Deck

A local-first code editor and file browser that runs in your browser. Point it at any directory and get a full editing environment with git integration, markdown editing, diffs, and source control.

Install

npm install -g @0xherve/deck

Then use deck from anywhere:

deck              # open current directory
deck ~/my-project # open a specific directory

The first instance uses port 5200; each additional project gets the next free port.

npx deck, pnpm dlx deck, and bunx deck also work, but global install is the intended workflow.

Commands

deck [directory]       # Start Deck for a directory (reopens if already running)
deck list              # Show all running Deck instances
deck stop <port>       # Stop a specific instance
deck stop all          # Stop all running instances

Options

• -p, --port <number> — Override the port (default: next free port from 5200)

Features

• File browser — Tree navigation and tabbed editing
• Code editing — Edit any text or code file and save to disk
• Markdown editor — Rendered preview and source editing, with autosave and live task-list checkboxes
• Git diffs — Stacked (unified) per-file diffs from the source control panel
• Source control — Stage, unstage, commit, push, pull, stash, and branch operations
• Branch management — List, create, and check out git branches from the UI
• Multi-project — Run multiple projects simultaneously, each on its own port
• Shortcuts — Cmd/Ctrl+S save, Cmd/Ctrl+P quick open, Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P command palette, Alt/Option+W close tab
• Themes — Light and dark mode

Development

# Install dependencies
bun install

# Start the backend (serves files + API)
bun dev

# Start the frontend dev server (with HMR)
bun dev:web

# Build for distribution
bun run build

Releasing

CI runs on every push/PR (see [.github/workflows/ci.yml](.github/workflows/ci.yml)).

To publish a release, finish the TODOs in [.github/workflows/release.yml](.github/workflows/release.yml), then:

# 1. Bump version in package.json
# 2. Commit and tag (tag must match version, with a v prefix)
git tag v0.1.0
git push origin main --tags

GitHub Actions will build and publish when the tag is pushed.

Stack

• Frontend: React, TanStack Router, Tailwind CSS v4, TipTap, Vite
• Backend: Hono (Node.js), serves files and git data from the target directory
• CLI: Commander, tracks instances under /tmp/deck/instances/

Future

These features are on the wishlist but deferred from v0.1:

• Inline gutter diffs inside the code editor
• Git blame and per-file commit history
• Merge UI and automatic stash-then-checkout
• Cross-file content search (grep)
• LSP, and better code editing functionalities