whatisgithub

What is try?

tobi/try — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

3,657ShellAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

In one sentence

A single-file Ruby command-line tool that gives every throwaway coding experiment a dated home folder and instant fuzzy search.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((try))
    What it does
      Dated scratch folders
      Fuzzy search
    Tech stack
      Ruby
    Use cases
      Quick experiments
      Clone repos fast
    Audience
      Developers

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Quickly create a new dated scratch directory for a one-off code experiment.

USE CASE 2

Fuzzy-search past experiment folders by name to jump back into an old project.

USE CASE 3

Clone a Git repository directly into a properly named, dated folder.

USE CASE 4

Create a Git worktree off the current repo through the same fuzzy search interface.

What is it built with?

RubyShell

How does it compare?

tobi/trynestybox/sysboxapple/tensorflow_macos
Stars3,6573,6563,653
LanguageShellShellShell
Setup difficultyeasyhardmoderate
Complexity1/54/53/5
Audiencedeveloperops devopsdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Ruby, which is preinstalled on macOS.

You can freely use, modify, and redistribute this project under the MIT license.

So what is it?

Try is a small command-line tool for developers who constantly spin up throwaway project directories for experiments and then lose track of them. The problem it solves is familiar: you start a quick test, name the folder something generic like "test" or "redis-thing", and a few weeks later you cannot remember what you called it or where it lives. Try gives all those experiments a single home folder and a fast fuzzy search interface so you can jump back to any of them in seconds. When you type "try" followed by a keyword, it shows a list of matching directories ranked by how recently you used them and how closely the name matches your search. You can navigate the list with arrow keys and press enter to jump into the chosen directory. If no match exists, it creates a new one with today's date prepended to the name, so every experiment gets a timestamp automatically. You can also use it to clone a Git repository directly into a properly named dated folder, or to create a Git worktree off your current repository. The whole tool is a single Ruby file with no external dependencies. Ruby comes preinstalled on macOS, and on other systems it is easy to add. Installation is either through RubyGems (one command), Homebrew, or by downloading the single file directly. After that you add one line to your shell config to enable the "try" command, and it works from any terminal session. Configuration is minimal: you can set an environment variable to choose where your experiments live. The default is a folder called "tries" inside your home directory. The tool is released under the MIT license, so you can modify and redistribute it freely.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to install the try CLI tool via Homebrew and add it to my shell config.
Prompt 2
Explain how to use try to clone a GitHub repo into a dated experiment folder.
Prompt 3
Show me how to change where try stores my experiment directories using its environment variable.
Prompt 4
Walk me through using try to create a Git worktree from my current repository.

Frequently asked questions

What is try?

A single-file Ruby command-line tool that gives every throwaway coding experiment a dated home folder and instant fuzzy search.

What language is try written in?

Mainly Shell. The stack also includes Ruby, Shell.

What license does try use?

You can freely use, modify, and redistribute this project under the MIT license.

How hard is try to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is try for?

Mainly developer.

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