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## 8 Multiple Dired Directories and Non-Dired Commands

An Emacs buffer can have but one working directory, stored in the buffer-local variable `default-directory`. A Dired buffer may have several subdirectories inserted, but it still has only one working directory: that of the top-level Dired directory in that buffer. For some commands it is appropriate that they use the current Dired directory instead of `default-directory`, e.g., `find-file` and `compile`.

The command `dired-smart-shell-command`, bound to `M-!` in Dired buffers, is like `shell-command`, but it runs with `default-directory` bound to the current Dired directory.