zd

Fast recursive directory jumper. Type a name, land in the folder.

No database. No learning phase. No config files. Single binary, works instantly.

~/Projects $ z api
~/Projects/backend/src/api $

Install

cargo install zd

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/antoinehoriot/zd.git
cd zd
cargo install --path .

Setup

Add the shell wrapper to your profile so z can cd for you:

bash / zsh — add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(zd --init bash)"

fish — add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish:

zd --init fish | source

This creates a tiny z() function that calls zd and cds into the result.

Usage

z api          # jump to best match for "api"
z models src   # search for "models" starting from ./src

How matching works

zd scans directories recursively from your current directory (or a given root) and scores each path:

Deeper directories get a small penalty so shallower matches rank higher. The top 50 results are shown.

Interactive picker

When multiple directories match, an inline picker appears:

zd > api_
> ~/Projects/backend/src/api
  ~/Projects/frontend/src/api
  ~/Projects/docs/api-reference

• ↑/k ↓/j — navigate
• Type to filter live
• Enter — confirm
• Esc — cancel

Flags

zd <QUERY> [ROOT]

Options:
  -1, --best             Print single best match (no picker)
  -a, --all              Print all matches, one per line
  -d, --max-depth <N>    Max recursion depth [default: 8]
      --no-skip          Don't skip node_modules, .git, target, etc.
      --init <SHELL>     Print shell init script (bash|zsh|fish)
  -h, --help             Print help
  -V, --version          Print version

Scripting

# Jump to the best match non-interactively
cd "$(zd -1 config)"

# List all matching directories
zd -a test | head -5

Skipped directories

By default zd skips directories like node_modules, target, .git, venv, build, .docker, and ~30 others to keep results fast and relevant. Pass --no-skip to include everything.

Performance

zd uses parallel directory walking (via the ignore crate) and respects .gitignore rules. Scanning 100k directories typically completes in under 200ms.

License

MIT