What is xplr?

xplr is a file explorer that runs entirely inside a terminal window. Instead of a graphical file manager with windows and mouse clicks, it uses a text-based visual interface where you navigate folders and files using keyboard shortcuts. It is written in Rust, which keeps it fast and lightweight. The tool's main idea is not to replace existing command-line utilities or graphical file managers, but to act as an orchestrator that ties them together. You can connect xplr with other terminal programs, write scripts that define custom behaviors, and add community-built plugins that extend what it can do. The project website lists plugins for things like previewing files, fuzzy searching, and connecting to external tools. For users who already spend most of their work in a terminal, xplr adds a real-time visual layer on top of the file system. Browsing directories, selecting files, and triggering other programs can all happen through the same keyboard-driven interface without leaving the terminal. The project describes itself as hackable, meaning its behavior is designed to be reconfigured rather than fixed. Key bindings, layouts, and actions can be changed through configuration files. There is also a documented API for building integrations with other software. Installation is available through standard package managers on a wide range of Linux distributions and other platforms. The README is brief and points to the project's external documentation site at xplr.dev for full details on setup, configuration, and the plugin ecosystem.