Cmdr
Cmdr
An extremely fast AI-native file manager written in Rust, free forever for personal use on macOS.
Cmdr is for folks who love a rock-solid, keyboard-driven, two-pane file manager with a modern UI in 2026.
Give it a try: Download for macOS on the website, or do brew install cmdr.
Overview
Cmdr is the first AI-native file manager, written by modern standards with built-in AI to support natural language
search, smart renaming, and auto-organization. Built on the spiritual foundations of mc and Total Commander.
Core features:
- Two-pane layout: see two dirs side by side.
- Keyboard-first: do anything without touching your mouse, using your familiar shortcuts.
- Blazing fast file operations: copy, move, rename, and delete with a few keystrokes
- AI native: search, rename, organize like you're in 2026.
Installation
Download from getcmdr.com or just do brew install cmdr.
Windows and Linux users: sorry, you'll need to wait. The Rust+Tauri stack allows for cross-platform deployment, but the app uses OS-specific features by nature, so I've only had time to write and test it on macOS for now.
Usage
Launch Cmdr and start navigating:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Tab |
Switch between panes |
↑ ↓ |
Navigate files |
Enter |
Open file/folder |
F5 |
Copy |
F6 |
Move |
F7 |
Create folder |
F8 |
Delete |
Tech stack
Cmdr is built with Rust and Tauri for the backend, and Svelte with TypeScript for the frontend. This gives it native performance with a modern, responsive UI.
License
Cmdr is source-available under the Business Source License 1.1.
Free for personal use
Use Cmdr for free on any number of machines for personal, non-commercial projects. No nags, no trial timers, no restrictions.
Commercial use
For work projects, you'll need a license:
- $59/year — subscription, auto-renews
- $149 one-time — perpetual license
Purchase at getcmdr.com/pricing.
Source code
The source becomes AGPL-3.0 after 3 years (rolling per release). Until then, you can view, modify, and learn from the code — just not use it commercially without a license.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Report issues and feature requests in the issue tracker.
By submitting a contribution, you agree to license your contribution under the same terms as the project (BSL 1.1, converting to AGPL-3.0) and grant the project owner the right to use your contribution under any commercial license offered for this project.
Happy browsing!
David
