Summary
Add a process-wide --read-only CLI flag so the application performs no filesystem write on any drive. All write-related operations are disabled or no-op; UI reflects the mode and greys out disabled actions.
Operations inhibited in read-only mode
- Delete / move to Recycle Bin or Trash — UI disabled; programmatic calls no-op + log warning.
- Saving settings — In-memory changes allowed; no write to
settings.json; user informed that changes won’t be saved.
- Export results (CSV, etc.) — Export actions disabled/greyed; no file created.
- Drag-and-drop that would move/copy files — Disabled (e.g. no shell drag-drop data on Windows).
- Quick Access pinning (Windows) — Pin/unpin disabled.
- Logging to
FindHelper.log — No log file; use stderr/stdout or in-memory only.
- Index dump (
--dump-index-to) — Rejected (error exit or ignore + stderr message); no dump file.
- Any other disk writes — Gated by a central “can write?” check; documented or disabled when read-only.
User-visible behavior
- Small “Read-only mode” indicator in the main window.
- Disabled actions greyed with tooltip: e.g. “Disabled in read-only mode (
--read-only); this action would modify files or settings.”
--help documents the flag.
Spec
Full specification (in development repo): specs/2026-02-24_read_only_read_only_mode_spec.md — requirements, edge cases, platform notes (Windows Shell APIs, etc.), and acceptance criteria.
Scope
All platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Summary
Add a process-wide
--read-onlyCLI flag so the application performs no filesystem write on any drive. All write-related operations are disabled or no-op; UI reflects the mode and greys out disabled actions.Operations inhibited in read-only mode
settings.json; user informed that changes won’t be saved.FindHelper.log— No log file; use stderr/stdout or in-memory only.--dump-index-to) — Rejected (error exit or ignore + stderr message); no dump file.User-visible behavior
--read-only); this action would modify files or settings.”--helpdocuments the flag.Spec
Full specification (in development repo):
specs/2026-02-24_read_only_read_only_mode_spec.md— requirements, edge cases, platform notes (Windows Shell APIs, etc.), and acceptance criteria.Scope
All platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.