File Explorer

The file explorer gives you a tree view of your project’s directory structure in the left panel. Create, rename, move, and delete files without leaving Codewick or reaching for the terminal.

Tree View

The file explorer displays your project as a collapsible tree:

• Folders are expandable with a disclosure arrow. Click to expand or collapse.
• Files are displayed with type-specific icons (e.g., a React icon for .tsx, a Python icon for .py, a gear icon for config files).
• The tree is sorted with folders first, then files, both in alphabetical order.

Opening Files

Click any file to open it in the editor. Double-click to pin the tab (single-click opens a preview tab that gets replaced by the next file you click).

Unsaved Changes Indicator

Files with unsaved modifications show a dot on their tab and a subtle indicator in the tree view, so you always know which files have pending changes.

File Operations

Creating Files and Folders

• Click the New File icon at the top of the explorer to create a file in the current directory.
• Click the New Folder icon to create a directory.
• You can also right-click any folder in the tree and select New File or New Folder from the context menu.

Type the filename and press Enter to confirm. Use / separators to create nested paths in a single step (e.g., components/ui/Button.tsx).

Renaming

Right-click a file or folder and select Rename, or select the item and press Enter. The name becomes editable inline. Press Enter to confirm or Esc to cancel.

Deleting

Right-click and select Delete, or select the item and press ⌫ (Backspace). A confirmation dialog appears before anything is removed.

Note

Deleted files are moved to the system trash, not permanently removed. You can restore them from the macOS Trash if needed.

Moving Files

Drag and drop files or folders within the tree to move them. A drop indicator shows where the item will land. This updates all relevant import paths if the AI detects the file is referenced elsewhere.

Right-Click Context Menu

Right-clicking any item in the tree opens a context menu with the following options:

Action	Description
New File	Create a file inside the selected folder.
New Folder	Create a subfolder inside the selected folder.
Rename	Inline rename the selected item.
Delete	Move the selected item to trash.
Copy Path	Copy the absolute file path to the clipboard.
Copy Relative Path	Copy the path relative to the project root.
Reveal in Finder	Open the containing folder in macOS Finder.
Open in Terminal	Open a terminal tab at the file’s directory.

Searching the File Tree

Use the search field at the top of the explorer to filter the tree by filename:

• Type a partial name and the tree collapses to show only matching files and their parent directories.
• Search is case-insensitive and matches anywhere in the filename.
• Clear the search to restore the full tree view.

Tip

For full-text search across file contents, use ⌘ + Shift + F to open the project-wide search. The explorer search only matches filenames.

Hidden Files

By default, dotfiles and hidden directories (e.g., .git, .env, node_modules) are hidden from the tree to reduce clutter.

Toggle hidden file visibility with the Show Hidden Files option in the explorer menu (the three-dot icon at the top of the panel). When enabled, hidden items appear with slightly dimmed text.

.codewickignore

Create a .codewickignore file in your project root to exclude specific files or patterns from the explorer. The syntax follows the same format as .gitignore:

# Dependencies
node_modules/

# Build output
dist/
build/

# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Environment variables
.env
.env.local

Files matched by .codewickignore are hidden from the tree view and excluded from the AI’s file context. This is useful for keeping large dependency directories and sensitive files out of sight and out of the AI’s token budget.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action	Shortcut
Toggle file explorer	⌘ + 1
Search file tree	⌘ + P (quick open)
New file	Right-click > New File
Delete selected	⌫ (Backspace)
Rename selected	Enter