Add rm -r for folders, and make ls list one folder level

rm -r FOLDER deletes a folder and everything under it, records and
objects, so the space is freed. It lists what will go (the first 20
names, then a count) with the total size and asks on the terminal; no
answer or no terminal deletes nothing. -f skips the question and makes a
missing name a no-op, -rf and -fr combine them, and rm -r / is refused.
Objects still in use are worked out once per delete, not once per file.

ls now shows one level, like ls(1): sub-folders once with a trailing
slash, their total size and newest date, then the files, with names
relative to the folder. list keeps the recursive listing of full names
that scripts pipe through cut -c31-, and ls -r is the same.

Docs, man pages, the guide (new rm-r screenshot) and README follow.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ root that builds a single `vault` binary. Module `github.com/andydixon/vault`.
 
 - `main.go` - CLI: `genkey`, `init`, `add` (file, directory
   or URL), `migrate` (add, then delete originals), `mirror`, `absorb` (tar
-  on stdin, `absorb.go`), `list`, `get`, `mv`, `rm`.
+  on stdin, `absorb.go`), `ls` (one folder level), `list` (recursive),
+  `get`, `mv`, `rm` (`-r` for a folder, asks unless `-f`).
 - `keyfile.go` - key file with two passphrase slots (Argon2id +
   XChaCha20-Poly1305 sealing a suite ID and 32-byte master seed). The second
   slot is either a decoy identity or random bytes; slot order is random.

README.md

@@ -50,12 +50,16 @@ vault migrate ./photos           # like add, then delete the originals
 vault mirror https://example.com/     # crawl a site into example.com/, links rewritten
 tar -cz photos | vault absorb backup  # every file in a tar (or .tar.gz) under backup/
 vault absorb backup < photos.tar.gz   # same, from an existing archive
-vault list                       # everything
+vault ls                         # the top level: folders (ending in /) and files
+vault ls work                    # one level down, inside work/
+vault list                       # every file, all the way down, full names
 vault list work                  # everything under work/
 vault get work/2026/report.pdf   # writes ./report.pdf
 vault get report.pdf -o copy.pdf
 vault mv report.pdf old/report.pdf
 vault rm old/report.pdf
+vault rm -r old                  # a whole folder; lists it and asks first
+vault rm -rf old                 # the same, without asking
 ```
 
 Commands that change the vault take an exclusive lock on `DIR/.lock`, and

docs/guide/shots.py

@@ -266,8 +266,9 @@ def main():
     shoot("add", t)
 
     t = Term(box)
+    t.cmd("vault ls", P)
+    t.cmd("vault ls letters", P)
     t.cmd("vault list", P)
-    t.cmd("vault list letters", P)
     shoot("list", t)
 
     t = Term(box)
@@ -315,6 +316,18 @@ def main():
     t.cmd("ls Scans")
     shoot("migrate", t)
 
+    # rm -r: lists the folder, asks, then frees the space
+    t = Term(box)
+    t.cmd("vault ls", P)
+    t.lines.append(prompt() + '<span class="c">vault rm -r receipts</span>')
+    for line in box.run_tty("vault rm -r receipts", P, "y").split("\n"):
+        esc = html.escape(line)
+        if "[y/N]" in line:
+            esc = '<span class="hl">%s</span>' % esc
+        t.lines.append(esc)
+    t.cmd("vault ls", P)
+    shoot("rm-r", t)
+
     # absorb: a tar archive piped in, here pulled from a gzipped tarball
     box.write("Projects/website/index.html", "<h1>hello</h1>\n")
     box.write("Projects/website/css/site.css", "body{}\n")

docs/guide/vault-guide.tex

@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ Got two minutes? Here's all of it:
 $ vault genkey            # make your key (pick a good passphrase)
 $ vault init              # make your vault
 $ vault add taxes.pdf     # put something in
-$ vault list              # see what's in there
+$ vault ls                # see what's in there
 $ vault get taxes.pdf     # get it back out
 \end{shell}
 
@@ -511,11 +511,12 @@ type \cmd{--vault} again.
 
 % ======================================================================
 \chapter{Everyday moves}
-\tagline{add, list, get, mv, rm: the five commands you'll actually use}
+\tagline{add, ls, get, mv, rm: the five commands you'll actually use}
 
 \begin{tldr}
-\cmd{add} puts files in (optionally into a folder), \cmd{list} shows them,
+\cmd{add} puts files in (optionally into a folder), \cmd{ls} shows them a
-\cmd{get} takes one back out, \cmd{mv} renames, \cmd{rm} deletes. Each asks
+folder at a time, \cmd{get} takes one back out, \cmd{mv} renames, \cmd{rm}
+deletes (a whole folder with \cmd{-r}). Each asks
 for your passphrase. That's the whole daily workflow.
 \end{tldr}
 
@@ -611,17 +612,25 @@ themselves, should they live inside the folder, so \cmd{migrate} can never
 eat them. Files larger than 1\,TiB are
 refused. (If you have a single 1\,TiB file, we have questions.)
 
-\section{Seeing what's inside: \texttt{list}}
+\section{Seeing what's inside: \texttt{ls} and \texttt{list}}
 
 \begin{shell}
-$ vault list            # everything
+$ vault ls              # the top level: folders (ending in /) and files
-$ vault list letters    # just what's inside letters/
+$ vault ls letters      # one level down, inside letters/
+$ vault list            # every file, all the way down, full names
 \end{shell}
 
-Each line shows the size, the file's \emph{own} last-modified time from when
+\cmd{ls} works like the shell's: it shows one folder at a time. Each
-you added it, and its name, sorted alphabetically.
+sub-folder appears once, ending in \file{/}, with the total size of
+everything inside it and its newest date. Files show their size and their
+\emph{own} last-modified time from when you added them. Folders come first,
+then files. Keep going down with \cmd{vault ls letters/2025}.
 
-\shot{list}{The full catalogue, then just one folder}
+\cmd{list} is the whole catalogue in one go: every file under a folder,
+with its full name, sorted. It's the one to pipe into other commands, and
+\cmd{vault ls -r} does the same.
+
+\shot{list}{One level at a time with \cmd{ls}, then everything with \cmd{list}}
 
 \begin{whyso}
 \textbf{Why does \texttt{list} need my passphrase?} Because the names are
@@ -665,25 +674,31 @@ and it doesn't re-encrypt the file, so it's instant however big the file is.
 \section{Deleting: \texttt{rm}}
 
 \begin{shell}
-$ vault rm NAME
+$ vault rm NAME          # one file
+$ vault rm -r FOLDER     # a folder and everything in it; asks first
+$ vault rm -rf FOLDER    # the same, without asking
 \end{shell}
 
-Removes the file's catalogue entry and its encrypted contents. One file per
+Removes the file's catalogue entry and every encrypted piece of it, so the
-command, on purpose. There's no recursive delete to fat-finger.
+space comes back straight away.
 
 \shot{mv-rm}{Replace, move, delete, and the result}
 
 \begin{danger}
-\textbf{\texttt{rm} is immediate and there's no undo.} No recycle bin, no
+\textbf{\texttt{rm} is immediate and there's no undo.} No recycle bin. If it
-``are you sure?''. If it matters, make sure it's backed up somewhere first.
+matters, make sure it's backed up somewhere first.
 \end{danger}
 
-\begin{squirrel}
+\subsection{Deleting a whole folder}
-Need to delete a whole folder? Loop over \cmd{list}. The name starts at
+\cmd{rm -r} deletes a folder and everything under it. Because that can be a
-character 31 of each line, so:\\
+lot, it first lists what's going (the first 20 names, then a count) with
-\cmd{vault list old | cut -c31- | while read -r f; do vault rm "\$f"; done}\\
+the total size, and asks. Anything but \texttt{y} deletes nothing, and so
-With \env{VAULT\_PASSPHRASE} set, or it'll ask every time. See chapter 7.
+does having no terminal to ask on. \cmd{-f} skips the question, and also
-\end{squirrel}
+means ``don't complain if there's nothing there'', so \cmd{rm -rf} is the
+one for scripts. \cmd{vault rm -r /} is refused rather than emptying the
+vault.
+
+\shot{rm-r}{A folder deleted: vault lists it, asks, then frees the space}
 
 \section{Flags work anywhere}
 
@@ -700,7 +715,8 @@ $ vault add report.pdf --vault=~/work
 \begin{pocketlist}
   \item \cmd{add FILE [FOLDER]}: keeps the file's name, optionally in a folder. Folders add recursively.
   \item Adding an existing name replaces it, safely.
-  \item \cmd{list [FOLDER]}, \cmd{get NAME [-o OUT]}, \cmd{mv OLD NEW}, \cmd{rm NAME}.
+  \item \cmd{ls [FOLDER]} one level at a time, \cmd{list [FOLDER]} everything.
+  \item \cmd{get NAME [-o OUT]}, \cmd{mv OLD NEW}, \cmd{rm NAME}, \cmd{rm -r FOLDER}.
   \item \cmd{get} never overwrites and never publishes a half-checked file.
   \item \cmd{rm} has no undo.
 \end{pocketlist}
@@ -1213,6 +1229,8 @@ NAME: not in the vault & Check the exact name with \cmd{vault list}: it's case-s
 invalid vault path "\ldots" & Names can't start with \cmd{/} or \cmd{../}, end in \cmd{/}, or contain backslashes or control characters. \\
 \ldots: not a regular file of at most 1\,TiB & You tried to add a device, a socket or a gigantic file. \\
 \ldots\ changed while being added & The file was being written while vault read it. Try again once it's finished. \\
+refusing to remove the whole vault & \cmd{rm -r /} (or an empty folder name). Name the folder you mean. \\
+rm cancelled; nothing changed & You didn't answer \texttt{y} to \cmd{rm -r}, or there was no terminal to ask on. \cmd{-f} skips the question. \\
 skipping \ldots: not a regular file & Adding a folder: a symlink or special file was skipped. Everything else went in. \\
 passphrases do not match & The two entries differed. Nothing was created; run it again. \\
 passphrase must not be empty & Blank passphrases aren't allowed, for good reason. \\
@@ -1273,10 +1291,11 @@ passphrase. Nothing in this chapter helps with that. Back up your key.
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault migrate FILE|DIR [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Like add, then delete the originals. Asks before replacing.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault mirror URL [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Crawl a website in, links rewritten to work offline.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault absorb [FOLDER] < TAR}\\[2pt]\small Every file in a tar or .tar.gz from standard input.\end{tcolorbox}
-\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault list [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Size, modified time and name, sorted.\end{tcolorbox}
+\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault ls [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small One folder: sub-folders (ending in /) and files.\end{tcolorbox}
+\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault list [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Every file under it, full names. Pipes cleanly.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault get NAME [-o OUT]}\\[2pt]\small Decrypt out. Never overwrites. Verifies first.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault mv OLD NEW}\\[2pt]\small Rename, using the full new name. Instant.\end{tcolorbox}
-\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault rm NAME}\\[2pt]\small Delete one file. No undo.\end{tcolorbox}
+\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault rm [-r] [-f] NAME}\\[2pt]\small Delete a file, or a folder with -r. Frees the space. No undo.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault help}\\[2pt]\small Show the command summary.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries man vault}\\[2pt]\small A manual page for vault and for every command.\end{tcolorbox}
 \end{tcbraster}
@@ -1291,6 +1310,8 @@ passphrase. Nothing in this chapter helps with that. Back up your key.
 -o OUT & \textrm{---} & the file's own name, here \\
 --filler SIZE & \textrm{---} & a few tens of MB, for \cmd{init} \\
 --yes & \textrm{---} & ask, for \cmd{migrate} \\
+-r & \textrm{---} & \cmd{rm}: one file; \cmd{ls}: one level \\
+-f & \textrm{---} & \cmd{rm}: ask before \cmd{-r}, fail if missing \\
 \end{vtable}
 
 \section*{Numbers worth knowing}

docs/vault-list.1

@@ -1,23 +1,65 @@
-.TH VAULT-LIST 1 "September 2026" "vault" "User Commands"
+.TH VAULT-LIST 1 "October 2026" "vault" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
-vault-list \- list files in the vault
+vault-list, vault-ls \- list files and folders in the vault
 .SH SYNOPSIS
+.B vault ls
+.RB [ \-r ]
+.RB [ \-\-key
+.IR PATH ]
+.RB [ \-\-vault
+.IR DIR ]
+.RI [ FOLDER ]
+.br
 .B vault list
 .RB [ \-\-key
 .IR PATH ]
 .RB [ \-\-vault
 .IR DIR ]
-.RI [ PREFIX ]
+.RI [ FOLDER ]
-.br
-.B vault ls
-\&...
 .SH DESCRIPTION
-Prints one line per stored file, sorted by name: human-readable size,
+Both print one line per entry: human-readable size, modification time
-modification time (local, minute resolution) and name. With \fIPREFIX\fR only
+(local, minute resolution) and name, in fixed-width columns so the name
-that file, or files under that folder, are shown. Records the passphrase
+always starts at character 31.
-cannot open are skipped silently. Takes a shared lock.
+.PP
+.B vault ls
+shows one level, like
+.BR ls (1):
+each sub-folder of
+.I FOLDER
+(the top of the vault if none is given) once, with a trailing
+.BR / ,
+and the files directly in it.
+A folder's size is the total of everything under it and its time is the
+newest among them. Names are relative to
+.IR FOLDER ,
+so
+.B vault ls photos
+then
+.B vault ls photos/2025
+walks down the tree. Folders are listed first, then files, each sorted by
+name. If
+.I FOLDER
+is a file's name, that file alone is shown.
+.PP
+.B vault list
+shows every file at or under
+.IR FOLDER ,
+recursively, with full names, sorted. It is the form to pipe into other
+commands, and
+.B vault ls \-r
+is the same.
+.PP
+Records the passphrase cannot open are skipped silently. Takes a shared lock.
 .SH OPTIONS
 .TP
+.B \-r
+.BR ls :
+list everything under
+.I FOLDER
+with full names, as
+.B vault list
+does.
+.TP
 .BI \-\-key " PATH"
 Key file. Default: $VAULT_KEY, else ~/.vault/key.
 .TP
@@ -27,8 +69,23 @@ Vault directory. Default: $VAULT_DIR, else ~/.vault/store.
 .TP
 .B VAULT_PASSPHRASE
 Passphrase, instead of prompting on the terminal.
+.SH EXIT STATUS
+0 on success. 1 if
+.B vault ls
+is given a
+.I FOLDER
+with nothing in or under it, or on any other error.
+.SH EXAMPLES
+.RS
+vault ls
+.br
+vault ls photos/2025
+.br
+vault list | cut \-c31\-        # every name, one per line
+.RE
 .SH SEE ALSO
 .BR vault (1),
-.BR vault\-get (1)
+.BR vault\-get (1),
+.BR vault\-rm (1)
 .SH AUTHOR
 Andy Dixon <vault@dixon.cx>, https://www.dixon.cx

docs/vault-rm.1

@@ -1,21 +1,66 @@
-.TH VAULT-RM 1 "September 2026" "vault" "User Commands"
+.TH VAULT-RM 1 "October 2026" "vault" "User Commands"
 .SH NAME
-vault-rm \- delete a stored file
+vault-rm \- delete stored files or folders
 .SH SYNOPSIS
 .B vault rm
+.RB [ \-f ]
 .RB [ \-\-key
 .IR PATH ]
 .RB [ \-\-vault
 .IR DIR ]
 .I NAME
 .br
+.B vault rm \-r
+.RB [ \-f ]
+.RB [ \-\-key
+.IR PATH ]
+.RB [ \-\-vault
+.IR DIR ]
+.I FOLDER
+.br
 .B vault delete
 \&...
 .SH DESCRIPTION
-Deletes the stored file \fINAME\fR from the vault. It does not ask for
+Deletes the stored file
-confirmation.
+.I NAME
+from the vault: its catalogue record and every encrypted object holding
+its contents, so the space is freed on disk straight away.
+.PP
+With
+.BR \-r ,
+deletes
+.I FOLDER
+and everything at or under it. Because there is no undo, it first lists
+what it will delete (the first 20 names, then a count) with the total size,
+and asks on the terminal. Anything but
+.B y
+or
+.B yes
+deletes nothing, and so does having no terminal to ask on. A trailing
+.B /
+on
+.I FOLDER
+is ignored, and
+.B vault rm \-r /
+is refused rather than emptying the vault.
+.PP
+Each deleted file is reported on standard error, and
+.B \-r
+ends with the number of files and their total size. The vault is locked
+exclusively for the whole run. A key sees only its own files, so the
+decoy passphrase never deletes real files, or the other way round.
 .SH OPTIONS
 .TP
+.B \-r
+Delete a folder and everything under it.
+.TP
+.B \-f
+Do not ask before a recursive delete, and do not fail when there is
+nothing to delete.
+.TP
+.BR \-rf ", " \-fr
+Both of the above.
+.TP
 .BI \-\-key " PATH"
 Key file. Default: $VAULT_KEY, else ~/.vault/key.
 .TP
@@ -25,6 +70,19 @@ Vault directory. Default: $VAULT_DIR, else ~/.vault/store.
 .TP
 .B VAULT_PASSPHRASE
 Passphrase, instead of prompting on the terminal.
+.SH EXIT STATUS
+0 if everything asked for was deleted, or there was nothing to delete with
+.BR \-f .
+1 if the name is not in the vault, the delete was declined, or anything
+fails; files already deleted stay deleted.
+.SH EXAMPLES
+.RS
+vault rm notes.md
+.br
+vault rm \-r old/2024          # asks first
+.br
+vault rm \-rf tmp              # no questions
+.RE
 .SH SEE ALSO
 .BR vault (1),
 .BR vault\-list (1)

docs/vault.1

@@ -37,8 +37,10 @@ Crawl a website into the vault.
 Add every file in a tar archive read from standard input.
 .TP
 .BR vault\-list (1)
-List stored files (alias:
+.B ls
-.BR ls ).
+lists one folder, with sub-folders marked;
+.B list
+lists every file under a folder.
 .TP
 .BR vault\-get (1)
 Decrypt a stored file.
@@ -48,7 +50,9 @@ Rename a stored file (alias:
 .BR rename ).
 .TP
 .BR vault\-rm (1)
-Delete a stored file (alias:
+Delete a stored file, or a whole folder with
+.B \-r
+(alias:
 .BR delete ).
 .TP
 .B help

main.go

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"sort"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/andydixon/vault/internal/term"
 )
@@ -39,10 +40,16 @@ const usage = `Usage:
     vault absorb [FOLDER]           read a tar archive (optionally gzipped) from
                                     standard input and add every file in it,
                                     optionally under a folder inside the vault
-    vault list [PREFIX]             list stored files
+    vault ls [FOLDER]               list one folder: its files, and its
+                                    sub-folders (ending in /) with their
+                                    total size; -r lists everything under it
+    vault list [FOLDER]             list every stored file under FOLDER,
+                                    with full names
     vault get NAME [-o OUTPUT]      decrypt a stored file (default: its base name)
     vault mv OLD NEW                rename a stored file
     vault rm NAME                   delete a stored file
+    vault rm -r FOLDER [-f]         delete a folder and everything under it;
+                                    asks first unless -f (or -rf) is given
 
 Options (any command):
     --key PATH     key file (default $VAULT_KEY, else ~/.vault/key)
@@ -80,6 +87,10 @@ func main() {
 	output := fset.String("o", "", "")
 	filler := fset.String("filler", "0", "")
 	yes := fset.Bool("yes", false, "")
+	// rm's -r and -f; Go's flag package has no combined short flags, so
+	// -rf and -fr are spelled out.
+	recurse, force := fset.Bool("r", false, ""), fset.Bool("f", false, "")
+	rf, fr := fset.Bool("rf", false, ""), fset.Bool("fr", false, "")
 	pos, err := parseInterleaved(fset, args)
 	if err != nil {
 		fail("%v\n\n%s", err, usage)
@@ -178,6 +189,10 @@ func main() {
 		}
 		cat, err := open(*keyPath, *vaultDir, false).catalogue()
 		check(err)
+		if cmd == "ls" && !*recurse {
+			check(ls(os.Stdout, cat, prefix))
+			break
+		}
 		list(cat, prefix)
 	case "get":
 		want(1, 1)
@@ -191,7 +206,41 @@ func main() {
 		check(open(*keyPath, *vaultDir, true).rename(pos[0], pos[1]))
 	case "rm", "delete":
 		want(1, 1)
-		check(open(*keyPath, *vaultDir, true).delete(pos[0]))
+		recursive, forced := *recurse || *rf || *fr, *force || *rf || *fr
+		name := pos[0]
+		if recursive {
+			name = strings.Trim(name, "/")
+			if name == "" {
+				fail("refusing to remove the whole vault")
+			}
+		}
+		s := open(*keyPath, *vaultDir, true)
+		cat, err := s.catalogue()
+		check(err)
+		var names []string
+		if recursive {
+			names = under(cat, name)
+		} else if len(cat[name]) > 0 {
+			names = []string{name}
+		}
+		if len(names) == 0 {
+			if forced {
+				break
+			}
+			fail("%s: not in the vault", name)
+		}
+		var size int64
+		for _, n := range names {
+			size += cat[n][0].Size
+		}
+		if recursive && !forced && !confirm("these files will be deleted, with no undo:", names,
+			fmt.Sprintf("delete %d file(s), %s? [y/N]", len(names), humanSize(size))) {
+			fail("rm cancelled; nothing changed (-f skips the question)")
+		}
+		check(s.removeAll(cat, names, func(n string) { fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "removed %s\n", n) }))
+		if recursive {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "removed %d file(s), %s\n", len(names), humanSize(size))
+		}
 	case "help", "-h", "--help":
 		fmt.Println(usage)
 	default:
@@ -384,11 +433,22 @@ func addPath(s *store, cat map[string][]*record, src, dest string, migrate bool,
 // confirmOverwrite lists the vault names a migrate would replace and asks
 // on the terminal whether to go ahead. No terminal means no.
 func confirmOverwrite(names []string) bool {
-	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "these files are already in the vault and would be overwritten:")
+	return confirm("these files are already in the vault and would be overwritten:", names,
-	for _, name := range names {
+		fmt.Sprintf("overwrite %d file(s)? [y/N]", len(names)))
+}
+
+// confirm prints intro and names, the first 20 of them, then asks question
+// on the terminal. No terminal means no.
+func confirm(intro string, names []string, question string) bool {
+	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, intro)
+	for i, name := range names {
+		if i == 20 {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "    … and %d more\n", len(names)-i)
+			break
+		}
 		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "    %s\n", name)
 	}
-	ok, err := term.Confirm(fmt.Sprintf("overwrite %d file(s)? [y/N]", len(names)))
+	ok, err := term.Confirm(question)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "cannot ask for confirmation: %v\n", err)
 	}
@@ -455,14 +515,73 @@ func addOne(s *store, cat map[string][]*record, src, name string, migrate bool)
 	return nil
 }
 
-func list(cat map[string][]*record, prefix string) {
+// ls prints one level of the vault, like ls(1): the files directly in
-	var names []string
+// folder, and each sub-folder once, marked with a trailing slash and shown
-	for name := range cat {
+// with the total size and newest date of everything under it. Folders come
-		if prefix == "" || name == prefix || strings.HasPrefix(name, prefix+"/") {
+// first. A folder that is a file's name lists just that file.
-			names = append(names, name)
+func ls(w io.Writer, cat map[string][]*record, folder string) error {
+	type entry struct {
+		size     int64
+		modified time.Time
+	}
+	entries := map[string]*entry{}
+	for name, rs := range cat {
+		rel := name
+		switch {
+		case folder == "":
+		case name == folder:
+			rel = path.Base(name)
+		case strings.HasPrefix(name, folder+"/"):
+			rel = name[len(folder)+1:]
+		default:
+			continue
+		}
+		if i := strings.IndexByte(rel, '/'); i >= 0 {
+			rel = rel[:i+1]
+		}
+		e := entries[rel]
+		if e == nil {
+			e = &entry{}
+			entries[rel] = e
+		}
+		r := rs[0]
+		e.size += r.Size
+		if r.Modified.After(e.modified) {
+			e.modified = r.Modified
 		}
 	}
-	sort.Strings(names)
+	if len(entries) == 0 && folder != "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: not in the vault", folder)
+	}
+	names := make([]string, 0, len(entries))
+	for name := range entries {
+		names = append(names, name)
+	}
+	sort.Slice(names, func(i, j int) bool {
+		di, dj := strings.HasSuffix(names[i], "/"), strings.HasSuffix(names[j], "/")
+		if di != dj {
+			return di
+		}
+		return names[i] < names[j]
+	})
+	for _, name := range names {
+		e := entries[name]
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "%10s  %s  %s\n", humanSize(e.size), e.modified.Local().Format("2006-01-02 15:04"), name)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// list prints every file at or under prefix, with its full name.
+func list(cat map[string][]*record, prefix string) {
+	var names []string
+	if prefix == "" {
+		for name := range cat {
+			names = append(names, name)
+		}
+		sort.Strings(names)
+	} else {
+		names = under(cat, prefix)
+	}
 	for _, name := range names {
 		r := cat[name][0]
 		fmt.Printf("%10s  %s  %s\n", humanSize(r.Size), r.Modified.Local().Format("2006-01-02 15:04"), name)

store.go

@@ -537,7 +537,53 @@ func (s *store) delete(name string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return s.remove(cat, name, true)
+	return s.removeAll(cat, []string{name}, func(string) {})
+}
+
+// under returns the names in cat at or beneath the folder prefix, sorted.
+func under(cat map[string][]*record, prefix string) []string {
+	var names []string
+	for name := range cat {
+		if name == prefix || strings.HasPrefix(name, prefix+"/") {
+			names = append(names, name)
+		}
+	}
+	sort.Strings(names)
+	return names
+}
+
+// removeAll deletes every record for names and the objects they hold, then
+// drops them from cat, calling done after each name. Like remove, but it
+// works out once which objects other records still use, so deleting a large
+// folder stays linear.
+func (s *store) removeAll(cat map[string][]*record, names []string, done func(name string)) error {
+	gone := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, name := range names {
+		gone[name] = true
+	}
+	inUse := map[string]bool{}
+	for name, rs := range cat {
+		if !gone[name] {
+			for _, r := range rs {
+				inUse[r.Seed] = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	for _, name := range names {
+		for _, r := range cat[name] {
+			if err := s.removeFile(recordsDir, r.id); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if !inUse[r.Seed] {
+				if err := s.dropObjects(r.Seed, r.Size); err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		delete(cat, name)
+		done(name)
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (s *store) rename(oldName, newName string) error {

vault_test.go

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"slices"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -479,3 +480,98 @@ func TestAbsorb(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("got %q", b)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRemoveTree(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	keyPath := filepath.Join(dir, "key")
+	if err := writeKeyFile(keyPath, "pass", ""); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := initStore(filepath.Join(dir, "store"), 0); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	s := newTestStore(t, keyPath, "pass")
+	objects := filepath.Join(dir, "store", "objects")
+	before := len(ciphertexts(t, objects))
+	cat, _ := s.catalogue()
+	src := filepath.Join(dir, "in")
+	big := make([]byte, chunkData+1) // two objects
+	rand.Read(big)
+	for name, body := range map[string][]byte{"a/x": big, "a/b/y": []byte("y"), "ab/z": []byte("z"), "b/w": []byte("w")} {
+		os.WriteFile(src, body, 0o600)
+		if _, err := s.add(cat, src, name); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	if n := len(ciphertexts(t, objects)) - before; n != 5 {
+		t.Fatalf("%d objects added, want 5", n)
+	}
+
+	names := under(cat, "a")
+	if !slices.Equal(names, []string{"a/b/y", "a/x"}) {
+		t.Fatalf("under a: %v", names)
+	}
+	var done []string
+	if err := s.removeAll(cat, names, func(n string) { done = append(done, n) }); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !slices.Equal(done, names) || len(cat) != 2 || len(cat["ab/z"]) != 1 || len(cat["b/w"]) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("done %v, left %v", done, cat)
+	}
+	if n := len(ciphertexts(t, objects)) - before; n != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("%d objects left, want 2: the space was not freed", n)
+	}
+	fresh, _ := s.catalogue()
+	if len(fresh) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("on disk: %v", fresh)
+	}
+	out := filepath.Join(dir, "out")
+	if err := s.get("ab/z", out); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLs(t *testing.T) {
+	at := func(m int) time.Time { return time.Date(2026, 1, 1, 12, m, 0, 0, time.UTC) }
+	cat := map[string][]*record{
+		"notes.md":         {{Size: 10, Modified: at(1)}},
+		"a/x":              {{Size: 100, Modified: at(2)}},
+		"a/b/y":            {{Size: 1000, Modified: at(5)}},
+		"a/b/c/z":          {{Size: 1, Modified: at(3)}},
+		"ab/z":             {{Size: 7, Modified: at(4)}},
+		"photos/2025/img1": {{Size: 2048, Modified: at(6)}},
+	}
+	names := func(folder string) []string {
+		t.Helper()
+		var b bytes.Buffer
+		if err := ls(&b, cat, folder); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		var got []string
+		for _, line := range strings.Split(strings.TrimRight(b.String(), "\n"), "\n") {
+			got = append(got, strings.TrimSpace(line[10:]))
+		}
+		return got
+	}
+	day := func(m int) string { return at(m).Local().Format("2006-01-02 15:04") + "  " }
+	if got, want := names(""), []string{day(5) + "a/", day(4) + "ab/", day(6) + "photos/", day(1) + "notes.md"}; !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("ls: %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+	if got, want := names("a"), []string{day(5) + "b/", day(2) + "x"}; !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("ls a: %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+	if got, want := names("a/b"), []string{day(3) + "c/", day(5) + "y"}; !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("ls a/b: %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+	if got, want := names("a/x"), []string{day(2) + "x"}; !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("ls a/x: %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+	var b bytes.Buffer
+	ls(&b, cat, "")
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(b.String(), "   1.1 KiB  ") {
+		t.Fatalf("folder a/ should total 1101 bytes: %q", b.String())
+	}
+	if err := ls(&b, cat, "nope"); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("ls of a missing folder succeeded")
+	}
+}