Dash CLI

git clone https://github.com/rmorse/dash-cli
cd dash-cli
npm install
npm run build
npm link
dash-cli --setup
dash

dash                         # open project explorer
dash proj                    # run one shortcut
dash 1 claude                # chain shortcuts
dash-cli -- list --json      # inspect shortcuts for scripts
dash-cli -- add proj "cd ~/projects/myproj" "code ." --name "My Project"

Shortcuts

Quick Access

Jump directly to a shortcut by its trigger:

dash myproj     # Run shortcut with trigger "myproj"
dash 1          # Run shortcut with trigger "1"
d work          # Same thing, using the 'd' alias

Chaining Shortcuts

Chain multiple shortcuts together - commands run in sequence:

dash 1 claude       # cd to project, then run claude
dash work code      # cd to work project, then open VS Code
dash proj test run  # Chain three shortcuts together

If any trigger in the chain doesn’t exist, you’ll get an error.

Shortcuts Editor

Access the full shortcuts editor from the Shortcuts tab (Tab from Projects) to:

• Custom triggers - Use any text (e.g., work, api, 1)
• Multi-line commands - Run multiple commands in sequence
• Case sensitivity - Toggle per-shortcut (default: case-insensitive)

Example shortcut:

Name:           My Project
Trigger:        proj
Case Sensitive: No
Commands:
  cd ~/projects/my-project
  code .
  npm run dev

Quick Add

Press Ctrl+T on any project or recent item to quickly add it as a shortcut. This creates a shortcut with:

• Name: the project path
• Trigger: next available number (1, 2, 3…)
• Command: cd "/path/to/project"

To delete a shortcut, select it in the Shortcuts section and press Ctrl+D (confirm with y/n).

Edit shortcuts via the Shortcuts tab (Tab from Projects) to customize triggers or add more commands.

Controls

Key	Action
↑ / ↓	Navigate list
Enter	Select project
→ / ←	Drill into / back from nested projects
PgUp / PgDn	Page navigation
Type	Filter projects
Ctrl+T	Add shortcut (customizable)
Ctrl+D	Delete shortcut (in Shortcuts section)
Ctrl+R	Refresh projects list (customizable)
Tab	Cycle tabs (Projects → Shortcuts → Settings)
Esc	Clear filter / go back / save & exit / quit

Tabs

The app has three tabs, accessible by pressing Tab:

1. Projects - Main project list with shortcuts and recent projects
2. Shortcuts - Edit, add, and delete shortcuts
3. Settings - Configure app settings

Settings

Press Tab twice from Projects to reach settings, or edit ~/.dash-cli/settings.json:

Setting	Default	Description
projectsDir	D:\projects	Root directory to scan
maxDepth	4	How deep to scan for nested repos
skipDirs	node_modules,...	Comma-separated patterns to skip (supports globs like *.test)
showShortcuts	true	Show shortcuts section in the main list
showRecent	true	Show recent projects section in the main list
recentCount	5	Number of recent projects to show (only visible when showRecent is true)
visibleRows	12	Viewport height
selectedColor	#FFD700	Highlight color for selected item
shortcutColor	#69FFBE	Color for shortcut items
recentColor	#6495ED	Color for recent items
shortcutToggleKey	t	Key for Ctrl+? to add shortcut
refreshKey	r	Key for Ctrl+? to refresh projects

CLI Options

dash-cli --setup [shell] [--alias]  # Configure shell integration
dash-cli --uninstall [shell]        # Remove shell integration
dash-cli --debug                     # Enable debug logging
dash proj                            # Run shortcut "proj"
dash 1 claude                        # Chain shortcuts together

Flag	Description
--setup	Configure shell integration (bash/powershell)
--uninstall	Remove shell integration from your profile
--alias	Add ‘d’ shortcut during setup
--debug	Enable debug logging to ~/.dash-cli/debug.log
[triggers...]	Run one or more shortcuts by trigger

CLI Shortcut Management

Manage shortcuts from the command line using dash-cli -- <command>. The -- separator distinguishes CLI commands from trigger execution.

Commands

add - Add a new shortcut

dash-cli -- add <trigger> <command...> [--name "Name"] [--case-sensitive]

Argument/Flag	Required	Description
<trigger>	Yes	Unique trigger text (cannot contain spaces or start with --)
<command...>	Yes	One or more commands to run
--name "Name"	No	Display name (defaults to trigger)
--case-sensitive	No	Make trigger case-sensitive (default: case-insensitive)
--json	No	Output in JSON format

# Basic usage (name auto-set to trigger)
dash-cli -- add proj "cd /projects/myproj"

# Multiple commands
dash-cli -- add proj "cd /projects/myproj" "code ."

# With custom name
dash-cli -- add proj "cd /projects/myproj" --name "My Project"

# Case-sensitive trigger
dash-cli -- add Proj "cd /projects/myproj" --case-sensitive

list - List all shortcuts

dash-cli -- list [--json]

Flag	Description
--json	Output full shortcut data as JSON

# Human-readable table
dash-cli -- list

# JSON output
dash-cli -- list --json

Output example:

Shortcuts:
  proj    My Project    cd /projects/myproj, code .
  web     Website       cd /sites/web

show - Show shortcut details

dash-cli -- show <trigger> [--json]

Argument/Flag	Required	Description
<trigger>	Yes	Trigger to look up
--json	No	Output as JSON

dash-cli -- show proj

Output example:

  Trigger:  proj
  Name:     My Project
  Case:     insensitive
  Commands:
    cd /projects/myproj
    code .

edit - Edit an existing shortcut

dash-cli -- edit <trigger> [--name "Name"] [--trigger new] [--command "cmd"] [--case-sensitive] [--json]

Argument/Flag	Required	Description
<trigger>	Yes	Current trigger of shortcut to edit
--name "Name"	No	New display name
--trigger new	No	New trigger (must be unique)
--command "cmd"	No	Replace commands (comma-separated for multiple)
--case-sensitive	No	Set case-sensitive (flag present = true)
--json	No	Output as JSON

# Change name
dash-cli -- edit proj --name "My Awesome Project"

# Change trigger
dash-cli -- edit proj --trigger myproj

# Replace commands
dash-cli -- edit proj --command "cd /new/path"

# Multiple commands (comma-separated)
dash-cli -- edit proj --command "cd /path,code ."

# Make case-sensitive
dash-cli -- edit proj --case-sensitive

# Multiple changes at once
dash-cli -- edit proj --name "New Name" --trigger newproj --case-sensitive

rm - Remove a shortcut

dash-cli -- rm <trigger> [--json]

Argument/Flag	Required	Description
<trigger>	Yes	Trigger of shortcut to remove
--json	No	Output as JSON

dash-cli -- rm proj

help - Show usage

dash-cli -- help
dash-cli --        # Also shows help when no command given

JSON Output

All commands support --json for machine-readable output:

# Success responses
dash-cli -- add proj "cd /foo" --json
# {"success":true,"message":"Added: proj","shortcut":{...}}

dash-cli -- list --json
# {"shortcuts":[...]}

dash-cli -- show proj --json
# {"shortcut":{...}}

dash-cli -- edit proj --name "New" --json
# {"success":true,"shortcut":{...}}

dash-cli -- rm proj --json
# {"deleted":true,"trigger":"proj"}

# Error responses
dash-cli -- show nonexistent --json
# {"error":"Shortcut not found: nonexistent"}

Error Handling

Commands exit with code 1 on errors:

# Missing arguments
dash-cli -- add
# Error: Usage: dash -- add <trigger> <command...> [--name "Name"] [--case-sensitive]

# Trigger collision
dash-cli -- add existingTrigger "cmd"
# Error: Trigger "existingTrigger" collides with "existingTrigger" (case-insensitive) on "Existing Name"

# Not found
dash-cli -- show nonexistent
# Error: Shortcut not found: nonexistent

# Invalid trigger
dash-cli -- add "my trigger" "cmd"
# Error: Trigger cannot contain spaces

Configuration Files

Stored in ~/.dash-cli/:

• settings.json - User settings
• shortcuts.json - Shortcuts with triggers and commands
• history.json - Recent projects
• cache.json - Cached project scan (for instant startup)
• last-command - Commands to execute (sourced by shell wrapper)
• debug.log - Debug log (when running with --debug)