File Browser & Startup

Local browser root

When you run hike open without an explicit target, Hike starts from the current working directory by default. To change that:

local_start_location: ~/notes/docs

Startup auto-open

startup_auto_open: true
startup_auto_open_patterns:
  - INDEX.md
  - README.md
  - getting-started*.md

Patterns are checked in order. Plain filenames match a file’s basename. Patterns containing a slash match paths relative to the local browser root.

To keep startup in the sidebar instead of auto-opening a document:

startup_auto_open: false

Discovery defaults

local_use_ignore_files: true
local_show_hidden: false
local_exclude_patterns:
  - generated/
  - node_modules/

At launch time, the matching CLI flags are:

• --ignore / --no-ignore
• --hidden / --no-hidden
• --exclude
• --root

Browser mode

local_browser_view_mode: flat-list

or:

local_browser_view_mode: tree

Flat-list mode shows relative paths, hides empty directories that do not lead to visible Markdown, and supports parent navigation through ../ and Backspace.

Forge fallback branches

main_branches:
  - main
  - master
  - staging
  - production