Sidebuf

A simple, zero-dependency buffer list sidebar for Emacs.

Sidebuf displays a persistent, sorted list of your open buffers in a side window. It tracks the active buffer, lets you pin favorites to the top, and provides quick toggles for filtering and sorting, all in about 600 lines of Elisp with no external dependencies.

(sidebuf panel on the left window)

Features

• Pinned sidebar, always-visible buffer list on the left or right
• Alphabetical or recent sort order, toggled with s
• Pin buffers to the top of the list with i
• Filter *special* and hidden buffers on the fly
• Smart selection, reuses an existing window if the buffer is already displayed
• Display without switching, preview a buffer with o
• Modified/read-only indicators next to buffer names
• Active-buffer tracking with fringe indicator
• Kill buffers from the sidebar with k
• Jump in and out of the panel with a single keychord (sidebuf-select-window)
• Built-in help, press ? for a dismissible keybinding cheat-sheet

Installation

From source (use-package)

Clone the repo and point use-package at it:

(use-package sidebuf
  :load-path "~/sidebuf"
  :commands (sidebuf-open sidebuf-close sidebuf-toggle))

MELPA

Sidebuf is available on MELPA:

(use-package sidebuf
  :ensure t
  :commands (sidebuf-open sidebuf-close sidebuf-toggle))

Usage

Command	Description
sidebuf-toggle	Open or close the panel
sidebuf-open	Open the panel
sidebuf-close	Close the panel
sidebuf-select-window	Jump to the panel, or back out

Press ? inside the panel to toggle a help window listing all keybindings (press ? again or ESC to dismiss it):

Navigation:
  p, C-p, up, left     Previous buffer
  n, C-n, down, right  Next buffer

Actions:
  RET                  Select buffer (smart window reuse)
  o                    Display buffer (keep focus here)
  k                    Kill buffer at point
  i                    Pin/unpin buffer at point
  g                    Refresh buffer list

Toggles:
  s                    Toggle sort (alphabetical / recent)
  *                    Toggle *special* buffer visibility
  .                    Toggle hidden buffer visibility

Other:
  ?                    Toggle this help
  ESC                  Close this help
  q                    Close sidebuf panel

Jumping to and from the panel

sidebuf-select-window jumps the cursor straight into the panel from whatever window you are in, opening the panel first if it is not already visible. Run it again while you are in the panel and it jumps back to the window you came from. One key therefore toggles between your work and the buffer list, inspired by Treemacs' treemacs-select-window.

It is deliberately not bound to any key by default, so it never clobbers a binding you already use. Bind it to a global key of your choosing. With plain Emacs:

(global-set-key (kbd "C-c b") #'sidebuf-select-window)

Or with use-package:

(use-package sidebuf
  :ensure t
  :commands (sidebuf-open sidebuf-close sidebuf-toggle)
  :bind ("C-c b" . sidebuf-select-window))

(C-c b is just a suggestion, feel free to use any keychord you like.)

Customization

All options are in the sidebuf customization group (M-x customize-group sidebuf):

Variable	Default	Description
sidebuf-side	left	Panel placement (left or right)
sidebuf-width	24	Panel width in characters
sidebuf-show-special	t	Show *special* buffers
sidebuf-show-hidden	nil	Show hidden (space-prefixed) buffers
sidebuf-sort-order	alphabetical	alphabetical or recent
sidebuf-pin-new-position	bottom	Where new pins go (top or bottom)
sidebuf-show-indicators	t	Show modified/read-only markers

Faces

Face	Purpose
sidebuf-hl-line	Current line when panel is focused
sidebuf-hl-line-inactive	Current line when panel is unfocused
sidebuf-fringe-indicator	Fringe indicator color
sidebuf-pinned	Pinned buffer names
sidebuf-special	*Special* buffer names
sidebuf-hidden	Hidden (space-prefixed) buffer names
sidebuf-modified	Modified indicator

Requirements

Emacs 27.1 or later. No external dependencies.

License

GPL-3.0-or-later. See LICENSE.