TheFile.Ninja

TheFile.Ninja is a local-first, dual-pane file manager for Windows power users — built for people who have outgrown Explorer and want one workspace for the entire life of a file: finding it, organizing it, automating work on it, and recovering older versions when something goes wrong. Search is treated as a first-class way to navigate. Deep integration with Everything (by voidtools, bundled with the installer) delivers near-instant results across millions of files. Queries can be refined, saved as live Smart Folders that update automatically, and written with an advanced query syntax (EQL). A built-in grep-style search finds text inside files, with regex and type filters. Automation is the core idea. TheFile.Ninja exposes a Lua scripting platform with 400+ API functions across 26 modules, a cron-based task scheduler with catch-up policies for missed runs, and real-time file system watchers. An optional AI assistant (bring-your-own-key) turns plain-English requests into inspectable Lua scripts you can preview, refine through chat, and save as reusable automations — or you can ignore AI entirely and write scripts by hand. Beyond plain file operations it includes versioned backup with content-addressable storage, deduplication and point-in-time restore; encrypted peer-to-peer transfer via Magic Wormhole (no cloud, no accounts); and a deep set of power-user and developer tools: Git-aware columns, side-by-side text diff, an async job queue with pause/resume, undo/redo of file operations, tags and metadata, workspaces, and virtual filesystems for FTP/SFTP, archives, mobile devices (MTP), WSL and cloud storage. TheFile.Ninja is strictly local-first: no telemetry, no phoning home, and AI features talk directly to your chosen provider using your own API key. It runs on Windows 10/11 (.NET 8). A free Core tier is available forever and includes a 30-day trial of every Pro feature; Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription.