How do I browse directories as plain text buffers using vim-dirvish?

Explanation

vim-dirvish (by Justin M. Keyes) is a minimalist directory viewer for Vim. It opens a directory listing as a plain text buffer — every file path is an ordinary line you can search, filter, yank, and operate on with all your normal Vim tools. No tree widget, no special modes: just text.

How it works

• :Dirvish — open the directory of the current file
• :Dirvish {path} — open a specific directory
• <CR> on a file — open it in the current window
• <CR> on a directory — enter it (reload the listing)
• - — go up to the parent directory (same key as vim-vinegar)
• q — close the dirvish buffer
• Since the buffer is plain text, you can:
  • /pattern to search for a file
  • dG to delete all lines and show only yanked results
  • !command to shell-filter the listing

Install with: Plug 'justinmk/vim-dirvish'

Example

Open the current file's directory:

:Dirvish

Filter to show only Python files using Vim's built-in tools:

:Dirvish
:g!/\.py$/d

Now only .py files are listed. Press <CR> to open any of them.

Tips

• :Dirvish integrates with netrw-aware plugins — it replaces netrw for directory browsing while keeping gx, gf, and remote file support
• Use R to reload the listing if the directory changed on disk
• The vim-dirvish-git companion plugin adds git status indicators to the listing
• Unlike NERDTree or nvim-tree, dirvish uses zero special syntax — your existing text motion skills transfer completely
• :set splitright | vsplit | Dirvish opens a directory panel in a vertical split — a lightweight sidebar alternative