Directory Tree Viewer
A skill for generating visual representations of directory structures in various formats. Useful for understanding project layout, documenting folder organization, or visualizing file hierarchies.
Features
- Display directory trees with visual formatting
- Support for custom paths via slash command
- Ignore common build/dependency directories by default
- Multiple output formats (text tree, indented, etc.)
Prerequisites
- No special dependencies required
- Works with any directory on the system
- The slash command
/tree provides convenient path-based access
Workflow
Basic Usage: Current Working Directory
When you need to see the structure of the current working directory, use the Bash tool with the tree command:
tree -L 3 -a
This displays up to 3 levels of the directory structure with all files (including hidden ones).
Advanced Usage: Custom Path via /tree Command
Use the custom slash command /tree with a file path argument to view any directory:
/tree /path/to/directory
The slash command accepts optional arguments:
- Path (required): The directory to visualize
- Depth (optional): Number of levels to display (default: 3)
Tree Command Options
Common options when using the tree command directly:
-L N: Limit depth to N levels-a: Show all files including hidden ones-I 'pattern': Ignore files matching pattern-d: Directories only-h: Human-readable file sizes
Examples
Example 1: View Plugin Directory Structure
Display the structure of the current plugins directory:
tree -L 2 plugins/
Output shows all plugins and their first-level contents.
Example 2: Use /tree Command with Custom Path
Ask Claude to show the structure of a specific directory:
"Show me the structure of the src directory"
Claude will invoke: /tree src
Example 3: Deep Directory Exploration
Explore nested structures with multiple levels:
tree -L 5 -I 'node_modules|.git|dist'
This shows up to 5 levels while excluding common dependency/build directories.
Example 4: File-Only Tree
Display only files without directories:
tree -f --dirsfirst
Troubleshooting
Tree command not available: The tree command may not be installed on all systems. Use ls -R as a fallback:
ls -R /path/to/directory
Too much output: Reduce depth with -L 2 or filter with -I 'pattern'
Permission denied: Some directories may require elevated permissions. Use ls -la instead.
See Also
