A replacement for the Linux cd

An intelligent cd (change directory) that remembers where you were and allows yout set up shortcuts for directories

We called it ‘berth’ because it allows you to berth your favourite directories for recalling later. When it’s installed it acts like cd on steroids.

You can download it here.

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Berth is a better cd command.

• Set up shortcuts to your favourite directories so you go to them quickly
• Keep track of all the directories you have visited so you can return to them easily
• Load pre-set lists of directories
• Change your prompt line to show in a different colour or show the current directory shortened
• And much more!

For example, if you have directories under your home directory called:

• Documents
• Downloads
• Pictures
• Music
• Music/Classics
• Documents/Linux-tools
• Documents/Project-x

You can create shortcuts (marks) by going to the directory and setting it with the -m command:

~/Music/Classics$ cd -m clas # or -mclas - the space is optional

Marks can be displayed by @ or $ @m (by default @ is an alias for cd @):

$ @m
Marks:
mac ~/mac_share
doc ~/Documents
down ~/Downloads
pic ~/Pictures
mus ~/Music
clas ~/Music/Classics
lx ~/Documents/Linux-tools
px ~/Documents/Project-x

And to go to the directory:

~$ cd -spx
~/Documents/Project-x$ cd -sclas
~/Music/Classics
~$ cd -sclas
~/Music/Classics$

Set in your .bashrc (or equivalent):

alias @=’cd_berth @’

And type @ at the command line to show the full history and presets.

Enter the -H command for full help:

$ cd -H
cd [-LPe@] [--] [dir]        Change directory (a faithful cd)
   cd -                      Toggle to the previous directory
   cd <n>                    Go to history entry <n>  (0 is previous)
   cd =<text>                Go to the most recent history entry matching <text>
   cd -n <dir>               Change directory without pushing onto the stack

   cd @                      List history and marks
   cd @h                     List history
   cd @m                     List marks

   cd -m [<name>] [<dir>]    Mark <dir> (default: here) as <name>
                             (default name: the directory's basename)
   cd -s <name>              Go to mark <name>
   cd -d <name>              Delete mark <name>
   cd -a<n>                  Go to suggested directory <n>

   cd -c                     Clean out entries whose directories are gone
   cd -w [<file>]            Write history and marks to <file>
   cd -r [<file>]            Read them back

   cd -o                     List all settings
   cd -o <name>=<value> ...  Change settings
   cd -o save [<file>]       Save settings (to ~/.berthrc, or to <file>)
   cd -o load [<file>]       Load settings

   cd -h | -H | -v           Help, detailed help, version

   Angle brackets mark a value you supply; do not type the brackets. Mark
   names are bare words - "cd -m build" then "cd -s build", no brackets or
   quotes. Names may be anything, including digits, so "cd -s3" and
   "cd -s build" work the same way.

   -L, -P, -e and -@ are passed to the cd builtin unchanged; use -- or -n to
   reach a directory whose name begins with a dash.

Examples:
   cd -m               Mark the current directory under its own name
   cd -m build         Mark the current directory as "build"
   cd -m src ~/proj/x  Mark ~/proj/x as "src" without going there
   cd -s build         Jump to the "build" mark
   cd =proj            Jump to the last visited path containing "proj"
   cd 2                Jump back to history entry 2
   cd -                Bounce between the two most recent directories
   cd -o color=green   Green prompt from now on
   cd -o color= len=   Reset colour and length to their defaults
   cd -o save          Make the current settings permanent
   cd -o save ~/proj/x/.berthrc   Write a per-project settings file
   cd -o load ~/proj/x/.berthrc   Load it when you switch to that project

   Settings, all changed with "cd -o name=value" and made permanent with
   "cd -o save". An empty value restores the default: cd -o color=

SETTING    VALUE                    DEFAULT
color      blue                     blue
len        40                       40
prompt     on                       on
pre        ""                       ""
post       ""                       ""
history    50                       50
rows       9                        9
file       /Users/pbraham/.berthdirs /Users/pbraham/.berthdirs
dedup      on                       on
autoload   off                      off
autosave   off                      off
prune      on                       on

Settings file: /Users/pbraham/.berthrc

   color      Prompt colour: black red green yellow blue magenta cyan white,
              or none. A raw escape sequence also works.
   len        Truncation length for the directory shown in the prompt.
   prompt     off leaves PS1 entirely alone and restores it if already set.
   pre, post  Override the strings placed either side of the directory.
              Wrap non-printing characters in \[ ... \] yourself.
   history    Maximum number of stack entries kept.
   rows       Number of rows shown by cd @.
   file       Default file for -w and -r (the directory stack, not settings).
   dedup      on keeps the stack a true most-recently-used list.
   autoload   on reads the history stack and marks from the "file" setting
              (default ~/.berthdirs) when berth starts up.
   autosave   on writes the history stack and marks to that same "file" when
              the shell exits. Turn both on to have your stack and marks
              persist across sessions. (autosave is skipped with a warning if
              you already have your own EXIT trap.)
   prune      on reports and removes entries pointing at vanished directories.

   Per-project settings:
     "cd -o save <file>" writes the non-default settings to any file, and
     "cd -o load <file>" reads them back. Keep a .berthrc in each project and
     load it (by hand, or from a directory-change hook) to switch colour,
     prompt length and so on as you move between projects. Your personal
     ~/.berthrc is always read first at startup, so a project file need only
     list what differs.

   The history stack is in BERTH_HIST, and marks are in BERTH_MARK_NAME and
   BERTH_MARK_DIR. Directories are recorded as $PWD, so if you have set -o
   physical they are physical paths, and otherwise they are the logical paths
   you actually walked.

berth 1.0.0 (24-JUL-2026)