Navigate Deep Directories Instantly with the up.sh Shell Script

When working in deep directory trees on Linux, repeatedly typing long cd paths can be tedious. The up.sh script provides a quick way to move up to a specific parent directory without manually traversing each level.

Installation

The script is maintained on GitHub and must be downloaded and sourced manually.

$ curl --create-dirs -o ~/.config/up/up.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shannonmoeller/up/master/up.sh

$ echo 'source ~/.config/up/up.sh' >> ~/.bashrc

After adding the source line, reload the shell configuration: $ source ~/.bashrc For zsh users, repeat the same steps but append to ~/.zshrc and source that file:

$ curl --create-dirs -o ~/.config/up/up.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shannonmoeller/up/master/up.sh

$ echo 'source ~/.config/up/up.sh' >> ~/.zshrc
$ source ~/.zshrc

For fish users, download the fish version and source it:

$ curl --create-dirs -o ~/.config/up/up.fish https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shannonmoeller/up/master/up.fish

$ source ~/.config/up/up.fish

Usage

Once installed, the up command can be used in several ways:

Simply type up to move up one level.

Specify a number to move up that many levels, e.g., up 3.

Provide a directory name to jump directly to that parent, e.g., up projects.

Use a prefix of the directory name, e.g., up pr (matches projects).

Press the Tab key after up to list possible completions.

Examples:

$ pwd
/home/alvin/projects/atb4g/ecall/src/interface
$ up
$ pwd
/home/alvin/projects/atb4g/ecall/src
$ up 3
$ pwd
/home/alvin/projects
$ up projects
$ pwd
/home/alvin/projects
$ up pr   # only the first two letters are needed
$ pwd
/home/alvin/projects

Conclusion

The up.sh script is a lightweight, cross‑shell utility that dramatically speeds up directory navigation in long paths, supporting numeric levels, full or partial directory names, and tab completion, making it especially useful for developers who frequently move around large codebases.