As developers, we’re always looking for ways to streamline our workflow and eliminate those small friction points that add up over time. One common task that can be surprisingly tedious is opening your IDE with a specific project directory. If you’re using PHPStorm on macOS and find yourself constantly navigating through Finder or the IDE’s file picker, this simple solution will save you time every single day.

The Problem

How many times have you been working in the terminal, navigated to a project directory, and then had to:

1. Open PHPStorm manually
2. Click „Open“ or „Open Project“
3. Navigate through the file picker to find your project
4. Finally start coding

It’s not a huge deal, but it breaks your flow and wastes precious seconds that add up over time.

The Solution: A Custom Terminal Command

What if you could simply type storm . in any directory and have PHPStorm open instantly with that project loaded? Well, you can! Here’s how to set up a custom terminal command that does exactly that.

Setting Up Your Custom PHPStorm Launcher

Step 1: Create the Script

First, create a new bash script. I’ll call it storm for brevity, but you can name it whatever makes sense to you.

#!/bin/bash

# PHPStorm Launch Script
# Opens PHPStorm with the current directory

# If a parameter is passed, use it as the path
if [ "$1" == "." ]; then
    # Current directory
    DIRECTORY=$(pwd)
elif [ -n "$1" ]; then
    # Specific directory
    DIRECTORY="$1"
else
    # Fallback: current directory
    DIRECTORY=$(pwd)
fi

# Open PHPStorm
open -na "PhpStorm.app" --args "$DIRECTORY"

Step 2: Make It Executable and Accessible

Save this script as storm (without any file extension) in a directory that’s in your system PATH. The most common location is /usr/local/bin/:

# Save the script
sudo nano /usr/local/bin/storm

# Make it executable
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/storm

Step 3: Verify Your PATH

Make sure /usr/local/bin/ is in your PATH by running:

echo $PATH

If it’s not there, add it to your shell configuration file (.zshrc for Zsh or .bash_profile for Bash):

export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"

Then reload your shell configuration:

source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bash_profile

How to Use Your New Command

Once everything is set up, you can use your new command in several ways:

• storm . – Opens PHPStorm with the current directory
• storm /path/to/project – Opens PHPStorm with a specific directory
• storm – Opens PHPStorm with the current directory (fallback behavior)

How It Works

The script leverages macOS’s built-in open command, which is designed to open files and applications just like double-clicking them in Finder. The -na flags tell macOS to:

• -n – Open a new instance of the application
• -a – Specify the application name

The --args parameter passes the directory path directly to PHPStorm, which automatically opens it as a project.

Customization Ideas

Want to take this further? Here are some ideas:

Different IDE Support

You could create similar scripts for other JetBrains IDEs:

# For WebStorm
open -na "WebStorm.app" --args "$DIRECTORY"

# For IntelliJ IDEA
open -na "IntelliJ IDEA.app" --args "$DIRECTORY"

Smart IDE Detection

Create a script that automatically chooses the right IDE based on the project type:

if [ -f "composer.json" ]; then
    open -na "PhpStorm.app" --args "$DIRECTORY"
elif [ -f "package.json" ]; then
    open -na "WebStorm.app" --args "$DIRECTORY"
else
    open -na "PhpStorm.app" --args "$DIRECTORY"
fi

Error Handling

Add some error checking to make the script more robust:

# Check if PHPStorm is installed
if ! ls /Applications/ | grep -q "PhpStorm.app"; then
    echo "PHPStorm not found in /Applications/"
    exit 1
fi

# Check if directory exists
if [ ! -d "$DIRECTORY" ]; then
    echo "Directory does not exist: $DIRECTORY"
    exit 1
fi

Why This Matters

Small optimizations like this might seem trivial, but they compound over time. If you open projects 10 times a day and this saves you 10 seconds each time, that’s over 6 hours saved per year. More importantly, it maintains your flow state and keeps you focused on what really matters: writing great code.

Conclusion

Setting up custom terminal commands for your development tools is a simple way to boost your productivity. This PHPStorm launcher is just one example—the same principle can be applied to any application or workflow you use regularly.

Give it a try and see how much smoother your development workflow becomes. Your future self will thank you for those extra seconds saved and the reduced friction in your daily coding routine.

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What other development workflow optimizations have you implemented? Share your favorite terminal shortcuts and productivity hacks in the comments below!