gvfs-ls

gvfs-ls [OPTION...] [LOCATION...]

-h, --help
    Show help information

-V, --version
    Print version information

-l
    Use long listing format with details

-u
    Human-readable file sizes (e.g., 1.2K)

-a
    List all entries, including hidden files

-d
    List directory itself, not contents

-S
    Sort by file size, largest first

-t
    Sort by modification time, newest first

-R, --recursive
    Recurse into subdirectories

gvfs-ls is a command-line utility from the GNOME Virtual File System (GVFS) that displays the contents of directories accessible via GVFS URIs. GVFS extends the filesystem to include remote locations like SMB shares (smb://server/share), FTP servers (ftp://host/path), WebDAV, Google Drive, trash (trash:///), recent files (recent:///), and more, without needing explicit mounts.

It behaves similarly to ls, supporting options for formatting, sorting, and recursion. If no LOCATION is specified, it lists the current directory. URIs can be local paths or virtual namespaces. Output includes file names, sizes, and permissions in long format.

Ideal for scripting or quick inspection of virtual resources in GNOME environments. It communicates with the GVFS daemon via D-Bus, ensuring seamless integration with GIO applications. Note that access requires appropriate GVFS backend packages (e.g., gvfs-backends) and user authentication for remote URIs.

Requires GVFS daemon running and relevant backends installed (e.g., gvfs-backends). May prompt for credentials on remote URIs. Not recursive by default; use -R carefully on deep trees. Deprecated in favor of gio ls in newer GNOME versions.

gvfs-ls trash:///
Lists trash contents.
gvfs-ls -l smb://server/share
Long listing of SMB share.
gvfs-ls -R recent:///
Recursively lists recent files.

Introduced in GVFS 0.1 (2008) with GNOME 2.24 for GIO VFS support. Evolved with GVFS backends; maintained for compatibility as gio ls became standard post-GNOME 3.2.

gio(1), gvfs-cat(1), gvfs-mount(1), ls(1)