# File previews

File previews let you inspect the project's documents, data, code, figures, and
other outputs without leaving Scient. Files linked in chat open inside Scient
first. Project files keep their editable Files-panel behavior. Files elsewhere
in the connected environment open in a read-only side panel or, for HTML, the
integrated browser.

## Browse workspace files

The Files tree loads folders as you open them. Useful project material remains
visible whether it is Git-tracked, ignored, or named with a leading dot.
Low-level machinery such as version-control data, dependency stores, temporary
caches, and private Scient runtime state stays out of the ordinary view.

The Files menu offers two visibility levels:

- **Project files** is the default. It includes durable managed source files,
  records, receipts, and history below `.scient/sources`.
- **All workspace internals** also shows technical machinery such as
  version-control data, dependency stores, caches, source operations, and
  staging.

The choice lasts for the current workspace session. Managed and tool-owned
files open read-only in Files; use their owning Scient surface when you need to
change them.

Filename search filters the existing tree. Scient uses the project index to
discover matches in unopened folders and loads only their ancestor folders.
Ignored paths that have not been browsed may not appear in search.

What appears in Files does not change what an agent can access and does not add
file contents to a conversation. Those boundaries are enforced separately when
an action reads or shares a file.

In a project file's header, select the project name or any parent folder to
browse that folder, drill into its subfolders, and open a nearby file. The final
file name identifies the current file and is not a navigation control.

Right-click a file tab to copy either its project-relative path or its full path.
For a remote project, the full path belongs to the connected environment rather
than the computer displaying Scient.

Workspace and chat-linked host-file previews follow changes made on disk. The
compact reload action in the file header remains available for an immediate
retry or manual refresh. If automatic updates pause, that action is highlighted
and its tooltip explains that reloading will retry them. A failed read keeps the
last available preview visible while reporting the problem.

The Files tree, Git status, and working diff also refresh after the agent
finishes a file-changing tool or command. Unsaved source edits remain protected.

Current limitation: automatic refresh follows the exact known path. If the file
is renamed or moved, reopen it from its new location; Scient does not yet
relocate an already open file automatically.

- Markdown files open as rendered documents. Writable project Markdown is
  directly editable in that rendered surface; formatting controls appear
  without replacing it with a second preview. Use the source/rendered control
  in the file header when exact Markdown text is needed; Scient remembers that
  preference. A link to a specific Markdown line opens source so the requested
  line can be shown. Relative image paths resolve from the Markdown file's
  folder, including nested folders; inline sizes and alignment are preserved.
- Code blocks and HTML/YAML/TOML source boxes stay directly editable and offer
  **Wrap lines** and **Copy code** in their headers, matching chat. Wrapping
  follows **Settings → Word wrap**, which defaults on. A block's wrap button
  changes only that block; changing the setting applies the new preference to
  open blocks. Copy includes the current code without adding Markdown fences.
  Code headers use the same colored language icons or filename titles as chat.
  HTML tags and attributes, operators, and punctuation are highlighted in the
  editor. Code boxes have a subtle border and the same thin scrollbar as math.
- Standalone Markdown images expose floating viewing controls. Use **Edit
  details** for the image source and alternative text; **Apply** saves one
  change and **Cancel** leaves the document unchanged. Click an image to place
  the caret in its caption, or click the caption to choose a text position.
  One outline surrounds the image and caption while editing. Captions save as
  you type; Enter or Escape leaves the caption, and Undo remains available.
  An image without a caption shows an empty field when clicked or after
  **Add caption**; leaving it empty does not change the document.
  Typing before or after a standalone image creates a separate paragraph, so
  text stays above or below the image and its caption. **Add caption** on an
  image mixed with prose places that image in its own paragraph and opens its
  caption without discarding surrounding text. Linked badges and table images
  keep their compact presentation and link behavior.
- Images, Mermaid diagrams, Plotly, and Vega-Lite share quiet **Expand** and
  **More** controls. Copy, downloads, and source/details actions live in More.
  **Move controls** exposes a handle; drag it or use arrow keys, then press
  Enter or Escape to finish. **Reset controls position** restores placement.
  Plotly exploration tools remain directly accessible. Vega-Lite keeps its
  authored interactions and a direct reset control; expanded viewers retain
  zoom, fit, and exploration controls.
- Reference-style images share their source and title with a Markdown definition.
  **Edit shared reference** opens that definition; **Make independent** explicitly
  separates this occurrence. Alternative text remains local to the image.
  **Replace image** keeps the original until upload succeeds, and **Remove from
  document** never deletes the file. Copy, expand, background, and retry actions
  do not edit Markdown.
- Text files larger than the preview limit open read-only. In rendered
  Markdown, task checkboxes are also non-interactive so a partial preview can
  never replace the complete file.
- HTML files open in the integrated browser. To edit the HTML, right-click the
  file in the file tree and choose **Open source**.
- If the integrated browser is unavailable or an HTML preview fails, Scient
  opens the source instead.

In a project conversation, an agent can also turn an existing project HTML file
into a PDF. Scient builds it with local project assets, opens the generated PDF
in its reader, and preserves the HTML as the editable source. Remote assets are
not loaded during this controlled build, so keep required styles, fonts, data,
and images inside the project. A compatible Scient Desktop must be connected
while Scient performs this Chromium build.

Direct files outside the current project support:

- images, including SVG, with pan and zoom;
- PDFs in the full Scient reader, including remembered reading state;
- rendered Markdown, including math, Mermaid diagrams, and Vega-Lite charts;
- syntax-highlighted source and text, including TSX, Python, MATLAB, R, JSON,
  CSV, and LaTeX source;
- browser-supported audio and video; and
- a stable file-information view for formats that do not yet have a rich
  preview. On the primary desktop environment, the header can still open the
  file in a preferred editor.

Text previews are read-only and limited to 2 MiB. Large files show that limit
explicitly. An optional line target is revealed once after the source view is
ready.

HTML runs normally in Scient's integrated browser, including JavaScript,
network requests, navigation, and relative local CSS, scripts, fonts, data,
images, and media. A packaged site that assumes it is hosted at a web-server
root (for example, references `/assets/app.js`) should be opened through its
development or static server; a standalone local document should use relative
asset paths.

"In the connected environment" is important for remote sessions: an absolute
path refers to the remote host, not the desktop Mac or PC. Remote files can be
previewed through Scient, but desktop-only editor actions are not shown.