Showing Hidden Files in Yazi

Yazi (terminal file manager) hides dotfiles by default. To see hidden files like .zshrc, AGENTS.md, or .config/:

Toggle Hidden Files

Keyboard shortcut: . (period key) or ⌃H (Control-H)

Press once to show hidden files, press again to hide them.

Why Hidden Files Matter

Hidden files (starting with .) are critical for system configuration:

Without showing hidden files, you won't see:

• Config directories (~/.config/)
• Dotfiles in home directory
• Git repositories (.git/)
• Most system configuration files

Default Behavior

Yazi's default is to hide dotfiles because:

• Reduces visual clutter
• Follows Unix convention (hidden files are "system" files)
• Prevents accidental modification of critical configs

But when working with configs, you'll toggle them on frequently.

Other Yazi Navigation Tips

Related Tools

• ls -la - Show hidden files in terminal (always shows them)
• rg - Ripgrep searches hidden files by default with --hidden flag
• Finder - ⌘⇧. (Command-Shift-Period) to toggle hidden files on macOS

When to Toggle Hidden Files On

Enable hidden files when:

• Editing shell configs (.zshrc, .config/zsh/)
• Managing dotfiles with chezmoi
• Navigating to .config/ directories
• Looking for AGENTS.md files
• Working with Git repositories
• SSH key management

Keep hidden files off when:

• Browsing regular documents/projects
• Managing downloads
• Organizing media files
• Working in project directories (where dotfiles are noise)

Making It Permanent (Optional)

If you want Yazi to always show hidden files by default, create a Yazi config:

bash
# Create Yazi config directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/yazi

# Create config file
nvim ~/.config/yazi/yazi.toml

Add this line:

toml
[manager]
show_hidden = true

Then add to chezmoi:

bash
chezmoi add ~/.config/yazi/yazi.toml

Recommendation: Don't make it permanent. Toggle as needed with . key.