VI EN
Tools

zoxide: a smarter cd that jumps to directories in a few keystrokes

Bình Trần 2 min read Đọc bài này bằng tiếng Việt

TL;DR

zoxide remembers the directories you visit often and recently. Type z plus a fragment to jump, zi to pick with fzf. Put the init line at the end of .zshrc and add --cmd cd to replace cd entirely.

Developers type cd so often they stop noticing: cd ~/work/company/projects/backend/services/payment, then cd ../../frontend. zoxide is a cd that remembers: it records the directories you visit often and recently, then lets you jump to them with just a fragment of the name. Type z payment and you're in the payment directory, wherever you are.

GitHub page of ajeetdsouza/zoxide
GitHub page of ajeetdsouza/zoxide (screenshot, November 2026)

GitHub: https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/zoxide · about 40k stars · Rust · MIT

Installation

brew install zoxide                       # macOS
cargo install zoxide --locked             # with Rust
curl -sSfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ajeetdsouza/zoxide/main/install.sh | sh

# Add to the END of ~/.zshrc
eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"
# bash: eval "$(zoxide init bash)"   fish: zoxide init fish | source

Right after installation zoxide knows nothing. Keep using cd or z for a few days and it learns.

Usage

z payment          # jump to the highest-ranked directory matching "payment"
z back pay         # multiple terms: path containing "back" then "pay"
z ..               # still works like a normal cd
z -                # back to the previous directory
zi pay             # pick interactively with fzf when there are several matches
z foo<SPACE><TAB>   # show matches while typing (zsh/fish)

How does zoxide choose?

Each directory has a "frecency" score combining how often (frequency) and how recently (recency) you visited it. Frequently and recently visited directories rank highest. The last keyword must match the last component of the path, so z pay prefers .../payment over .../payment/docs.

CommandEffect
zoxide query payPrint the directory that would be chosen, without jumping
zoxide query -lsList all directories with scores
zoxide add <path>Add a directory manually
zoxide remove <path>Remove a directory from the database
zoxide editOpen an editor UI to adjust scores and remove old entries

Customisation

  • Replace cd entirely: eval "$(zoxide init zsh --cmd cd)" so cd and cdi use zoxide.
  • Exclude directories: set _ZO_EXCLUDE_DIRS to avoid remembering temporary or sensitive directories.
  • Migrating from other tools: zoxide import can import data from autojump, z and similar tools (see the README).

Caveats

  • The eval line must go at the end of your shell config, after other plugins, so it isn't overridden.
  • zi requires fzf.
  • Deleted or renamed directories are cleaned up over time; use zoxide remove to clean immediately.

How to apply it

  • Dev: Install it and use it alongside cd for a week. Once comfortable, enable --cmd cd so your typing habits don't change.
  • Tech Lead: In a monorepo with many services, zoxide makes switching between them fast; add it to the environment setup guide.
  • PM: A small gain each time, repeated hundreds of times a day: "install once, benefit forever".

Sources & references

  1. ajeetdsouza/zoxide — ajeetdsouza (GitHub)
More on Tools