Visibility

Visibility decides which files a pane lists: hidden files (dotfiles), ignored files (git-ignored), or everything. It applies to every filesystem-backed pane — Nav, Find, Search, and Custom — as per-pane state you set in the app or per command.

The three modes, plus "all"

Mode	Meaning
default	Git-aware (below)
hidden (-h, ctrl-s)	Show dotfiles
ignore (-I)	Hide git-ignored files
all (-a)	Show everything (--hidden --no-ignore)

• In-app: ctrl-s toggles hidden files, ctrl-d toggles "only directories". The options overlay (ctrl-p) shows the current visibility.
• Per command: -h / -I / -a / -F (dirs only) / -f (files only), plus -A / --no-all to clear an "all" visibility. --reset-visibility discards any configured default visibility.
• Only-directories (-F, ctrl-d) and only-files (-f) are visibility filters in the same state machine; in the History/Apps panes ctrl-d cycles the sort instead.

The default: git-aware

With no visibility given and no pane default configured, visibility adapts to whether the current directory is inside a git repository:

Context	Hidden files	Git-ignored files
Inside a git repository	shown	hidden (respecting .gitignore, .git/info/exclude, and global gitignore rules)
Outside a git repository	hidden	shown — there is no repository context, so ignore rules are not applied

This is the code default for Nav, Find, and Search panes (their default_visibility is unset, see below). Giving only predicates (-F / -f, or ctrl-d) leaves the hidden/ignore part on this default; giving -h or -I pins that side explicitly.

What adjusts it

• Per-pane default: [panes.*] default_visibility pins a starting visibility per pane type — e.g. [panes.nav] default_visibility = { hidden = true }. Unset, the git-aware default above applies. See Configuration.
• Dot queries: a query that starts with . and continues with alphanumeric characters (like .git) automatically enables hidden files — and, when configured, ignored files too. Both behaviors are governed by [fd] dot_query_show_hidden (Auto / Always / Never), linked from Configuration.
• Directories with only hidden files: starting a Nav pane in a directory containing only hidden files shows them automatically. This applies when [fd] dot_query_show_hidden is not Never.
• Bare pattern searches: [fd] default_search_ignore hides ignored files when a pattern but no path is given (fs pattern), as long as ignore was not specified explicitly (see Configuration).
• Per-directory exclusions: [fd] exclusions pins per-directory ignore globs (see Configuration).
• The Find pane's Search backend (fd) receives the resolved visibility as flags; see The find pane for the CLI flag forms.

FAQ

Why does fs .git show hidden files?

Queries starting with . enable hidden files automatically (governed by [fd] dot_query_show_hidden), so .git and friends appear without a -h.

Why are dotfiles shown inside my git repositories by default?

The git-aware default shows hidden files inside repositories so versioned dotfiles (.env, dotfile configs, …) are navigable without extra keystrokes. Outside a repository, hidden files are hidden as usual. [panes.*] default_visibility can pin a different default per pane.