lists only `[path]`, help, version, and TUI keys; it omits the working `search`, `docs`, and `test` commands. Also, `monotree search` without a query does not show search help—it falls through and treats `search` as an interactive path. Supply the query explicitly. ## Non-Interactive Search ```bash theme={null} monotree search "session" . ``` Search canonicalizes the optional path when possible, loads five levels, filters out directory rows, and prints only the first 15 matching files. The `Loaded N files, searched "QUERY", M matches` line goes to stderr, which lets a script capture file rows separately. This is filesystem/name search; use [Monogram](/ai-clis/monogram) for indexed code symbols and call relationships. ## Navigation and Search | Keys | Action | | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- | | `Up` / `Down`, `j` / `k` | Move the selection. | | `Enter` | Expand/collapse a directory or select a file. | | `Left` | Collapse the current directory or move to its parent. | | `/` | Start tree search/filtering. | | `b` | Go back through directory history. | | `Ctrl+F` | Go forward through directory history. | | `u` or Backspace | Move to the parent directory. | | `r` | Refresh filesystem state. | | `q` | Quit. | ## Tree Shape and Context | Keys | Action and cost boundary | | ------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `s` | Toggle name/time sorting. | | `e` | Expand all top-level directories. | | `E` | Expand the selected directory through all descendants; use carefully on very large trees. | | `1`…`5` | Expand the selected directory to a bounded depth. | | `c` | Collapse the complete tree. | | `m` | Open the selected item's context menu. Inspect the menu action before confirming any filesystem mutation. | Prefer bounded `1`…`5` expansion when repository size is unknown. `E` is a deliberate full traversal and can be expensive even though it does not edit files. ## Context Menu Effects The menu is not read-only. Its current actions divide into three groups: | Group | Actions | Effect | | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Navigation/read | Open, Send Path, Copy Path, Copy Content, Refresh Folder, Close All Nested, Set as Root, Open/Reveal in Finder | Changes view state, opens the platform file manager, or writes to the clipboard. | | Filesystem mutation | New File, New Folder, Rename, Delete, Duplicate, Duplicate with Timestamp | Creates, renames, recursively deletes, or copies entries. Delete requires confirmation; path/name validation rejects traversal. | | Placeholder in 0.1.5 | Zip Folder, Zip (gitignore), Git Blame, Git History | Displays a message only; it does not yet create an archive or open Git history. | Deletion uses `symlink_metadata`: a symlink itself is removed rather than following it, while a real directory is removed recursively. Treat `m` as an entry into a mixed read/write surface, not merely an information panel. ## Self-Test Contract `monotree test` verifies three concrete behaviors: initial breadcrumb rendering, `Up` → `Left` → `Enter` re-rooting, and `Esc` returning focus to the tree. The PTY harness uses Unix `openpty`/`fork`; Windows returns exit code 2 without running it. ## Published Platforms Version 0.1.5 ships `darwin-aarch64`, `linux-x86_64`, `linux-aarch64`, and `windows-x86_64` archives. Browse, search, and embedded docs are cross-platform; the built-in PTY test is Unix-only. ## Relationships | Tool | Ownership | | ------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [Maxmux](/ai-clis/maxmux) | Embeds a project/prompt file-tree experience inside a terminal multiplexer | | [MonoTerm File Tree](/ai-clis/monoterm/file-tree) | Explains how the embedded prompt tree shares the engine but uses a different input mode | | [Monogram](/ai-clis/monogram) | Searches indexed code symbols and call relationships rather than directory shape | | [MonoDoc](/ai-clis/monodoc) | Converts selected documents into Markdown; MonoTree only locates them |