iTerm2 Finder Tools

New home for the code from my blogpost about opening iTerm2 directly from the Finder. Read the release post here.

What is it?

A Finder service and toolbar application that will open iTerm2 and cd to the current directory visible in the Finder.

Features

• Works regardless if iTerm2 is running or not – will start it if necessary.
• Creates a new tab in the current open window for this directory.
• Creates a new window if none are already open.
• Yeah, this is pretty simple, isn't it?

Version support

This repository includes a pre-built Finder service and a pre-built application; these work with "modern" iTerm2 (version 2.9+). If you're using an older version of iTerm2, you'll have to run the build scripts to get a version that works for you. See the instructions below.

Installation

First, either download the repository with the big green button in the upper right or clone the repository like this:

$ git clone https://github.com/peterldowns/iterm2-finder-tools.git

Finder Service

Double click Open iTerm.workflow and click "Install"

You can add a keyboard shortcut for this service by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services > Files and Folders.

Unfortunately, it seems that this keyboard shortcut will only work if iTerm2 is already running.

Finder Menu Tool

You can move the built Open iTerm.app anywhere you'd like (such as /Applications), or leave it here.

After attempting to run the pre-built application for the first time, you may need to go into your System Preferences > Security & Privacy and enable running the app since it was built by an "unidentified developer".

You can then add it to your Finder toolbar by dragging it in while holding the command and option keys (pre-Sierra) or while holding the command key (Sierra or later).

Build

Build the application and Finder service like this:

$ python build.py

The build script will detect which version of iTerm2 you have installed and automatically use the right applescript -- *.modern.applescript for version 2.9+, and *.applescript for older versions.

The build script should work with both Python 2 and Python 3.

Hacking / Contributing

Edit the .applescript files in the service and workflow directories, then build as described above. You can read the build script for the exact details, but essentially these files are being substituted in to some Automator-based scaffolding to get out the application and service. The .modern.applescript files should work with iTerm2 2.9+'s API, and the .applescript files should work with their older API.