directory-tree-viewer

name	directory-tree-viewer
description	Display directory structure as a formatted tree. Use when the user needs to visualize a directory structure, analyze folder organization, or share a file tree view. Supports custom paths via the /tree command.
allowed-tools	Bash, Read

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

• Using Bash for file exploration
• Glob patterns for file matching