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Shell Completion

exsh supports tab-completion for subcommands, flags, and — most usefully — remote collection and document paths. Paths are resolved by hitting the eXist server at tab-press time, so you can browse the server's database without typing full paths.

Install completion

exsh --install-completion bash

Then reload your shell or run:

source ~/.bashrc

exsh --install-completion zsh

Ensure compinit is called in your .zshrc.

exsh --install-completion fish

Usage

Once installed, press Tab after a nick to expand the path:

exsh ls mydata:<TAB>
exsh ls mydata:reports/<TAB>
exsh cat mydata:reports/2025/<TAB>

The completer distinguishes between collections (trailing /) and documents, and filters suggestions based on context:

  • ls and mkdir complete both collections and documents.
  • cat, edit, and rm complete only documents.
  • sync completes collections and accepts local paths too.

Notes

  • Completion works only when a server is reachable. If the server is down, Tab returns nothing.
  • Completion uses the registered credentials from ~/.config/exsh/config.toml — no extra login needed.