try

A Go port of tobi/try - fresh directories for every vibe 🏠

All credit for the original idea goes to Tobi Lütke and the original Ruby version.

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Quick Start (2 Steps)

Step 1: Install the Binary

One-Line Install (Recommended):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/amulcse/try/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Or Manual Download:

macOS (Apple Silicon):

curl -LO https://github.com/amulcse/try/releases/latest/download/try_darwin_arm64.tar.gz
tar -xzf try_darwin_arm64.tar.gz && chmod +x try && sudo mv try /usr/local/bin/

macOS (Intel):

curl -LO https://github.com/amulcse/try/releases/latest/download/try_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
tar -xzf try_darwin_amd64.tar.gz && chmod +x try && sudo mv try /usr/local/bin/

Linux (x64):

curl -LO https://github.com/amulcse/try/releases/latest/download/try_linux_amd64.tar.gz
tar -xzf try_linux_amd64.tar.gz && chmod +x try && sudo mv try /usr/local/bin/

Linux (arm64):

curl -LO https://github.com/amulcse/try/releases/latest/download/try_linux_arm64.tar.gz
tar -xzf try_linux_arm64.tar.gz && chmod +x try && sudo mv try /usr/local/bin/

Windows (PowerShell):

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/amulcse/try/releases/latest/download/try_windows_amd64.zip" -OutFile "try.zip"
Expand-Archive -Path "try.zip" -DestinationPath "." -Force
Move-Item -Path "try.exe" -Destination "$env:USERPROFILE\bin\try.exe" -Force

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install amulcse/tap/try

Go Install

If you have Go installed:

go install github.com/amulcse/try/cmd/try@latest

Step 2: Add to Shell Config (Required!)

⚠️ Without this step, try will only print commands instead of executing them!

Bash / Zsh - Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(try init)"

Fish - Add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish:

eval (try init | string collect)

Then restart your terminal or run:

source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc

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What It Does

Instantly navigate through all your experiment directories with:

• Fuzzy search that just works
• Smart sorting - recently used stuff bubbles to the top
• Auto-dating - creates directories like 2025-01-21-redis-experiment
• Zero config - just one binary, no dependencies

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Usage

try                        # Browse all experiments
try redis                  # Jump to redis experiment or create new
try new api                # Create "2025-01-21-api"
try .                      # Create dated worktree for current repo
try clone https://...      # Clone repo into dated directory
try https://github.com/... # Shorthand for clone
try delete                 # Delete a directory
try rename                 # Rename a directory
try --help                 # See all options

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
↑ / ↓	Navigate
Ctrl-P / Ctrl-N	Navigate (vim-style)
Ctrl-J / Ctrl-K	Navigate (vim-style)
Enter	Select or create
Backspace	Delete character
Ctrl-U	Clear input
Ctrl-D	Delete directory
Ctrl-R	Rename directory
ESC	Cancel

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Configuration

Set TRY_PATH to change where experiments are stored:

export TRY_PATH=~/code/sketches

Default: ~/src/tries

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Why a Go Port?

• Single binary - No Ruby runtime required
• Cross-platform - Pre-built binaries for macOS, Linux, Windows
• Same features - 100% compatible with the original
• Fast - Native compiled performance

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Features

🎯 Smart Fuzzy Search

• rds matches redis-server
• connpool matches connection-pool
• Recent stuff scores higher

⏰ Time-Aware

• Shows how long ago you touched each project
• Recently accessed directories float to the top

🎨 Beautiful TUI

• Clean, minimal interface
• Highlights matches as you type
• Respects NO_COLOR environment variable

📁 Organized Chaos

• Everything in one place
• Auto-prefixes with dates
• Git worktree support

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The Philosophy

Your brain doesn't work in neat folders. You have ideas, you try things, you context-switch like a caffeinated squirrel. This tool embraces that.

Every experiment gets a home. Every home is instantly findable.

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Credits

All credit goes to Tobi Lütke and the original try project.

This is a Go port providing:

• Single binary distribution
• No Ruby dependency
• Cross-platform binaries

Check out the original: github.com/tobi/try

License

MIT License - Same as the original project.

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Your experiments deserve a home. 🏠