Install tre-command with Homebrew, apt, Nix, scoop, winget, apk, dnf, MacPorts, pacman, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• tre

Project history

The project modernizes the classic `tree` workflow for source-code directories. Its README puts Git-awareness first: in repositories, tre skips ignored files by default instead of showing generated or vendor files that developers usually do not want in a structural listing.

The standout feature is editor aliasing. With the `-e` option and small shell setup, tre writes temporary aliases like `e8` that open the numbered file shown in the tree output. The README documents setup for Bash, Zsh, Fish, PowerShell, and Command Prompt, showing that the project treats listing and navigation as one workflow.

Adoption history

The README documents wide package-manager distribution under names such as `tre-command`, `tre-tree`, and `tre`: Homebrew on macOS, MacPorts, Debian testing, Scoop, Windows Package Manager, Cargo, AUR, pkgsrc, Nixpkgs, and Nix flakes. The batch input records additional package-manager mappings for Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, Scoop, Ubuntu, and winget.

This adoption pattern reflects a common packaging issue: the executable is `tre`, but package managers sometimes avoid name collisions by shipping it as `tre-command`.

How it is used

Users run `tre [OPTIONS] [PATH]` to list a directory tree. Options include showing hidden files, listing only directories, excluding regex patterns, limiting depth, emitting JSON, controlling color, bypassing gitignore behavior with simple mode, and generating editor aliases.

The package is especially useful in codebases where classic `tree` output is too noisy. By honoring `.gitignore` and LS_COLORS and by supporting JSON output, it fits both interactive terminal browsing and scripting.

Why package nerds care

For package nerds, tre-command is a tidy example of a Rust rewrite that earns its packaging slot by adding source-control-aware defaults and shell integration, not merely by reimplementing an older Unix command.

Its package-manager matrix matters because users often install tree-like utilities everywhere: laptops, CI images, Windows dev environments, and Nix shells. The formula name `tre-command` also documents the ecosystem's need to disambiguate package names.

Timeline

• 0.0.1: Earliest public tag visible in the official Git repository tag list.
• 0.3.x: Tag series shows continued iteration after the initial releases.
• 2020s: README documents Homebrew, MacPorts, Debian testing, Scoop, winget, Cargo, AUR, pkgsrc, Nixpkgs, and Nix flake installation.

Related projects

• Related to the classic Unix `tree` command.
• Related to gitignore-aware file discovery tools that keep generated or ignored paths out of developer-facing output.
• The README points users who like editor aliasing to the related `ea` project.

Sources

• Batch input fields: source_facts.executables, source_facts.package-manager
• Official Git tag list: https://github.com/dduan/tre/tags
• Official README: https://github.com/dduan/tre#readme