---
title: "Files & search"
description: "The project as a tree with Git markers, a real editor with syntax colours and find/replace, and a project-wide search with regular expressions, filters and an undoable Replace all."
url: "https://panescale.com/docs/files"
updated: "2026-10-13"
---

# Files & search

The project as a tree with Git markers, a real editor with syntax colours and find/replace, and a project-wide search with regular expressions, filters and an undoable Replace all.

Most of the time agents change your files. Sometimes you want to do it yourself — fix a config value, rename a file, replace a term everywhere. **Files** and **Search the project** in the [side panel](https://panescale.com/docs/side-panel) cover that without leaving PaneScale. Both follow the active project.

## The file tree

The files panel shows the active project as a tree; folders open on click. `.git`, `node_modules` and `target` are hidden, and every file shows its size.

**Git markers** show what changed since the last commit:

| Marker | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **M** | Modified |
| **A** | New, staged |
| **U** | New, not in Git yet |
| **D** | Deleted |
| **R** | Renamed |
| **•** | A folder that contains changes |

Right-click a file or folder for **Open**, **New file here …**, **New folder here …**, **Rename …**, **Copy relative path** and **Delete …**. The **New file** button in the panel header creates a file in the selected folder. Deleting always asks first.

## The editor

Click a file to open it in the editor below the tree. It is a real code editor:

- syntax colours in the colours of your [theme](https://panescale.com/docs/interface#themes), and line numbers,
- `Ctrl+F` for find and replace inside the file,
- undo and redo, `Tab` to indent,
- `Ctrl+S` or **Save** to write the file. The state next to the name says whether it is saved.

Closing the file or opening another one with unsaved changes asks first. Agents see your saved changes immediately.

> **Allowed folders**
>
> PaneScale only saves files in project folders you opened — see [Settings → General](https://panescale.com/docs/settings#general).

## Search the project

Type at least two characters to search the whole project. Results are grouped by file with the line number and the matching line — up to 500 hits. Click a hit to open the file at that line.

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Match case** | Upper and lower case must match |
| **Whole words only** | `user` doesn’t match `username` |
| **Regular expression** | Search with a regular expression |
| **Files** | Limit the search — `*.ts`, `src/**`, and `!*.test.ts` to leave files out. Several patterns are separated by commas |

## Replace all

Type the new text into **Replace with …** and click **Replace all** — or press `Ctrl+Enter`. A confirmation says how many files will change. With **Regular expression** on, `$1`, `$2` … insert the groups of the match.

Before replacing, PaneScale takes a [snapshot](https://panescale.com/docs/undo#snapshots) of the project if it is a Git repository. The notice afterwards — *“Replaced 14 matches in 5 files”* — has **Undo**, which puts every file back. Files you edited in the meantime are kept, as with every [rewind](https://panescale.com/docs/undo#rewind).