helper.sh
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Developer utility

tree-to-file.sh

A helper.sh-hosted shell script for Linux, macOS, and common Unix environments that exports a filtered directory tree into a text file. It prefers the system tree command, attempts installation through the available package manager when tree is missing, and still produces output through a built-in find plus awk fallback.

One-liner

curl -fsSL helper.sh/tree-to-file.sh | sh
curl -fsSL helper.sh/tree-to-file.sh -o tree-to-file.sh && sh tree-to-file.sh tree.txt 'venv|__pycache__|.git|.gitignore|docker|node_modules|.idea'

Requirements

  • Linux, macOS, or common Unix shell environment
  • sh
  • find
  • awk
  • Optional sudo or root for package installation

Best for

  • Export a project structure into tree.txt for issue reports or AI context
  • Generate a shareable directory overview while skipping heavy folders
  • Keep a consistent tree export command across Linux and Unix-like hosts

Highlights

  • Uses tree when available for familiar output
  • Attempts automatic installation through brew, apt, dnf, yum, pacman, zypper, apk, pkg, and other common package tools
  • Falls back to a built-in find plus awk renderer so the export still completes without tree

Recommended procedure

  1. Fetch the script from helper.sh and run it with sh.
  2. Let the script check whether tree is already available.
  3. If tree is missing, allow it to install through the host package manager when possible.
  4. Review the generated tree.txt in the current directory.

Safety notes

  • Inspect the raw script before piping it into sh on sensitive hosts.
  • Automatic installation may require sudo or root and may refresh package metadata.
  • The built-in fallback matches ignore names exactly, not full shell glob patterns.

Scenario article

How to use tree-to-file.sh on CentOS 7 and other Unix hosts

A practical note covering what tree-to-file.sh does on a CentOS 7 host, how it auto-installs tree, and when to use it for directory export, migration prep, or AI-assisted troubleshooting.

Read article

Related topics

CentOS 7 maintenance and recovery

Keep legacy CentOS 7 hosts installable and maintainable when yum repositories fail, mirrors expire, or Docker data needs to be moved off a crowded disk.

Open topic

Problem pages

How to export a directory tree to tree.txt on Linux

Use tree-to-file.sh when you need a reusable way to export the current directory structure and auto-install tree if the host is missing it.

Open page