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Script Runner

You can use the Script Runner to auto-detect and run scripts, and to build targets and executable programs in your project. Use the Script Runner to run your favorite scripts instead of repeatedly typing the same commands.

To open the Script Runner, click Tools > Script Runner, or select Script Runner in the activity bar.

After a successful scan, Zide saves the detected scripts and programs locally. The next time you open Script Runner, including after restarting Zide, it shows that list immediately and scans again in the background. Each project and worktree keeps its own list. Running processes and terminals are not restored from this cache.

If you run an entry while the saved list is being checked, Zide waits for the current scan and uses the updated command. A missing entry or failed scan prevents the run. A failed refresh keeps the last list visible; choose More actions > Rescan to try again. An unreadable or incompatible cache falls back to a normal scan.

The row under the Script Runner name contains Scripts and History, which switch between those views. In the activity panel, the filter icon is beside More actions on the title row. In a separate tab, it is beside the mode switch. It opens the filter panel and shows only in the Scripts view.

Click More actions (three dots) for these commands:

  • Rescan: Scan the project for scripts and programs again. Zide also rescans when files in the project change.
  • Show Filters: Open the filter panel.
  • View: Show the scripts and programs as a Tree or a List.
  • Sort: Sort the List view by Path, Name, Type, or Recent.
  • Shell for Script Runs: Select the shell that runs scripts in this project. Default uses the Default Shell setting in Settings, or the system default shell. The choice applies to new script terminals. A script whose terminal is still open runs in that terminal again, so close the terminal to run the script in the new shell.
  • Script Runner Settings: Open the Script Runner page in Settings.
  • Clear History…: Delete all runs and their logs from History.

Scripts

Click Scripts to view all scripts available in a project. The Scripts view is split into a Favorites section and a Scripts and Programs section.

Favorites

In the Favorites section, you can favorite scripts to pin them at the beginning of the Scripts view. To favorite a script, click the Add to favorites icon in the Scripts and Programs section.

Scripts in the Favorites section are displayed in separate tiles that list the script name and the source file the script is in.

To remove a script from the Favorites section, click the Remove from favorites icon.

Scripts and Programs

In the Scripts and Programs section, you can view all scripts and programs available in a repository.

To keep scans fast, the script scan skips dependency and build-output folders (node_modules, packages, vendor, __pycache__, build, out, dist, target, CMakeFiles) and hidden folders. To see this list, point to the info icon on the Scripts and Programs heading. Programs are also found in build-output folders such as build and target. The program scan skips dependency folders, hidden folders, and CMakeFiles.

The program scan includes all programs in eligible folders. In Files, right-click a program and select Show in Script Runner to reveal it in the list.

To change the layout, click More actions and select Tree or List under View.

The Tree view layout displays the project directory and each folder that contains a source file. Each script and program is listed underneath the collapsed source file folder.

The List view layout displays each script and program available in the project. Under Sort in More actions, select how to order the List view:

  • Path: Group by source file or folder.
  • Name: One alphabetical list.
  • Type: Group by the kind of script, such as npm, Make, or Programs.
  • Recent: Recently built programs first, then the scripts.

If you select a sort while the Tree view is open, Zide switches to the List view.

To adjust row spacing, use List Density in Settings > Appearance > Interface Sizing. This global setting keeps source paths and other row details visible. Script Runner has no separate Compact Mode toggle.

Filter scripts and programs

Click the filter icon to open the filter panel.

  • Type in Filter by name to show the scripts and programs whose name or command contains the text. Favorites stay visible.
  • Use Show to show Scripts and programs, only Scripts, or only Programs.

Each filter that is set shows as a chip under the filter panel, for example Show: Scripts and Name: build. The chips stay when you close the panel. Click a chip to change the filter, or click its x to remove it. With two or more chips, click Clear filters to remove them all.

Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on macOS) to open the filter panel and focus Filter by name. If History is open, Zide switches to Scripts first.

History

Click History to view past runs in a project. Runs are listed chronologically by newest first.

Each run entry shows the status of the run, the script or program name, the source file, and how long ago the script or program ran. Click an entry to see the duration of the run, its log, and the Run again and Delete buttons.

To delete all runs and their logs, click More actions and select Clear History…. Zide asks you to confirm.

Run scripts

To run a script or program in Zide, click the Run icon next to the script or program.

Each script or program runs in its own terminal tab. Right-click a script or program and click Run in Background to run the script or program without switching to the terminal tab.

A Script Runner terminal tab displays a badge with the name of the script or program and the source file in the header. Click the badge to open the script or program in the Script Runner. Click the Disconnect icon to remove the script or program from the terminal. The Script Runner no longer tracks the terminal.

To find out why a run failed, open Ask Zide from its terminal tab and click Explain Failure. Ask Zide gets the run’s command, working folder, exit code, and output. Explain Failure uses the last run that the terminal shows. Zide keeps that run’s details for Explain Failure only while Zide is open, and a new run of the entry replaces them. After a restart, run the entry again to use Explain Failure. History still has the saved runs and their logs. See Ask Zide about terminal output.

Terminals stay open after a run finishes while you are reviewing the run output. By default, an inactive terminal tab of a successful run closes after 30 seconds. You can also set the limit of idle Script Runner terminals in Settings.

Activity indicator

The Script Runner activity icon turns red when a run started in Zide fails. Blue means a newly built artifact is ready to view. By default, failures stay red until the same script or program succeeds.

To clear failure indicators when you view Script Runner, turn off More actions > Failure indicator > Keep failure indicator after viewing. A successful unrelated run does not clear it, and stopping a run does not count as recovery. This preference applies across projects and persists across restarts; failure indicators track runs observed during the current app session.

Running indicators are blue in Scripts, Favorites, History, and the tab badge. Completed runs show green for success and red for failure. A run you stop shows a neutral Stopped status, including after you reopen History. Older saved runs without a recorded stop retain their original result.