Repo Viewer

Repo Viewer is a local web app for reading GitHub repositories as a browsable, translated workspace. It focuses on large repositories: directories are loaded on demand, files open in a preview pane, and Markdown/text files can be shown side by side with a Chinese translation.

Features

• Local repository reader: paste any local repository path.
• Lazy file explorer: only the opened directory is scanned, so startup stays fast on large repos.
• Code preview: readable line numbers and light code blocks by default.
• Markdown preview: headings, lists, code blocks, inline code, links, and local images.
• Default Chinese comparison: Markdown/text files open in source + Chinese translation view.
• Translation optimization: common code/config files are skipped, Markdown code blocks/inline code are preserved, and text is batched to reduce provider calls.
• Translation feedback: the translated pane shows a loading animation while a translation is running.
• Translation providers: repository-local translations, free Google endpoint with MyMemory fallback, or MyMemory.
• Themes: paper, light, dark, eye-care green, and high contrast.

Run with npx

npx @8865a/repo-viewer C:\path\to\repo

Or pass options explicitly:

npx @8865a/repo-viewer --root C:\path\to\repo --port 4173

The command starts a local web server and prints the browser URL:

Repo Viewer running at http://localhost:4173

If no repository path is provided, Repo Viewer opens the current working directory.

Global install

npm install -g @8865a/repo-viewer
repo-viewer C:\path\to\repo

Useful CLI options:

repo-viewer --help
repo-viewer --version
repo-viewer --check --root C:\path\to\repo
repo-viewer --root C:\path\to\repo --port 4180

Local development

npm start

Open:

http://localhost:4173

By default the app reads the current working directory.

To open another local repository, paste its absolute path into the top input and click 读取, or pass it in the URL:

http://localhost:4173/?root=C:\path\to\repo

Translation

Translation is resolved in this order:

1. Repository translation files, such as README.zh-CN.md or docs/zh-CN/README.md.
2. The configured provider in the page 配置 dialog.
3. Local glossary fallback for offline demos.

Free providers:

TRANSLATE_PROVIDER=google-free

google-free is the default provider when no local translation config exists.

TRANSLATE_PROVIDER=mymemory-free

google-free uses an unofficial Google Translate endpoint. It needs no API key. mymemory-free also needs no API key and is best for shorter text.

Translation diagnostics and proxy

Repo Viewer prints translation diagnostics in the terminal by default. The logs include the selected provider, chunk count, HTTP host, proxy source, elapsed time, and fallback reason. They do not print source document text or API keys.

Markdown text is translated in batches while fenced code blocks and inline code are kept out of translation requests. The default batch settings reduce many tiny translation calls:

TRANSLATE_BATCH_CHARS=3200
TRANSLATE_BATCH_ITEMS=24

Translation proxy is configured explicitly in the page 配置 dialog. It is not auto-detected from the operating system. The default proxy URL is:

TRANSLATE_PROXY_ENABLED=1
TRANSLATE_PROXY_URL=http://127.0.0.1:7897

The same proxy setting is used on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Turn it off in the dialog when the machine does not have a local proxy, or change the URL to the user's proxy port.

Useful diagnostics:

$env:TRANSLATE_LOG="1"
npx @8865a/repo-viewer --check --root C:\path\to\repo
npx @8865a/repo-viewer C:\path\to\repo

To turn translation logs off:

$env:TRANSLATE_LOG="0"

When running through the CLI, the page configuration dialog writes to .repo-viewer.env in the directory where the command was started. In local development it writes to .env in this project. Both files are ignored by git.

API

• GET /api/tree?root=<path>&path=<dir>: read one directory level.
• GET /api/file?root=<path>&path=<file>: read a file preview.
• GET /api/raw?root=<path>&path=<file>: stream raw assets.
• POST /api/translate: translate Markdown/text while preserving code.
• GET /api/translation-status: inspect translation provider status.
• POST /api/translation-config: save translation provider settings.