Announcing grüt - A Terminal File Explorer with Git, GitHub, and AI Integration

I’ve been exploring different ways of developing lately, and one that’s really clicked for me is working entirely in the terminal.

I still use VS Code - it’s a great editor and I’ve used it for years. But I’ve also been running 12 parallel Copilot CLI sessions in Windows Terminal, and I’ve really enjoyed that workflow. It’s fast, focused, and everything happens right there in the terminal.

What Was Missing

The one thing I was missing in my terminal workflow was a file explorer and git integration. Whenever I needed to browse files, preview something, or check my git changes, I’d have to switch context to a different tool. I wanted those capabilities right in the terminal.

The Search for a TUI

I spent a couple weeks researching terminal-based alternatives. I tried every file explorer and git TUI I could find. The problem? They all did one thing well but not both. I’d find a solid git TUI with no file browsing. Or a nice file explorer with no git support. Nothing combined everything I needed in a single tool.

So I built one.

Meet grüt

grüt is a terminal-based file explorer with deep Git, GitHub, and AI integration. I’ve been using it daily for the past couple weeks, continuously adding features and keyboard shortcuts as I hit things I needed. It’s now at the point where I’m happy enough to share it with the world.

Here’s what you get:

File Explorer

A full file tree with syntax-highlighted preview. Browse your project, create files and directories, rename, delete, copy, paste - all the basics, all from the keyboard. Hidden files toggle on and off with . and there’s a fuzzy finder with / for quick navigation.

Git Integration

This is where grüt really shines. You get:

• Status panel - staged, unstaged, and untracked files at a glance
• Hunk-level staging - stage individual hunks or even individual lines, not just whole files
• Diff view - inline or side-by-side with syntax highlighting
• Commit history - browse your log with an ASCII commit graph
• Branches - checkout, create, delete, rename
• Stash - apply, pop, drop, push
• Worktrees - create, switch, remove
• Interactive rebase - full todo-list editing
• Conflict resolution - dedicated panel for handling merge conflicts

Basically, if you can do it with git on the command line, you can probably do it in grüt with a keystroke or two.

GitHub Integration

grüt connects to GitHub so you can browse your project’s issues, pull requests, branches, and Actions workflow runs without leaving the terminal. You can view PR diffs, check CI status, and even post comments and reviews.

AI Chat

I integrated a chat interface powered by GitHub Copilot. You can ask it anything related to your project - “show me my pending changes”, “what worktrees do I have locally”, “summarize the recent commits” - and it can call grüt’s file and git tools to get you answers. It’s like having Copilot Chat, but wired directly into your file system and git state.

Preview Pane

Syntax-highlighted file preview with line numbers and optional git blame info. Supports 200+ languages via Chroma.

Everything Else

• Multiple tabs and split panes with five layout presets - arrange your layout however you want
• Session persistence - saves and restores your layout on restart
• Built-in themes (Catppuccin, Tokyo Night, Gruvbox, and more) plus custom TOML themes
• Fuzzy finder with / for instant file search
• Bookmarks for pinning frequently used directories
• Syntax highlighting for 100+ languages via Chroma
• Nerd Font icon auto-detection for supported terminals
• Cross-platform - Windows, macOS, Linux
• Self-update with grut update and background update checks on launch

Install It

Shell script for Linux/macOS:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jongio/grut/main/install.sh | sh

PowerShell for Windows:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jongio/grut/main/install.ps1 | iex

Or if you have Go installed:

go install github.com/jongio/grut@latest

Then just run grut in any directory.

First Release - Expect Some Rough Edges

This is the very first public release. I’m sure there are bugs - I’ve been the only user up until now, so there are probably rough edges I haven’t hit yet. But it’s solid enough for my daily use, and I’ve been relying on it exclusively for a couple weeks now.

Let’s Build This Together

Give it a shot and let me know what you think. File issues on GitHub, suggest features, report bugs. I want to build the best terminal file and git explorer out there, and I’d love to do it with the community. Let’s make this thing together.

Check it out: github.com/jongio/grut

Jon