Phials turns the file manager into a real workspace: write like a modern notes app, organize like a personal database, preview anything. Local-first, extensible, and built for native performance.
A note from the developer
I've been making software for over 7 years, the better part of 4 of them have been building this in my free time (and more recently, full-time). Phials is a passion project built on late nights, my partners infinite patience to let me ramble at her about code, and a lifelong obsession with productivity apps.
AI is a useful tool, and has definitely been a great help in getting Phials to this point, but vibes alone don't build great software. Every decision and every line of code has been thought through with a deep care about how it works and how it feels to use.
I hope it shows,
- Eli
Introducing Vials.
Turn any folder into a workspace.
Add documents with rich content to every file.
The PDF holds the brief. This note holds everything around it: open questions, decisions, and the headings and lists the file itself cannot carry.
Travels with the Vial: notes are stored alongside your files. Back up or sync the folder and the context comes with it.
Open fewer apps.
Open to a markdown file
Editing the file itself, full size, in its own tab. The same block editor that powers
notes, here on a plain .md file on disk.
Empty - press / for commands.
Crop photos, tweak code, or edit spreadsheets.
import type { Pane } from './pane';
import type { ViewManager } from './view';
export async function saveActivePane(pane: Pane): Promise<void> {
if (!pane.isDirty()) return;
await pane.save();
pane.markClean();
}
export function focusPaneAfterSave(view: ViewManager, pane: Pane): void {
view.setActivePane(pane.id);
}| SKU | Qty | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAM-042 | 128 | In stock |
| 2 | LENS-11 | 12 | Low |
| 3 | BAT-09 | 64 | In stock |
| 4 | TRIP-03 | 8 | Low |
| 5 | BAG-17 | 41 | In stock |
| 6 | CARD-88 | 256 | In stock |
| 7 | MIC-04 | 19 | Low |
Browse & arrange
Split panes.
It actually works.
Narrow down results by metadata or Vial properties.
Search with string matching, glob patterns, or regex.
Toggle case-sensitivity, dotfiles, gitignore rules, or system folders.
Restore the whole tab.
Keep the exact state of a tab to return to later for frequent workflows. Saves tab splits, selected view modes, and view overrides to a quick to access preset.
Customization
Tech stack.
File I/O, searching, parsing metadata, generating thumbnails, and most file operations happen in rust background threads, not in page javascript.
Doesn't ship with whole chrome webview, gives full access to Rust, smaller application size, first-class mobile support (wink, wink). Tauri is a no-brainer.
'Insert proselytizing rant here'. Jokes aside, the primary reason for Svelte is it's been my main development framework for the better part of a decade.
A bespoke, open-source, completely custom, and highly opinionated Svelte UI library built by me, specifically for desktop applications.
A source canonical realtime block-based editor for markdown. Open source release in the future.
400+ and growing handmade icons in monochrome and full color specifically made for Phials. Will be rolled into PhoundryUI in the future.
Plugins
Each provider wires into a specific surface, the same ones built-ins use. Commands are
context-aware with when clauses. Previews match by extension, MIME type, or custom logic.
export const plugin: PhialsPlugin = {
id: 'markdown',
name: 'Markdown',
version: '1.0.0',
providers: [
{
type: 'command',
id: 'md.cmds',
name: 'Markdown',
commands: [{
id: 'md.new',
label: 'New markdown file',
action: (ctx) => { /* … */ },
defaultPlacements: [{ area: 'toolbar', priority: 10 }],
}],
},
],
};
My name is Eli Wimmer. I'm a 34yo software developer and computerphile who's been building stuff since my OG Runescape fansite I made when I was 12 years old. Phials is a passion project I've been building solo for the better part of four years out of a desire to have a file manager that doesn't suck. I also build Flylighter, a powerful web clipper for Notion.