Catnav – macOS Finder-style column navigation for the terminal

Name: Catnav – macOS Finder-style column navigation for the terminal
Availability: InStock
Author: andyjtyler

by andyjtyler·Mar 9, 2026·2 points·1 comment

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AI Analysis

●●SolidNiche Gem

Finder-style Miller columns in terminal, but ranger and fzf exist.

Strengths

•Inline terminal integration that cd's your shell instead of taking over fullscreen.
•Filter search with slash key and hidden file toggle for quick navigation.

Weaknesses

•Miller column navigators already exist in ranger, fzf, and other terminal tools.
•macOS-focused design with limited cross-platform appeal for Linux users.

Post Description

catnav is a terminal tool for navigating directory trees using Finder-style Miller columns.

Instead of repeatedly running cd, cd .., and ls to move around, catnav shows directories in side-by-side columns so you can see the current directory, its children, and the path you came from at the same time. This makes it easier to explore unfamiliar repos and quickly jump between sibling directories.

Navigation is simple: - Use arrow keys to move between directories - Press Enter to select a directory - / filters items in the current column (search) - . toggles hidden files

catnav runs inline in the terminal rather than taking over the full screen, so it fits naturally into normal shell workflows.

Selecting a directory will immediately cd your shell to that directory.