I used to keep one terminal tab per repository and spin up more whenever a feature crossed multiple codebases. Neovim already gives you directory scopes that can encapsulate an entire project per tab, so I’m trying a new workflow: let Neovim handle the context switching instead of the terminal. With a small tweak to telescope-project.nvim the session stays in sync and I can experiment with keeping everything inside Neovim.

Directory Scopes 101

Neovim ships with three scoping commands for the working directory:

• :cd updates the directory globally. Every window and tab inherits it.
• :tcd scopes the change to the current tab. Other tabs keep their roots.
• :lcd scopes it just to the active window.

The Telescope Project Boost

I lean on telescope-project.nvim to jump between repositories. My contribution in PR #176 adds OSC 7 integration: every time I pick a project, Telescope emits an escape sequence announcing the directory change to the terminal. Any new shell I launch inside that tab automatically starts in the right project root. No more cd gymnastics after the fact.

My Tab-Per-Project Routine

Here’s how a typical session plays out:

1. Open Neovim in a blank tab.
2. Hit <C-p> (mapped to telescope.extensions.project.project{}) and pick a repo.
3. Telescope switches me into that project and runs :tcd so the tab is scoped correctly.
4. If I need another repo, I run :tabedit, hit <C-p> again, and choose the next project.
5. Each tab now owns one repository -- buffers, terminals, and commands stay rooted automatically.

Because :tcd is tab-local, I can bounce between projects instantly without polluting the other tabs. Running tests, opening files via :e, or spawning a terminal split all happen relative to the correct repo.

Configuration Snapshot

require("telescope").setup({
  extensions = {
    project = {
      base_dirs = { "~/dev", "~/work" },
      enable_osc7 = true,
    },
  },
})

require("telescope").load_extension("project")

vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-p>", function()
  require("telescope").extensions.project.project({})
end, { desc = "Jump to project" })

With the OSC 7 support in place, selecting a project also updates the terminal’s current directory. Tabs become project workspaces, terminals stay in sync, and the whole workflow stays inside Neovim.

Tips Along the Way

• Run :tabdo pwd to confirm each tab’s root when you’re getting started.
• Need a one-off directory tweak? :lcd still works for a single window without disturbing the tab.
• Combine this with terminal splits or tools like toggleterm and the shell will always inherit the tab’s project directory.

If you’re juggling multiple repositories, let Neovim handle the context instead of your terminal. Embrace :cd, :tcd, and :lcd, wire them into Telescope, and watch the tab explosion disappear.