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Introducing Fewer: Turn Any Directory Into an Interactive Graph
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Introducing Fewer: Turn Any Directory Into an Interactive Graph

· Yash Srivastava

Meet Fewer, the open-source tool that transforms static directory trees into interactive, explorable graphs. Built with React Flow, a custom tree layout, and a privacy-first philosophy.

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We're excited to announce the first public release of Fewer, an interactive directory graph visualizer that runs entirely in your browser.

The Problem

You need to understand a directory structure, for example in a new codebase, a project to document, or a mess to reorganize. Standard tools don't help:

  • tree is static and overwhelming for large codebases
  • File managers show one folder at a time
  • ls -R is a wall of text

You scroll, search, switch contexts, and still miss the shape of it.

The Solution

Fewer turns that tree into an interactive graph. Drag nodes, zoom in/out, rename files, add folders, and export in 7 formats, all in the browser with nothing to install.

What You Can Do Today

Explore: Load any directory and watch it build into a clean graph with auto-layout. Use arrow keys to navigate the tree. Right-click any node for instant actions.

Edit: Rename files (F2), add new nodes (Alt+N), delete with cascading children (Delete), copy/paste subtrees (Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V). Undo/redo (Ctrl+Z/Ctrl+Shift+Z) with a 50-step history buffer.

Search: Fuzzy search across filenames, paths, and extensions. Click any result to zoom directly to that node. Hidden nodes appear with badges, click to reveal and zoom.

Export: Save your graph as SVG, PNG, JSON, CSV, DOT, shell scripts, or ASCII trees. Toggle "Export Selected" to grab just a subtree.

Built for Privacy

Fewer runs entirely client-side. No telemetry, no data exfiltration, no config files modified outside the project. The only network call is an optional GitHub repo import for public repositories. Close the tab to disable instantly. Delete the repo to uninstall completely.

Tech Stack

  • Next.js 16 with App Router and Turbopack
  • React 19 with TypeScript 5 strict mode
  • React Flow v12 for canvas rendering
  • Custom Reingold-Tilford layout for auto-layout
  • Zustand for state management
  • Tailwind CSS 4 with shadcn/ui
  • Prisma + SQLite for persistence

Get Started

If you want to host locally

git clone https://github.com/qvesera/fewer.git
cd fewer
bun install
bun run dev

Open http://localhost:3000, click Load sample project, and explore.

If you want to try it out instantly

Visit app.fewer.directory and start exploring.

All the same features, none of the installation. Still built for your privacy.

What's Next

We're just getting started. Upcoming releases will bring:

  • Plugin system for custom exporters and importers
  • Collaborative editing with WebSocket sync
  • Diff view between directory versions
  • GitHub PR review visualization mode
  • VS Code extension for in-editor preview

Star the repo and watch for updates. We'd love your feedback.