File Viewer

Inspect any file in a read-only modal with syntax highlighting, diff, and image preview.

Updated May 22, 2026, 12:00 AM

Reviewed May 22, 2026, 12:00 AM

File Viewer

The File Viewer is a modal overlay for inspecting any file without leaving Daintree. When an agent references a file path in its output, click it to see the contents right there, with full syntax highlighting and diff support. No switching to an external editor just to read a file.

Opening Files

There are two main ways to open the File Viewer:

Click a file path in terminal output: Daintree detects file paths in agent and terminal output, including path:line:col patterns like src/index.ts:42:7. Clicking a detected path opens the File Viewer.
Click a changed file in the Review Hub or worktree sidebar: opens the File Viewer in Diff mode by default. See the Review Hub page for more on reviewing changes.

Tip

Cmd+click (Ctrl+click on Windows/Linux) on any file path link jumps straight to that line in your external editor instead of opening the File Viewer.

The modal header shows the branch name, the relative directory, and the filename. Hover over the title to see the full absolute path. An Open in Editor button sends the file to your external editor (configured in Settings > Integrations > External Editor) at the current line.

View Mode

View mode renders file content in a read-only editor with syntax highlighting. The language is detected from the file extension, covering 40+ languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Rust, and Go. Open a file from a path:line link, and the target line is highlighted and scrolled into view.

The editor includes:

Line numbers in the gutter
Code folding with clickable fold arrows next to collapsible blocks
Metadata bar above the code showing line count, file size, and encoding (e.g. 142 lines · 4.2 KB · UTF-8)
In-viewer search (Cmd+F) with highlighted matches
Go-to-line (Cmd+L) for jumping to a specific line number

Note

With the File Viewer open, Cmd+F opens search inside the viewer, not the terminal's scrollback search. The shortcut routes to whichever panel has focus.

Diff Mode

When a git diff is available for the file, a View / Diff toggle appears in the header. Files opened from the Review Hub or worktree sidebar default to Diff mode. Files opened from a terminal link with a specific line number default to View mode. You can switch between the two freely.

Diff mode features:

Split or Unified layout toggle for side-by-side or single-column diffs
Diff stats in the file header showing additions and deletions
Copy Diff button to copy the raw unified diff to clipboard

Image Preview

Image files (PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP, BMP, ICO) render inline in the modal instead of showing a binary file error. SVG files are sanitized and shown as inline HTML. The header button changes to Open in Image Viewer, which opens the file in your system's default image viewer.

Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts are live while the File Viewer is open:

Shortcut	Action
`Cmd`+`F`	Open in-viewer search panel (View mode)
`Cmd`+`L`	Open go-to-line dialog (View mode)
`Escape`	Close the File Viewer (any mode)

Limits and Error States

The File Viewer enforces hard size limits. They aren't configurable:

Mode	Limit
View	500 KB
Diff	1 MB

A file that exceeds these limits, or one that can't be displayed, shows one of these messages:

Binary file: "Binary file — cannot display"
Too large: "File too large to display" (the threshold matches the active mode: 500 KB in View, 1 MB in Diff)
Not found: "File no longer exists"
Outside project: "File is outside the project root"
Invalid path: "Invalid file path"

In every error state, the Open in Editor button stays available as a fallback.