Workspaces & Loose Files

Lumide handles both full project directories and standalone files.

Opening Projects#

• Menu / Shortcut: Press Cmd + O (macOS) or Ctrl + O (Windows/Linux) and select a folder.
• Terminal CLI:

  lumide /path/to/project
  

• Clone a repository: click Clone Repository… on the Welcome screen, or run Git: Clone Repository…. Paste the repository's address, or owner/repo for GitHub, and pick the folder to clone into; the dialog shows where it goes and how far the clone has got. When it finishes, open it here or in a new window. A failed or cancelled clone leaves nothing behind.
• From Finder, Explorer or your file manager: Lumide is listed under Open With for text and code files (plain text, Markdown, JSON, YAML, TOML, XML, shell, Dart, JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, C/C++, Java/Kotlin, Swift, HTML/CSS, .env and config files). You can also drop files or folders on its Dock icon.
• Drag and drop: drop folders or files from Finder, Explorer or your file manager onto the Lumide window. See Dropping Files and Folders.
• Another machine or a shared session: the Welcome screen also offers Connect to SSH Host… (Remote Development over SSH) and Join a Session… (Sharing a Workspace).

Files opened from outside Lumide, including with lumide <path>, go to the window already running: the one with the deepest folder that holds the file, else the window you used last. A folder opens in the window that has it, as its project or an added folder, in an empty window, or in a new window. lumide app api opens both folders in one window, and lumide --add api adds a folder to the window you used last; see Multi-Root Workspaces.

When a project is open, opening another asks where it goes: Current Window, New Window, or Add to Workspace, which keeps it as another folder of this window.

Make Lumide the Default Editor#

Lumide never takes over a file type by itself. To open text and code files in Lumide when you double-click them, run Make Lumide the Default Editor for Text Files… from the Command Palette. It lists the file types and asks before changing anything.

• macOS and Linux (xdg-mime): Lumide becomes the default for those types. To undo on macOS, pick another app under a file's Get Info › Open with and click Change All….
• Windows only lets you pick defaults yourself, so there the command offers Open Default Apps, which opens Settings › Default apps at Lumide, where you pick it for each type.

On Linux, Lumide's desktop entry also lists folders (inode/directory), so file managers offer Open With › Lumide on a folder, several folders included. It never makes Lumide the default for folders: your file manager stays the default, and the command above leaves folders alone. A desktop without any default for folders may pick any app that lists them; set yours with xdg-mime default <file-manager>.desktop inode/directory.

Opening a project launches file system watchers, roots language servers to the directory, connects Git repositories, and reads project settings from .sofluffy/lumide/settings.json.

To keep several folders in one window, add them with Add Folder to Workspace…. To keep them in a file you can share, use Save Workspace As…, and Open Workspace from File… to open a .lumide-workspace file. See Multi-Root Workspaces and Workspace Files.

Dropping Files and Folders#

Drag files and folders from Finder, Explorer or your file manager onto a Lumide window. While you drag, the window shows what a drop does.

Added folders go through the same checks as Add Folder to Workspace…: a folder you have not trusted asks first, a very large folder asks before it is added, and a folder already in the workspace is not added twice.

Some file managers keep the keyboard while you drag from them, so Lumide may not see Option or Alt held down; drop on the bar along the top of the window instead.

Closing or Switching Projects#

Lumide saves open files before closing or switching a project. If a write fails, you type newer edits during saving, or an untitled document still needs Save As, the current project and its tabs stay open. Save the remaining changes and retry. Opening your first project while editing loose files preserves those editors.

Renaming a file or finishing Save As keeps split tabs tied to that file, including unsaved and read-only indicators. If an external rename targets another open document, both buffers stay available.

Tab close and Vim save-and-quit also keep newer edits open. If Save As is interrupted after writing its destination, that file may exist while the remaining edits stay in the open editor. Save again before closing; an already open document cannot be used as the Save As destination.

Recent Projects#

Open the recent projects switcher via File -> Recent Projects...:

• On the Welcome screen, press Cmd + 1–5 (macOS) / Ctrl + 1–5 (Windows/Linux) to open recent projects directly.
• When using the VS Code keymap preset, press Ctrl + R.
• Fuzzy-search previously opened projects. A project with added folders shows +N folders, and searching for an added folder's name finds it. A workspace file shows its name, how many folders it has and its path.
• Press Enter to switch projects.
• Click ✕ to remove an obsolete directory from history.

Loose Files (Single-File Mode)#

You can open individual files without loading an entire folder:

lumide ~/.bashrc
lumide main.py

Loose File Behavior#

• File Explorer: Shows a single-file banner with an option to open the parent folder.
• Terminal: Opens shells directly in the loose file's directory.
• Settings: Configuration updates apply to global User Settings (~/.sofluffy/lumide/settings.json).
• Language Intelligence: LSP starts in single-file mode if supported by the language server.

Next Steps#

• Multi-Root Workspaces — Several folders in one window.
• Language Server Protocol (LSP) — Code intelligence.
• Code Completion — Auto-completion popup.