# dirmd

Generate markdown documentation from directory structure. Optimized for LLM ingestion.

## Features

- Recursive directory traversal
- ASCII tree visualization (LLM-friendly, minimal token overhead)
- Full file contents with explicit delimiters and metadata
- Filters dotfiles, binaries, and blacklisted extensions
- Vertical slices mode: root file + one markdown per top-level directory
- Append mode for single files or directories
- Force overwrite of existing output files
- Configurable depth, file size limits, ignore patterns
- Optional upload to Proton Drive after generating output

![dirmd](./docs/dirmd.gif)

## Build

    go build -o dirmd .

## Usage

    # Create new documentation
    dirmd -o output.md ~/repos/myproject

    # Overwrite existing output file
    dirmd -o output.md ~/repos/myproject -f

    # Append a single file
    dirmd -a -i README.md -o existing.md

    # Append another directory
    dirmd -a ~/repos/anotherproject -o existing.md

    # Generate with vertical slices
    dirmd -o output.md ~/repos/myproject --vertical-slices

    # Generate and upload to Proton Drive (default: /my-files/md/<filename>)
    dirmd -o output.md ~/repos/myproject --proton-drive

    # Generate and upload to a specific remote path
    dirmd -o output.md ~/repos/myproject --proton-drive --drive-path /my-files/docs/api.md

## Vertical Slices Mode

When `--vertical-slices` is passed, dirmd splits output into multiple files instead of one monolithic document:

- **Root file** (`-o output.md`): Full directory tree with cross-references to slice files, a vertical slices index table (file counts, total bytes per directory), and full contents of all root-level files.
- **Slice files** (`cmd.md`, `internal.md`, etc.): One per top-level directory, placed alongside the root file. Each contains its own tree, a back-reference to the root document, and full recursive file contents for that directory.

This mode cannot be combined with `--append` or `--input-file`.

Example output with `dirmd -o docs.md ~/repos/myproject --vertical-slices`:

    docs/
    ├── docs.md          ← root: tree + slices index + root file contents
    ├── cmd.md           ← slice: tree + contents of cmd/
    └── internal.md      ← slice: tree + contents of internal/

## LLM-Optimized Output

Output is designed for RAG ingestion and LLM context windows, not human presentation:

- **ASCII tree format** (`+-` instead of Unicode box-drawing) to reduce token overhead
- **Explicit file delimiters**: `--- FILE: ./path (bytes, lines) ---` and `--- END FILE ---`
- **Document type markers**: `[ROOT]` and `[SLICE]` in H1 headers
- **Cross-references**: Directory entries in root tree show `-> see cmd.md`; slice files reference their root document
- **Slices index table**: File counts and total bytes per slice for informed retrieval decisions
- **Tilde fences** (`~~~`) to avoid conflicts with backticks in source files

## Flags

| Flag | Description | Default |
|------|-------------|---------|
| `-o`, `--output` | Output markdown file path (required) | |
| `-a`, `--append` | Append to existing output file | false |
| `-f`, `--force` | Overwrite existing output file (non-append mode) | false |
| `-i`, `--input-file` | Single file input (append mode only) | |
| `--vertical-slices` | Split output into root file + one markdown per top-level directory | false |
| `--max-size` | Max file size in bytes | 524288 |
| `--max-depth` | Max directory recursion depth | 20 |
| `--ignore` | Additional ignore patterns (glob) | |
| `--extensions` | Additional file extensions to skip | |
| `--proton-drive` | Upload output to Proton Drive after writing locally | false |
| `--drive-path` | Full remote path on Proton Drive (e.g. /my-files/md/report.md) | /my-files/md/&lt;filename&gt; |

## Proton Drive Integration

dirmd can optionally upload the generated markdown file(s) to Proton Drive using the [Proton Drive CLI](https://proton.me/support/drive-cli). The upload is performed only when `--proton-drive` is passed. Without it, dirmd behaves exactly as before — no Proton Drive dependency is required.

In vertical slices mode, all generated files (root + slices) are uploaded to `/my-files/md/`. The `--drive-path` flag is ignored in slices mode; each file is uploaded by its basename.

### Prerequisites

1. Install the Proton Drive CLI — see the [official guide](https://proton.me/support/drive-cli) for download and installation instructions.
2. Authenticate by running `proton-drive auth login`.
3. Ensure `proton-drive` is in your `PATH`.

If the CLI is not installed or you are not logged in, dirmd will report the error to stderr and exit with a non-zero code. Local files are always written successfully before the upload is attempted.

For full documentation on the Proton Drive CLI, including installation, authentication, and troubleshooting, refer to the [official Proton Drive CLI support page](https://proton.me/support/drive-cli).

## Examples

    # Custom depth and size limit
    dirmd -o output.md ~/repos/project --max-depth 5 --max-size 262144

    # Ignore specific directories
    dirmd -o output.md ~/repos/project --ignore __pycache__ --ignore .venv

    # Skip additional file extensions
    dirmd -o output.md ~/repos/project --extensions .log --extensions .tmp

    # Vertical slices with overwrite
    dirmd -o docs.md ~/repos/project -f --vertical-slices

    # Generate, then upload to default remote location
    dirmd -o docs.md ~/repos/project --proton-drive

    # Generate, then upload to a custom remote location
    dirmd -o docs.md ~/repos/project --proton-drive --drive-path /my-files/projects/docs.md

    # Overwrite existing local file and upload to Drive
    dirmd -o docs.md ~/repos/project -f --proton-drive

## Output Format

Produces markdown with:

1. Absolute path as H1 header with `[ROOT]` or `[SLICE]` marker
2. ASCII directory tree (indented with `+-` and `|` characters)
3. Vertical slices index table (sliced mode only)
4. All text files with content in fenced code blocks
5. Explicit `--- FILE: ---` and `--- END FILE ---` delimiters with byte and line counts
6. Language detection from file extensions

Example output structure (non-sliced mode):

    # /home/user/repos/myproject [ROOT]

    ## Directory Tree

    ~~~
    myproject/
    +- cmd/
    |   +- main.go
    +- internal/
    |   +- config.go
    ~~~

    ## Contents

    --- FILE: ./cmd/main.go (45 bytes, 3 lines) ---
    ~~~go
    package main

    func main() {}
    ~~~
    --- END FILE ---

Note: Uses tilde fences (~~~) internally to avoid conflicts with nested backticks in source files.