Show HN: FileKitty – Combine and label text files for LLM prompt contexts

FileKitty

A macOS utility for selecting, combining, and copying the contents of files — ideal for use with LLMs and generative AI tools. FileKitty lets you grab context from multiple files with one click and keeps a full history of your selections.

Use Cases

Gather code snippets for LLM prompts (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, etc.)
Provide precise multi-file context for generative AI tools
Combine logs, configs, or structured docs for inspection
Track and revisit prior file selections and outputs

Quick Install (macOS via Homebrew)

brew install banagale/filekitty/filekitty

Launch the App

From Terminal:

Or via Finder:

open /opt/homebrew/opt/filekitty/FileKitty.app

Make it a Regular Mac App

To access via Spotlight or Launchpad, copy the app to /Applications:

ditto /opt/homebrew/opt/filekitty/FileKitty.app /Applications/FileKitty.app

Note: Using ditto rather than cp preserves the application bundle's icon and metadata.

Manual Build (Alternative)

Install Poetry and build locally:

git clone https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty.git
cd FileKitty
poetry install
poetry run python setup.py py2app

The app will be created in ./dist/. Copy it to /Applications for full integration.

Manual builds are useful for development or Linux/Windows adaptation.

Screenshots

Select files, preview combined output, copy instantly

How to Use

Open the app
Select Files or drag-and-drop files from Finder, PyCharm, etc.
Combined contents will appear, grouped in Markdown code blocks.
Click Copy to Clipboard and paste into your LLM or chat.

History Navigation

Back/Forward buttons let you navigate prior selections
Changes to file contents are detected and marked as (Modified) or (Missing Files)

Python Symbol Mode

When .py files are selected, use Select Classes/Functions to target specific symbols and relevant imports.

Refreshing

Click Refresh to reload the current selection, useful after editing source files.

Preferences

Access via FileKitty → Preferences (Cmd+,):

Default Select Directory – sets initial folder for file dialog
History Location – controls where snapshot state is stored

Developer & Contributor Guide

Manual Build

(Also listed above.)

git clone https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty.git
cd FileKitty
poetry install
poetry run python setup.py py2app

The app bundle will be created in ./dist/.

Linting & Formatting

Uses Ruff:

make lint      # Run linter
make format    # Format code
# or directly
poetry run ruff check .
poetry run ruff format .

Pre-commit Hooks

Set up local linting before commits:

pre-commit install
pre-commit run --all-files

Continuous Integration

GitHub Actions validate linting and build on every push
See .github/workflows/ for full pipeline

License

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  "url": "https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty",
  "title": "GitHub - banagale/FileKitty: GUI for selecting text files for concatenation and submission to LLMs",
  "description": "FileKitty A macOS utility for selecting, combining, and copying the contents of files — ideal for use with LLMs and generative AI tools. FileKitty lets you grab context from multiple files with one click...",
  "links": [
    "https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty"
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  "content": "<div><article><div><h2>FileKitty <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/homebrew-filekitty\"><img src=\"https://camo.githubusercontent.com/df7ae05690f131a490997a7fa0499adfc87300486059ddcb3b1a24fffd2709df/68747470733a2f2f696d672e736869656c64732e696f2f62616467652f627265772d696e7374616c6c2d677265656e\" alt=\"Homebrew\" /></a></h2><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#filekitty-\"></a></div>\n<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/1409710/327196008-d7c68e71-5245-499b-8be9-3ca1f88adc1b.png?jwt=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.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.FZ4l9JyjInP8m3yx3RFM7mJPRtnp5Z4fdmwsXguvTDQ\"><img src=\"https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/1409710/327196008-d7c68e71-5245-499b-8be9-3ca1f88adc1b.png?jwt=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.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.FZ4l9JyjInP8m3yx3RFM7mJPRtnp5Z4fdmwsXguvTDQ\" /></a>\n<p>A macOS utility for selecting, combining, and copying the contents of files — ideal for use with <strong>LLMs and generative AI tools</strong>. FileKitty lets you grab context from multiple files with one click and keeps a full history of your selections.</p>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h2>Use Cases</h2><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#use-cases\"></a><p></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gather code snippets for LLM prompts (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, etc.)</li>\n<li>Provide precise multi-file context for generative AI tools</li>\n<li>Combine logs, configs, or structured docs for inspection</li>\n<li>Track and revisit prior file selections and outputs</li>\n</ul>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h2>Quick Install (macOS via Homebrew)</h2><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#quick-install-macos-via-homebrew\"></a><p></p>\n<div><pre>brew install banagale/filekitty/filekitty</pre></div>\n<p></p><h3>Launch the App</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#launch-the-app\"></a><p></p>\n<ul>\n<li>From Terminal:\n</li>\n<li>Or via Finder:\n<div><pre>open /opt/homebrew/opt/filekitty/FileKitty.app</pre></div>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p></p><h3>Make it a Regular Mac App</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#make-it-a-regular-mac-app\"></a><p></p>\n<p>To access via Spotlight or Launchpad, copy the app to <code>/Applications</code>:</p>\n<div><pre>ditto /opt/homebrew/opt/filekitty/FileKitty.app /Applications/FileKitty.app</pre></div>\n<p><strong>Note:</strong> Using <code>ditto</code> rather than <code>cp</code> preserves the application bundle's icon and metadata.</p>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h2>Manual Build (Alternative)</h2><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#manual-build-alternative\"></a><p></p>\n<p>Install <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://python-poetry.org/\">Poetry</a> and build locally:</p>\n<div><pre>git clone https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty.git\n<span>cd</span> FileKitty\npoetry install\npoetry run python setup.py py2app</pre></div>\n<p>The app will be created in <code>./dist/</code>. Copy it to <code>/Applications</code> for full integration.</p>\n<p>Manual builds are useful for development or Linux/Windows adaptation.</p>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h2>Screenshots</h2><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#screenshots\"></a><p></p>\n<p><em>Select files, preview combined output, copy instantly</em></p>\n<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/1409710/354033702-5596d32e-52b3-4791-90eb-32ba0def3162.png?jwt=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJnaXRodWIuY29tIiwiYXVkIjoicmF3LmdpdGh1YnVzZXJjb250ZW50LmNvbSIsImtleSI6ImtleTUiLCJleHAiOjE3NDU2ODg2MDUsIm5iZiI6MTc0NTY4ODMwNSwicGF0aCI6Ii8xNDA5NzEwLzM1NDAzMzcwMi01NTk2ZDMyZS01MmIzLTQ3OTEtOTBlYi0zMmJhMGRlZjMxNjIucG5nP1gtQW16LUFsZ29yaXRobT1BV1M0LUhNQUMtU0hBMjU2JlgtQW16LUNyZWRlbnRpYWw9QUtJQVZDT0RZTFNBNTNQUUs0WkElMkYyMDI1MDQyNiUyRnVzLWVhc3QtMSUyRnMzJTJGYXdzNF9yZXF1ZXN0JlgtQW16LURhdGU9MjAyNTA0MjZUMTcyNTA1WiZYLUFtei1FeHBpcmVzPTMwMCZYLUFtei1TaWduYXR1cmU9NDk0YTU5NjM1YmYxMTQzMTUyY2YwNzY3MjA4NmQyZWI0YzQ5MzQ4NWUxYzU1MzIwNWE5M2I2OTBhODY2ZmE5MCZYLUFtei1TaWduZWRIZWFkZXJzPWhvc3QifQ.6tIZecR9sFafH8JHRSXYI_9eQj5_5hyaogA9GtaLt64\"><img src=\"https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/1409710/354033702-5596d32e-52b3-4791-90eb-32ba0def3162.png?jwt=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.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.6tIZecR9sFafH8JHRSXYI_9eQj5_5hyaogA9GtaLt64\" /></a>\n<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/1409710/432898281-b95a981e-673d-4df1-ad2f-cb92cd3fc416.png?jwt=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.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.LJUGRXJpvGvwOaDAeevtX4pdQStyeBaDOftJplu2Xic\"><img src=\"https://private-user-images.githubusercontent.com/1409710/432898281-b95a981e-673d-4df1-ad2f-cb92cd3fc416.png?jwt=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.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.LJUGRXJpvGvwOaDAeevtX4pdQStyeBaDOftJplu2Xic\" /></a>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h2>How to Use</h2><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#how-to-use\"></a><p></p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Open the app</strong></li>\n<li><strong>Select Files</strong> or drag-and-drop files from Finder, PyCharm, etc.</li>\n<li>Combined contents will appear, grouped in Markdown code blocks.</li>\n<li>Click <strong>Copy to Clipboard</strong> and paste into your LLM or chat.</li>\n</ol>\n<p></p><h3>History Navigation</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#history-navigation\"></a><p></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Back/Forward buttons let you navigate prior selections</li>\n<li>Changes to file contents are detected and marked as <code>(Modified)</code> or <code>(Missing Files)</code></li>\n</ul>\n<p></p><h3>Python Symbol Mode</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#python-symbol-mode\"></a><p></p>\n<ul>\n<li>When <code>.py</code> files are selected, use <strong>Select Classes/Functions</strong> to target specific symbols and relevant imports.</li>\n</ul>\n<p></p><h3>Refreshing</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#refreshing\"></a><p></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Click <strong>Refresh</strong> to reload the current selection, useful after editing source files.</li>\n</ul>\n<p></p><h3>Preferences</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#preferences\"></a><p></p>\n<p>Access via <strong>FileKitty → Preferences</strong> (<code>Cmd+,</code>):</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Default Select Directory</strong> – sets initial folder for file dialog</li>\n<li><strong>History Location</strong> – controls where snapshot state is stored</li>\n</ul>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h2>Developer &amp; Contributor Guide</h2><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#developer--contributor-guide\"></a><p></p>\n<p></p><h3>Manual Build</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#manual-build\"></a><p></p>\n<p>(Also listed above.)</p>\n<div><pre>git clone https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty.git\n<span>cd</span> FileKitty\npoetry install\npoetry run python setup.py py2app</pre></div>\n<p>The app bundle will be created in <code>./dist/</code>.</p>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h3>Linting &amp; Formatting</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#linting--formatting\"></a><p></p>\n<p>Uses <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/\">Ruff</a>:</p>\n<div><pre>make lint      <span><span>#</span> Run linter</span>\nmake format    <span><span>#</span> Format code</span>\n<span><span>#</span> or directly</span>\npoetry run ruff check <span>.</span>\npoetry run ruff format <span>.</span></pre></div>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h3>Pre-commit Hooks</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#pre-commit-hooks\"></a><p></p>\n<p>Set up local linting before commits:</p>\n<div><pre>pre-commit install\npre-commit run --all-files</pre></div>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h3>Continuous Integration</h3><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#continuous-integration\"></a><p></p>\n<ul>\n<li>GitHub Actions validate linting and build on every push</li>\n<li>See <code>.github/workflows/</code> for full pipeline</li>\n</ul>\n<hr />\n<p></p><h2>License</h2><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://github.com/banagale/FileKitty#license\"></a><p></p>\n<p>MIT License © Rob Banagale</p>\n</article></div>",
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