---
title: Stack File Explorer
description: Browse, view, edit, upload, rename, and chmod every file inside a stack's directory from the dashboard.
---
The file explorer gives you direct access to everything inside a stack's directory: configuration files, certificates, scripts, static assets, and any other files your containers depend on. It lives on the **Files** tab inside the stack editor, alongside the dedicated `compose.yaml` and `.env` editors.
The explorer is scoped to the stack's own directory. You cannot browse other stacks or navigate above the stack root.
## Opening the file explorer
1. Click any stack in the left sidebar.
2. Click **edit** in the right-hand Anatomy panel header to open the editor.
3. Switch to the **Files** tab.
The **files** shortcut button next to **edit** in the Anatomy header opens the editor and selects the Files tab in one click.
## Tiers at a glance
Browse the directory tree, view text files in read-only mode, and inspect file permissions.
Full read and write: upload, download, edit and save, create files and folders, rename, change permissions, and delete. Admiral inherits the same access.
## Layout
The Files tab splits into two panes. The left pane holds the upload affordance, the new-folder button, and the directory tree. The right pane is the action bar plus the file viewer.
## Browsing the directory tree
Folders sort before files, and entries within each group sort alphabetically.
Click a folder to expand or collapse it. Click a file to open it in the viewer on the right. Symlinks render with a chain icon and behave like files when clicked.
**Display cap.** Each directory render is capped at 500 entries. A folder with more than 500 children shows the first 500 alphabetically and appends `Showing 500 of N - refine in shell` at the bottom of the list. For directories with more entries, work from a host shell.
## Protected files
The amber dot in the tree marks the five canonical stack files: `compose.yaml`, `compose.yml`, `docker-compose.yaml`, `docker-compose.yml`, and `.env`.
Two behaviours follow from the marker:
- **Dedicated tab redirect.** Clicking `compose.yaml`, `compose.yml`, or `.env` jumps you to the matching **compose.yaml** or **.env** tab so the save-and-deploy controls stay in front of you. `docker-compose.yaml` and `docker-compose.yml` are still flagged as protected, but they open in the regular file viewer because they are not the canonical Sencho file.
- **Type-to-confirm delete.** All five protected names require typing the filename to confirm a delete. See the Deleting section below.
## Viewing files
When you click a text file, its contents appear in the editor on the right. The Monaco editor auto-detects the language from the extension.
| File type | Behaviour |
|-----------|-----------|
| Text file up to 2 MB | Rendered inline with syntax highlighting. |
| Text file over 2 MB | Panel with the filename and size, plus a **Download** button on Skipper+. |
| Binary file | Same panel layout, label is `Binary file`. |
On Community, the panel for over-2-MB and binary files omits the Download button. To pull oversized or binary files from Community, use a host shell or `docker cp`.
## Editing and saving (Skipper+)
When you have stack edit permission and a paid tier, the editor opens in write mode. The toolbar shows the filename and a **Save** button that activates as soon as there are unsaved changes.
When you do not, the toolbar shows a `Read-only` chip and the editor refuses input.
Click **Save** to write the file to disk. Navigating away from the file before saving discards the unsaved edits.
Editing a file does not restart any containers. If your stack reads the file at runtime (for example, a config file mounted as a volume), restart the relevant service after saving so the container picks up the new content.
## Creating files and folders (Skipper+)
The toolbar **New folder** button at the top of the tree creates a folder in the currently selected directory (the parent of the file you have open, or the stack root if nothing is open). The button is hidden on Community.
Right-click any folder for **New File** and **New Folder** entries that scope to the right-clicked folder. These write controls appear only when your account has stack edit permission and the active tier is Skipper or Admiral.
Filenames cannot be empty, cannot contain `/` or `\`, and cannot be `.` or `..`. The Create button stays disabled until the input passes validation.
## Uploading files (Skipper+)
The dashed **Upload file** affordance at the top of the tree opens a file picker. Uploads are one file at a time.
| Limit | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Maximum file size | 25 MB. Uploads above the limit return a 413 error with `TOO_LARGE`. |
| Target directory | The currently selected directory, or the stack root if no file is open. |
| Same-name files | Overwritten without prompt. |
On Community, and for users without stack edit permission, the upload affordance is hidden entirely.
For bulk transfers or files above 25 MB, use `scp` or `rsync` from your workstation directly to the stack directory on the host.
## Downloading files (Skipper+)
When a file is selected on Skipper+, the right pane action bar shows **Download**. Files stream straight to your browser. Files that exceed the inline preview limit also expose a Download button inside the oversized-file panel itself.
## Renaming (Skipper+)
Right-click any file or folder and choose **Rename**. The dialog accepts a new name following the same rules as creation.
Rename appears only when your account has stack edit permission and the active tier is Skipper or Admiral. The rename is in-place; cross-directory moves are not supported. To move an entry between directories, copy it via the host shell or upload to the new location and delete the original.
## Permissions (chmod)
Right-click any file and choose **Permissions** to inspect or edit its Unix mode bits. The dialog shows a 3 by 3 grid of `r` / `w` / `x` toggles for Owner, Group, and Other, plus the current octal value.
On Community the dialog opens read-only: the toggles render the current state and the footer shows only **Close**. On Skipper+ the toggles are interactive and the footer adds **Save**.
Permissions are applied with `chmod`. Symlinks may not honour the change depending on the host kernel.
## Deleting (Skipper+)
There are three delete entry points. All three require stack edit permission and a Skipper or Admiral tier, and all three open the same confirmation modal.
- **Toolbar delete.** With a file open in the viewer, click **Delete** in the right-pane action bar.
- **Context-menu delete.** Right-click any file or folder in the tree and choose **Delete**.
- **Non-empty folder delete.** The first attempt is non-recursive. If the folder has contents, the modal switches to `This folder is not empty. Delete everything inside?` with a destructive **Delete all** button.
When the entry is one of the five protected names, the modal asks you to type the filename before the destructive button activates.
Deletes are permanent. Sencho does not keep a trash bin or undo history for file operations.
## Context menu reference
| Right-click target | Skipper+ entries | Community admin entries |
|---|---|---|
| Folder | New File, New Folder, Rename, Delete | No write entries |
| File | Rename, Permissions, Delete | Permissions |
On Community, write actions are hidden in the file explorer. The Permissions dialog opens for everyone, but only Skipper and Admiral users can save changes.
## Troubleshooting
The binary detection heuristic flagged null bytes or a high proportion of non-printable characters in the file's first kilobytes. This can happen with certain encodings, non-UTF-8 byte sequences, or unusual line-ending mixes. Download the file, edit it locally or via a host terminal, then re-upload.
The file exceeds the 25 MB per-file upload limit. Compress or split the file before uploading, or transfer it via `scp` or `rsync` directly to the stack directory on the host.
The first delete attempt is non-recursive. If the folder is not empty, the dialog switches to `This folder is not empty. Delete everything inside?`. Click **Delete all** to remove the folder and its contents. If the error persists, check whether a running container has an open file handle inside that directory; stop the relevant service and retry.
The container caches the file at startup, or the mount is configured read-only inside the container. Restart the service after saving so the container picks up the new file.
You are on the Community tier. Downloads are a Skipper+ feature. To pull large or binary files from Community, use a host terminal or `docker cp`.
Each directory render is capped at 500 entries to keep the tree responsive. The first 500 entries alphabetically are shown. To work with the entries past the cap, drop into a host shell with `cd` into the stack directory.
Upload, create, rename, chmod save, and delete require stack edit permission and a Skipper or Admiral tier. Community users can browse, preview text files, and inspect permissions in read-only mode.