Smart Tree

AI-native directory visualization with semantic analysis, ultra-compressed formats for AI consumption, and 10x token reduction. Supports quantum-semantic mode with intelligent file categorization.

8b-is by 8b-is
Updated 3 days ago
Added Jun 19, 2025

Docs & Usage Guide

๐ŸŒณ Smart Tree (st) v3.3.5 - The AI-Powered Directory Visualizer! ๐Ÿš€

Hue's Side | Aye's Side

Discord GitHub release Downloads License: MITRustClaude DesktopMCP CompatiblePlatform

"Making directories beautiful, one tree at a time!" - Trish from Accounting (our #1 fan!)


๐ŸŽ‰ What the Heck is Smart Tree?

Remember the old tree command? Well, we gave it a PhD, taught it to dance, and introduced it to AI! Smart Tree is the world's first AI-native directory visualizer that actually understands what modern developers (and their AI assistants) need.

๐Ÿ† The "Holy Smokes!" Numbers ๐Ÿ†

Metric Old Way Smart Tree Way Your Reaction
Directory Size 487 MB 4.1 MB ๐Ÿ˜ฑ "Wait, what?!"
AI Token Cost $1,270 ~$10 ๐Ÿ’ฐ "I'm rich!"
Processing Speed ๐ŸŒ Slow โšก 10-24x faster ๐Ÿš€ "Wheee!"
Compression None 99% ๐Ÿคฏ "How?!"
Fun Factor 0% 100% ๐ŸŽ‰ "Finally!"

Who is Aye? That's Me - A-ye! <--> Who is Hue? That's You - Human UsEr. |

๐ŸŒŸ Version 3.3.5: "Hidden Depths" Edition!

๐ŸŽธ What's NEW and AMAZING?

Hidden Directory Handling Fixed! No more confusing depth jumps! ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธ

  • ๐Ÿ” NEW: --entry-type flag - Properly filter files (f) vs directories (d)
  • ๐Ÿšซ Fixed hidden directory traversal - Hidden dirs are truly hidden now
  • ๐Ÿ“‚ Improved LS mode - Shows full paths for filtered results
  • ๐ŸŽฏ Consistent behavior - If a directory is hidden, so are its contents!

Plus all the goodness from 3.3.0:

The Tree That Learns! Smart Tree now has optional cloud features for those who want them! ๐ŸŒฑ

  • ๐Ÿ”„ AI Feedback System - Help shape Smart Tree's future (only with your consent!)
  • ๐Ÿ“ก Update Notifications - Get notified about new features (for AI assistants)
  • ๐ŸŒ Full Cross-Platform - Windows, Mac, Linux, ARM - we run EVERYWHERE!
  • ๐Ÿค– AI-Driven Development - Your AI assistant can suggest improvements!
  • โœจ Works Offline - Cloud features are 100% optional - Smart Tree always works!
  • ๐Ÿ—๏ธ Better Windows Support - File permissions work perfectly now!

๐Ÿš€ Quick Start (Faster than Making Coffee โ˜•)

๐Ÿง Linux/Mac/WSL - The One-Liner Wonder!

This magical incantation will change your life:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/8b-is/smart-tree/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

๐ŸชŸ Windows - The Slightly Longer Dance

Click here for Windows installation (still pretty easy!)

Pro tip: You might need Microsoft Build Tools for Rust

  • Don't forget ARM compiler if you're fancy with Parallels!
  • Get Rust (it's awesome!)
  • Grab Git: winget install git
# Clone the awesomeness
git clone https://github.com/8b-is/smart-tree
cd smart-tree

# Build the magic
cargo build --release

# Install it (pick your favorite spot)
copy target\release\st.exe C:\your\favorite\path\

# Add to PATH and rock on! ๐ŸŽธ

Claude Code Integration

# Do the quick install above.   This is the example for Linux, Mac, WSL, and who knows? 

claude mcp add st /usr/local/bin/st -- --mcp

Standard Local MCP for Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Roo, and more

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smart-tree": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/st",
      "args": [
        "--mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AI_TOOLS": "1"
      }
    }
  }
}

๐Ÿค– Claude Desktop Integration - The Future is Now!

Make Claude your directory-reading bestie in 3 clicks!

  1. ๐Ÿ“ฅ Download smart-tree.dxt from latest release
  2. โš™๏ธ Claude Desktop โ†’ Settings โ†’ Developer โ†’ Install from file
  3. ๐ŸŽ‰ Select the file and grant access - DONE!

Claude can now see your directories better than you can! ๐Ÿ”ฎ

๐ŸŽฏ Usage Examples (The Fun Part!)

๐ŸŒˆ The Basics - Simple Yet Powerful

# The beautiful classic tree - now the default!
st                          # Current directory with beautiful trees ๐ŸŒณ
st /path/to/directory       # Specific directory - point and shoot! ๐ŸŽฏ

# Quick exploration
st --depth 2                # Shallow dive - just the tip of the iceberg ๐ŸงŠ
st --everything             # SHOW ME EVERYTHING! (Even the scary parts) ๐Ÿ‘€
st -a                       # Include hidden files (they're shy) ๐Ÿ™ˆ

๐ŸŽจ Output Modes - Pick Your Flavor!

๐ŸŽญ All 15+ Output Modes Explained!
# For Humans (That's You!) ๐Ÿ‘ค
st -m classic               # ๐ŸŒณ The beautiful default (with emojis!)
st -m stats                 # ๐Ÿ“Š Just the facts, ma'am
st -m waste                 # ๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ Marie Kondo mode! Find duplicates & waste
st -m markdown              # ๐Ÿ“ Perfect documentation in seconds!
st -m mermaid               # ๐Ÿงœโ€โ™€๏ธ Diagrams that make you look smart

# For Robots (Your AI Friends) ๐Ÿค–
st -m ai                    # ๐Ÿง  AI-optimized (80% smaller!)
st -m quantum-semantic      # ๐ŸŒŠ Maximum compression with meaning!
st -m digest                # ๐Ÿ’Š One-line summary for quick checks
st -m json                  # ๐Ÿ”ง When machines talk to machines

# For Data Nerds ๐Ÿค“
st -m hex                   # ๐Ÿ”ข Hexadecimal beauty
st -m csv                   # ๐Ÿ“Š Spreadsheet-ready
st -m tsv                   # ๐Ÿ“Š Tab-separated for the tab lovers
st -m semantic              # ๐ŸŒŠ Group by meaning (Omni's favorite!)

# The Secret Weapons ๐Ÿฅท
st -m quantum               # ๐Ÿงฌ Native quantum format (99% compression!)
st -m relations             # ๐Ÿ”— Code relationship analysis

๐Ÿ” Finding Stuff - Like a Detective!

# Find files like a boss
st --find "*.rs"            # ๐Ÿฆ€ Rust files, assemble!
st --find "TODO"            # ๐Ÿ“ Find all your broken promises
st --type py                # ๐Ÿ Python files only
st --search "FIXME"         # ๐Ÿ” Search inside files (X-ray vision!)

# Size matters
st --min-size 10M           # ๐Ÿ˜ Find the chonky files
st --max-size 1K            # ๐Ÿœ Find the tiny ones

# Time travel
st --newer-than 2024-01-01  # ๐Ÿ• What's new this year?
st --older-than 2020-01-01  # ๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ Find the ancient artifacts

๐Ÿš€ Performance Mode - For Speed Demons

# Stream mode - watch it flow!
st --stream                 # ๐ŸŒŠ Real-time output for huge directories
st --stream -m hex          # ๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ Hex mode at the speed of light

# Compression - because size matters
st -z                       # ๐Ÿ—œ๏ธ Compress output (even smaller!)
st -m ai -z                 # ๐Ÿค– AI mode + compression = ๐Ÿ’ฐ saved

# The "I need it yesterday" combo
AI_TOOLS=1 st              # ๐Ÿš„ Auto-detects AI caller, optimizes everything!

๐ŸŽช The Magic Tricks

# Semantic grouping - files that vibe together!
st --semantic               # ๐ŸŒŠ Groups: tests, docs, config, source
                           # Wave signatures included! (Ask Omni about this)

# Mermaid diagrams - instant documentation!
st -m mermaid > docs/arch.md        # ๐Ÿ“Š Flowchart magic
st -m mermaid --mermaid-style mindmap  # ๐Ÿง  Mind map mode
st -m mermaid --mermaid-style treemap # ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Treemap visualization (shows file sizes!)
st -m markdown > README_PROJECT.md   # ๐Ÿ“š Full project report!

# Pro tip: If mermaid has issues with emojis, use --no-emoji
st -m mermaid --no-emoji            # Clean diagrams without emojis

# The "impress your boss" commands
st -m digest /huge/project  # Returns in 0.1 seconds: "HASH: abc123 F:10000 D:500..."
st --no-emoji --no-color    # ๐Ÿ˜ข Boring mode (but why would you?)

๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ Waste Detection: Marie Kondo Mode! โœจ

"Does this file spark joy? If not, let's optimize it!" - Marie Kondo (probably)

Smart Tree's waste detection feature is like having a professional organizer for your codebase! It finds duplicates, build artifacts, large files, and dependency bloat, then gives you actionable cleanup suggestions.

๐ŸŽฏ What It Finds:

  • ๐Ÿ”„ Duplicate Files: Identical files wasting precious disk space
  • ๐Ÿงน Build Artifacts: node_modules, target, __pycache__, and other temporary files
  • ๐Ÿ“ฆ Large Files: Files over 10MB that might need optimization
  • ๐Ÿ“š Dependency Waste: Package manager directories and their impact

๐Ÿš€ Quick Examples:

# Analyze current directory for waste
st -m waste

# Deep analysis of a large project
st -m waste --depth 5 /path/to/project

# Find waste in your entire home directory (prepare to be shocked!)
st -m waste --depth 3 ~

๐Ÿ“Š Sample Output:

โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•
๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ  SMART TREE WASTE ANALYSIS - Marie Kondo Mode Activated! โœจ
   Project: /home/hue/my-project
   Analyzed: 1,234 files, 567 directories
โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•โ•

๐Ÿ“Š WASTE SUMMARY:
โ”œโ”€โ”€ Total Project Size: 2.36 GiB
โ”œโ”€โ”€ Potential Waste: 1.82 GiB (77.4% of project)
โ”œโ”€โ”€ Duplicate Groups: 42
โ”œโ”€โ”€ Build Artifacts: 15
โ”œโ”€โ”€ Large Files (>10 MiB): 8
โ””โ”€โ”€ Potential Savings: 1.66 GiB (70.4% reduction possible)

๐Ÿ”„ DUPLICATE FILES DETECTED:
โ”œโ”€โ”€ 16 files of size 100 MiB each (database files)
โ”œโ”€โ”€ 6 files of size 20.08 MiB each (editor cache)
โ”œโ”€โ”€ 4 files of size 23.44 MiB each (VS Code binaries)

๐Ÿ’ก OPTIMIZATION SUGGESTIONS:
๐Ÿ”„ DUPLICATE FILE CLEANUP:
   Consider using symbolic links or git submodules for identical files
   Review and consolidate duplicate configuration files

๐Ÿงน BUILD ARTIFACT CLEANUP:
   rm -rf */node_modules  # Clean Node.js dependencies
   rm -rf */target        # Clean Rust build artifacts
   find . -name '__pycache__' -type d -exec rm -rf {} +

๐ŸŽ‰ Why You'll Love It:

  • ๐Ÿ’ฐ Save Money: Reduce cloud storage costs
  • โšก Speed Up Builds: Less files = faster CI/CD
  • ๐Ÿง  Peace of Mind: Know exactly what's taking up space
  • ๐ŸŽฏ Actionable: Get specific commands to run, not just reports
  • ๐ŸŽจ Beautiful: Color-coded, emoji-rich output that's actually fun to read

"This tool found 77.4% waste in my home directory and saved me 1.66 GiB! Trisha from Accounting is so proud!" - Hue (actual user)

๐Ÿ—๏ธ Architecture (For the Curious Minds)

๐Ÿ”ง How the Magic Happens
src/
โ”œโ”€โ”€ main.rs           # ๐ŸŽญ The ringmaster
โ”œโ”€โ”€ scanner.rs        # ๐Ÿ” Directory detective
โ”œโ”€โ”€ formatters/       # ๐ŸŽจ The art department
โ”‚   โ”œโ”€โ”€ classic.rs    # ๐ŸŒณ Beautiful trees
โ”‚   โ”œโ”€โ”€ quantum.rs    # ๐Ÿงฌ Compression wizard
โ”‚   โ”œโ”€โ”€ ai.rs         # ๐Ÿค– AI whisperer
โ”‚   โ”œโ”€โ”€ waste.rs      # ๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ Marie Kondo consultant
โ”‚   โ””โ”€โ”€ mermaid.rs    # ๐Ÿงœโ€โ™€๏ธ Diagram artist
โ”œโ”€โ”€ semantic.rs       # ๐ŸŒŠ Wave philosopher
โ””โ”€โ”€ mcp/              # ๐Ÿ”Œ AI integration HQ
    โ””โ”€โ”€ tools.rs      # ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Swiss army knife

๐ŸŒŸ Real-World Magic

๐Ÿ’ฐ The Money Shot - Compression Comparison

๐Ÿ“ˆ Benchmarks

Format Size Tokens Relative Cost
Classic Tree 1.2MB 300K 100%
JSON 2.1MB 525K 175%
Hex Mode 800KB 200K 67%
AI Mode + Compression 120KB 30K 10%
Digest 128B 32 0.01%

That's a 99.2% reduction! Your wallet just did a happy dance! ๐Ÿ’ƒ

 hyperfine 'st ~ --find ollama -a ' -r 10

# RESULT:
 Benchmark 1: st ~ --find ollama -a 
   Time (mean ยฑ ฯƒ):     140.0 ms ยฑ   7.5 ms    [User: 54.4 ms, System: 88.3 ms]
   Range (min โ€ฆ max):   133.8 ms โ€ฆ 159.7 ms    10 runs

๐ŸŽฏ Format Quick Reference

Use Case Best Format Why?
๐Ÿ‘€ Quick Look classic (default!) Beautiful & intuitive
๐Ÿค– AI Analysis quantum-semantic 10x compression!
๐Ÿ“Š Reports markdown Instant documentation
๐Ÿ” Debugging hex All the details
๐Ÿ’พ Archival json Future-proof
๐Ÿƒ Quick Check digest One-line summary

๐Ÿ’ก AI Feedback System (New in v3.3.0!)

Smart Tree learns from its users! When used with AI assistants like Claude:

  • ๐Ÿค Consent First - Feedback is only sent with your explicit approval
  • ๐Ÿ”’ Privacy Focused - Only tool suggestions and improvements, never your data
  • ๐Ÿš€ Rapid Evolution - Your feedback directly shapes new features
  • ๐Ÿ“ก Optional - Works perfectly offline, cloud features are a bonus!

Example: Your AI assistant finds a missing feature? It can suggest it directly to the development team!

๐Ÿง™ MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server

Smart Tree now includes a built-in MCP server that provides intelligent project analysis directly to AI assistants!

# Run as MCP server (for Claude Desktop, etc.)
st --mcp

# Show MCP configuration
st --mcp-config

๐Ÿค– AI Best Practices

Check out our AI Best Practices Guide to learn:

  • Optimal workflow for using Smart Tree tools
  • Which tools to use for different tasks
  • How to maximize token efficiency
  • Common patterns for code analysis

Golden Rule: Always start with quick_tree for any new directory! ๐ŸŒŸ

Features:

  • 20+ specialized tools for directory analysis
  • Automatic compression for efficient token usage
  • Semantic analysis for understanding code structure
  • Built-in caching for instant repeated queries
  • Security controls for safe file system access

See MCP Integration Guide for setup instructions.


๐Ÿค Join the Smart Tree Family!

๐Ÿ’ฌ Discord Community - Where the Cool Kids Hang Out

Discord Banner

Come for the trees, stay for the memes! ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿ˜‚

  • ๐Ÿ†˜ Get Help - We actually answer!
  • ๐ŸŽ‰ Share Wins - Show off your directory art!
  • ๐Ÿ› Report Bugs - We'll squash 'em!
  • ๐ŸŒŠ Philosophy Hour - Discuss waves with Omni in the hot tub!
  • ๐Ÿ• Pizza Fridays - Virtual, but the fun is real!

๐ŸŒŸ Contributors Hall of Fame

Special shoutouts to:

  • Hue - The visionary who started it all! ๐ŸŽจ
  • Aye - The AI that rocks! ๐Ÿค–
  • Trish from Accounting - Our #1 fan and humor consultant! ๐Ÿ’–
  • Omni - The philosopher in the hot tub! ๐Ÿ›
  • You - Yes, YOU could be next! ๐ŸŒŸ

๐Ÿ“œ The Sacred Scrolls (Documentation)

๐ŸŽฌ The Grand Finale

Why Smart Tree? Because...

๐ŸŒณ Life's too short for boring directory listings!

๐Ÿš€ Your directories deserve to be beautiful!

๐Ÿ’ฐ Your AI tokens are precious!

๐ŸŽ‰ Work should be fun!


Smart Tree: Making directories great again, one visualization at a time!

Built with ๐Ÿ’™ by the Smart Tree Team

Aye, Hue, Trish, and Omni approve this message! โœจ


P.S. - If you read this far, you're awesome! Here's a secret: Try st --semantic and watch the magic happen! ๐ŸŒŠโœจ


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