🗑️ recycle-bin.yazi

A fast, minimal Recycle Bin for the Yazi terminal file‑manager.

Browse, restore, or permanently delete trashed files without leaving your terminal. Includes age-based cleanup and bulk actions.

recycle-bin-yazi-demo.mp4

Note

Cross-Platform Support

This plugin supports Linux and macOS systems.

🧠 What it does under the hood

This plugin serves as a wrapper for the trash-cli command, integrating it seamlessly with Yazi.

✨ Features

• 📂 Browse trash: Navigate to trash directory directly in Yazi
• 🔄 Restore files: Bulk restore selected files from trash to their original locations
  • ⚠️ Conflict resolution: Intelligent handling when restored files already exist at destination
  • 🛡️ Safety dialogs: Preview conflicts with skip/overwrite options before restoration
• 🗑️ Empty trash: Clear entire trash with detailed file previews and confirmation dialog
• 📅 Empty by days: Remove trash items older than specified number of days with size information
• ❌ Permanent delete: Bulk delete selected files from trash permanently
• 🔧 Configurable: Customize trash directory

📋 Requirements

Software	Minimum	Notes
Yazi	>=25.5.31	untested on 25.6+
trash-cli	any	Linux: sudo dnf/apt/pacman install trash-cli macOS: brew install trash-cli

The plugin uses the following trash-cli commands: trash-list, trash-empty, trash-restore, and trash-rm.

📦 Installation

Install the plugin via Yazi's package manager:

# via Yazi’s package manager
ya pkg add uhs-robert/recycle-bin

Then add the following to your ~/.config/yazi/init.lua to enable the plugin with default settings:

require("recycle-bin"):setup()

⚙️ Configuration

The plugin automatically discovers your system's trash directories using trash-list --trash-dirs. If you need to customize the behavior, you can pass a config table to setup():

require("recycle-bin"):setup({
  -- Optional: Override automatic trash directory discovery
  -- trash_dir = "~/.local/share/Trash/",  -- Uncomment to use specific directory
})

Note

The plugin supports multiple trash directories and will prompt you to choose which one to use if multiple are found.

🎹 Key Mapping

🗝️ Recommended: Preset

Add this to your ~/.config/yazi/keymap.toml (substitute on = ["R","b"] with your keybind preference):

[mgr]
prepend_keymap = [
  { on = ["R","b"], run = "plugin recycle-bin",              desc = "Open Recycle Bin menu" },
]

The R b menu provides access to all trash management functions:

• o → Open Trash
• r → Restore from Trash
• d → Delete from Trash
• e → Empty Trash
• D → Empty by Days

Tip

recycle-bin.yazi uses the array form for its keymap example. You must pick only one style per file; mixing with [[mgr.prepend_keymap]] will fail.

Also note: some plugins may suggest binding a bare key like on = "R", which blocks all R <key> chords (including R b). Change those to chords (e.g. ["R","r"]) or choose a different non-conflicting prefix.

---

🛠️ Alternative: Custom direct keybinds

If you prefer direct keybinds, you may also set your own using our API. Here are the available options:

[mgr]
prepend_keymap = [
  { on = ["R","o"], run = "plugin recycle-bin -- open",        desc = "Open Trash" },
  { on = ["R","e"], run = "plugin recycle-bin -- empty",       desc = "Empty Trash" },
  { on = ["R","D"], run = "plugin recycle-bin -- emptyDays",   desc = "Empty by days deleted" },
  { on = ["R","d"], run = "plugin recycle-bin -- delete",      desc = "Delete from Trash" },
  { on = ["R","r"], run = "plugin recycle-bin -- restore",     desc = "Restore from Trash" },
]

Important

Remember that you are the only one who is responsible for managing and resolving your keybind conflicts.

🚀 Usage

📝 Example using the recommended preset

• Recycle Bin Menu (R b): Opens an interactive menu with all trash management options
  • Open Trash (o): Navigate to trash directory directly in Yazi
  • Restore from Trash (r): Bulk restore selected files from trash to their original locations. The plugin automatically detects conflicts when files already exist at the original location and prompts you to skip or overwrite conflicting files with detailed information.
  • Delete from Trash (d): Permanently delete selected files from trash. Shows confirmation dialog before deletion.
  • Empty Trash (e): Clear entire trash with detailed file previews including names, sizes, and deletion dates before confirmation.
  • Empty by Days (D): Remove trash items older than specified number of days (defaults to 30 days). Displays filtered list with file details and total size information.

Tip

Use Yazi's visual selection (v or V followed by ESC to select items) or toggle select (press Space on individual files) to select multiple files from the Trash before restoring or deleting

The plugin will show a confirmation dialog for destructive operations

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"trashcli not found" error:

• Ensure trash-cli is installed: sudo dnf/apt/pacman install trash-cli
• Verify installation: trash-list --version
• Check if trash-cli commands are in your PATH

"Trash directory not found" error:

• The plugin automatically discovers trash directories using trash-list --trash-dirs
• If no directories are found, create the standard location:
  • Linux: mkdir -p ~/.local/share/Trash/{files,info}
  • macOS: mkdir -p ~/.Trash
• You can also specify a custom path in your configuration

"No files selected" warning:

• Make sure you have files selected in Yazi before running restore/delete operations
• Use Space to select files or v/V for visual selection mode

💡 Recommendations

Companion Plugin

For an even better trash management experience, pair this plugin with:

restore.yazi - Undo your delete history by your latest deleted files/folders

This companion plugin adds an "undo" feature that lets you press u to instantly restore the last deleted file. You can keep hitting u repeatedly to step through your entire delete history, making accidental deletions a thing of the past.

Perfect combination: Use restore.yazi for quick single-file undos and recycle-bin.yazi for comprehensive trash management and bulk operations.