TreeClip 🌳✨

A delightfully fast CLI tool that bundles your code into a single, AI-friendly format

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What's This All About? (◕‿◕✿)

Ever tried explaining your entire codebase to an AI assistant, only to spend 20 minutes copy-pasting files? Yeah, me too. That's why TreeClip exists!

TreeClip traverses your project directory, gathers all your code files, and bundles them into one neat package with proper headers showing where each piece came from. It's like creating a "highlight reel" of your project that AI models can actually digest in one go.

Think of it as: Your project, but as a single, well-organized document that preserves all the context.

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Why I Built This 🛠️

Honestly? I was learning Rust and needed a practical project. But also, I was tired of the tedious workflow of sharing code with AI assistants:

1. Copy file contents
2. Paste into chat
3. Explain the file structure
4. Repeat 47 times
5. Lose track of which files you've shared
6. Question your life choices

TreeClip turns that into: treeclip run --clipboard → done. One command, everything's ready to paste.

Plus, I wanted to practice Rust's error handling, understand the module system, work with the filesystem APIs, and build something actually useful. Learning by building real tools just hits different, you know?

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Installation 🚀

From Crates.io (Recommended)

You can install treeclip directly from crates.io using Cargo:

cargo install treeclip

This will install the binary on your system, making it available from anywhere!

From Source

If you'd rather build it yourself from the source code:

git clone https://github.com/seyedali-dev/treeclip.v2.git
cd treeclip.v2
cargo build --release

The binary will be located at target/release/treeclip. You can also run cargo install --path . to install it locally from the repository folder.

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How to Use It ✨

The most common use case is bundling the current directory and copying it to your clipboard. It's as simple as this:

# Bundle the current directory and copy it to the clipboard
treeclip run --clipboard

Now you can paste the entire project structure into your favorite AI chat! Easy peasy. (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

Common Usage Patterns

Here’s a quick guide to some of the most useful commands. The table below covers most scenarios you'll encounter!

#	Scenario	Command	What It Does	When To Use
1	Quick Clipboard Copy(My Daily Driver)	treeclip run --clipboard	• Scans current directory• Creates treeclip_temp.txt• Copies to clipboard• Shows tree emojis 🌳	Pasting code into ChatGPT/Claude/etc
2	Specific Directory + Custom Output	treeclip run ./src -o ./docs/dump.txt	• Scans ./src only• Saves to custom location• Doesn't touch clipboard	Documenting parts of project, creating archives
3	Exclude Build Artifacts	treeclip run -e node_modules -e target -e .git	• Scans current directory• Ignores specified patterns• Can stack multiple -e flags	Projects with dependencies/build outputs
4	Review Before Sharing	treeclip run --editor --delete	• Creates temp file• Opens in $EDITOR• Deletes after closing	When you want to edit before sharing
5	The Full Experience™	treeclip run ./my-project -o ./export/snapshot.txt -e node_modules -e "*.lock" --clipboard --stats --verbose	• Everything at once• Full control• Maximum verbosity• Statistics shown	When you want ALL the features
6	Fast Mode (No Animations)	treeclip run --fast-mode --clipboard	• Instant execution• No progress bars• No cute emojis 😢	CI/CD, scripts, large projects, or when in a hurry
7	Include Hidden Files	treeclip run --no-skip-hidden	• Includes .env.example, .editorconfig, etc• Normally skipped by default	When you need config files included
8	Stats Without Clipboard	treeclip run --stats	• Creates output file• Shows lines/words/bytes• Size emoji feedback 🐣🐘🐋	Analyzing codebase size
9	Just Save to File	treeclip run ./src -o output.txt --fast-mode	• No clipboard• No stats• Just saves file quickly	Archiving, documentation generation
10	Verbose Progress Tracking	treeclip run --verbose --clipboard	• Shows every step• File count updates• Detailed logging	Debugging, understanding what's included

Pro-Tip: Use a .treeclipignore File!

For files and directories you always want to ignore (like node_modules or target), create a .treeclipignore file in your project's root directory. It works just like a .gitignore file!

Here's a great starting point:

# .treeclipignore

# Dependencies
node_modules/
target/
.git/

# Build artifacts & logs
dist/
build/
*.log
*.lock

With this file in place, you can just run treeclip run --clipboard without needing to add --exclude flags every time. So much easier!

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All Command Options

Positional Arguments

Argument	Description	Default
INPUT_PATH	Directory to traverse	. (current directory)

Optional Arguments

Flag	Short	Description	Default
--output-path <PATH>	-o	Where to save the output file	./treeclip_temp.txt
--root <PATH>		Root directory for .treeclipignore	.
--exclude <PATTERN>	-e	Patterns to exclude (can repeat)	None
--clipboard	-c	Copy output to clipboard	Off
--stats		Show content statistics	Off
--editor		Open output in default editor	Off
--delete		Delete output after closing editor	Off
--verbose	-v	Show detailed progress	Off
--skip-hidden	-H	Skip hidden files/folders	On
--no-skip-hidden		Include hidden files	Off
--raw	-r	Extract raw content	On
--fast-mode	-f	Skip animations, instant execution	Off
--help	-h	Show help message	-
--version	-V	Show version	-

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Output Format

TreeClip creates a clean, AI-friendly format:

==> src/main.rs
fn main() {
    println!("Hello, world!");
}

==> src/lib.rs
pub fn add(left: usize, right: usize) -> usize {
    left + right
}

==> tests/integration_test.rs
#[test]
fn it_works() {
    assert_eq!(2 + 2, 4);
}

Each file is clearly separated with its path, making it easy for AI to understand your project structure. No confusion, no missing context!

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Tips & Tricks 💡

Combine with Other Tools

# Count total lines in your project
treeclip run --fast-mode && wc -l treeclip_temp.txt

# Compare two versions of your code
treeclip run ./v1 -o v1.txt --fast-mode
treeclip run ./v2 -o v2.txt --fast-mode
diff v1.txt v2.txt

Create Aliases

Add to your .bashrc or .zshrc:

# Quick clipboard copy
alias clip='treeclip run --clipboard --fast-mode'

# Review before sharing
alias clipr='treeclip run --clipboard --editor --delete'

# Full verbose snapshot
alias clips='treeclip run --clipboard --stats --verbose'

Project-Specific Configurations

Keep a .treeclipignore in your project root:

# Dependencies
node_modules
target
vendor

# Build outputs
dist
build
out
*.min.js

# Logs and temp files
*.log
*.tmp
.DS_Store

# Don't share secrets!
.env
secrets.json

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Examples from Real Projects

React Project

treeclip run ./src \
  --exclude node_modules \
  --exclude "*.test.js" \
  --clipboard

Rust Project

treeclip run \
  --exclude target \
  --exclude Cargo.lock \
  --clipboard \
  --stats

Python Project

treeclip run \
  --exclude __pycache__ \
  --exclude "*.pyc" \
  --exclude venv \
  --clipboard

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Future Plans 🚧

• Configuration file support (.treecliprc)
• Interactive mode for selecting files
• Multiple output format support (JSON, Markdown, HTML)
• Token counting for AI models
• Smart exclusion patterns (auto-detect .gitignore)
• Streaming for huge projects
• Plugin system for custom processors

But honestly? I built this to learn Rust and solve my immediate problem. If you find it useful, awesome! If you want to contribute, even better! ♡

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Contributing

Found a bug? Have an idea? Want to make it cuter?

1. Fork the repo
2. Make your changes
3. Submit a PR with a description

I'm still learning Rust, so if you spot any anti-patterns or improvements, I'm all ears! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

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License

MIT License - feel free to use this however you want!

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Credits

Built with:

• Rust 🦀
• Intention of becoming a rustacean
• A genuine desire to stop copy-pasting code files

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Happy clipping! ✨

Made with ♡ (and a lot of Stack Overflow) by someone who just wanted a better way to share code with AI