diff --git a/scripts/components/Directory.js b/scripts/components/Directory.js
index 9d18f98..3006192 100644
--- a/scripts/components/Directory.js
+++ b/scripts/components/Directory.js
@@ -3,19 +3,21 @@ import ReactMixin from 'react-mixin';
 import LocalStorageMixin from 'react-localstorage';
 import request from 'superagent';
 import FileNodes from './FileNodes';
+import { stopAutoScroll } from './scroll';
 
 export default class Directory extends React.Component {
-
   static get propTypes() {
     return {
       url: PropTypes.string,
-      name: PropTypes.string
+      name: PropTypes.string,
+      current: PropTypes.bool
     };
   }
   static get getDefaultProps() {
     return {
       url: '',
-      name: ''
+      name: '',
+      current: false
     };
   }
 
@@ -27,11 +29,40 @@ export default class Directory extends React.Component {
     };
   }
 
+  // also runs when the expanded flag is restored from localStorage
+  componentDidUpdate(prevProps, prevState) {
+    if (this.state.expanded && !prevState.expanded) {
+      request
+        .get(this.getExploreUrl())
+        .end((err, res) => {
+          if (err || !this.state.expanded) {
+            return;
+          }
+          try {
+            this.setState({ children: JSON.parse(res.text) });
+          } catch (e) {
+            // not JSON, e.g. a sign-in page after the session expired
+          }
+        });
+    }
+  }
+
   getLocalStorageKey() {
     return this.props.url;
   }
 
-  toggleFolder(path) {
+  // persist only the expanded flag; children are always loaded from the server
+  // eslint-disable-next-line class-methods-use-this
+  getStateFilterKeys() {
+    return ['expanded'];
+  }
+
+  getExploreUrl() {
+    return this.props.url;
+  }
+
+  toggleFolder() {
+    stopAutoScroll();
     if (this.state.expanded) {
       this.setState({
         expanded: false,
@@ -39,26 +70,14 @@ export default class Directory extends React.Component {
       });
     } else {
       this.setState({ expanded: true });
-      request
-        .get(path)
-        .end((err, res) => {
-          if (err) {
-            return;
-          }
-          try {
-            this.setState({ children: JSON.parse(res.text) });
-          } catch (e) {
-            return;
-          }
-        });
     }
   }
 
   render() {
     const arrow = this.state.expanded ? 'octicon octicon-chevron-down' : 'octicon octicon-chevron-right';
     return (
-      <li className="folder-node">
-        <button className="folder-expander" onClick={() => this.toggleFolder(this.props.url)}>
+      <li className={this.props.current ? 'folder-node current' : 'folder-node'}>
+        <button className="folder-expander" onClick={() => this.toggleFolder()}>
           <i className={arrow} />
           <i className="menu-icon octicon octicon-file-directory" />
           {this.props.name}
diff --git a/scripts/components/File.js b/scripts/components/File.js
index 0d76958..5651633 100644
--- a/scripts/components/File.js
+++ b/scripts/components/File.js
@@ -1,17 +1,22 @@
 import React, { PropTypes } from 'react';
 
 export default class File extends React.Component {
-
   static get propTypes() {
     return {
       url: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
       name: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+      current: PropTypes.bool,
+    };
+  }
+  static get defaultProps() {
+    return {
+      current: false,
     };
   }
 
   render() {
     return (
-      <li className="file-node">
+      <li className={this.props.current ? 'file-node current' : 'file-node'}>
         <a href={this.props.url}>
           <i className="menu-icon octicon octicon-file" />
           {this.props.name}
diff --git a/scripts/components/FileNodes.js b/scripts/components/FileNodes.js
index 2de39b1..2aa79cb 100644
--- a/scripts/components/FileNodes.js
+++ b/scripts/components/FileNodes.js
@@ -1,23 +1,56 @@
 import React, { PropTypes } from 'react';
 import File from './File';
 import Directory from './Directory';
+import { scrollToCurrent } from './scroll';
 
-export default class FileNodes extends React.Component {
+// compare decoded paths without trailing slash,
+// the browser and the server may encode them differently
+function normalizePath(path) {
+  let decoded = path;
+  try {
+    decoded = decodeURIComponent(path);
+  } catch (e) {
+    // keep it as it is
+  }
+  return decoded.replace(/\/+$/, '');
+}
 
+export default class FileNodes extends React.Component {
   static get propTypes() {
     return {
-      data: PropTypes.array.isRequired,
+      data: PropTypes.arrayOf(PropTypes.shape({
+        name: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+        url: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+        isDirectory: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
+      })).isRequired,
     };
   }
 
+  componentDidMount() {
+    scrollToCurrent(this.list);
+  }
+
+  componentDidUpdate(prevProps) {
+    if (prevProps.data !== this.props.data) {
+      scrollToCurrent(this.list);
+    }
+  }
+
   render() {
-    const nodes = this.props.data.map(node => (
-      node.isDirectory ?
-        <Directory key={node.url} name={node.name} url={node.url.replace('/tree/', '/explore/')} />
-        : <File key={node.url} name={node.name} url={node.url} />
-    ));
+    const currentPath = normalizePath(document.location.pathname);
+    const nodes = this.props.data.map((node) => {
+      const current = normalizePath(node.url) === currentPath;
+      return node.isDirectory ?
+        <Directory
+          key={node.url}
+          name={node.name}
+          url={node.url.replace('/tree/', '/explore/')}
+          current={current}
+        />
+        : <File key={node.url} name={node.name} url={node.url} current={current} />;
+    });
     return (
-      <ul>
+      <ul ref={(el) => { this.list = el; }}>
         {nodes}
       </ul>
     );
diff --git a/scripts/components/Root.js b/scripts/components/Root.js
index 7bf2dbe..fcc7396 100644
--- a/scripts/components/Root.js
+++ b/scripts/components/Root.js
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import FileNodes from './FileNodes';
 import Directory from './Directory';
 
 export default class Root extends Directory {
-
   componentWillMount() {
     const logo = document.querySelector('header.main-header a.logo');
     if (!logo) {
@@ -34,16 +33,20 @@ export default class Root extends Directory {
     return `${this.state.rootPath}/${this.state.branch}`;
   }
 
+  getExploreUrl() {
+    return `${this.state.rootPath}/explore/${this.state.branch}`;
+  }
+
   render() {
     const arrow = this.state.expanded ? 'octicon octicon-chevron-down' : 'octicon octicon-chevron-right';
     return (
       <div className="tree-node">
-        <button className="root-expander btn btn-default" onClick={() => this.toggleFolder(`${this.state.rootPath}/explore/${this.state.branch}`)} >
+        <button className="root-expander btn btn-default" onClick={() => this.toggleFolder()} >
           <i className={arrow} />
         </button>
         <a href={this.state.rootPath} className="submenu-files" >
           <i className="menu-icon octicon octicon-file-directory" />
-          Files
+          <span>Files</span>
         </a>
         <div className="file-tree" style={this.state.expanded ? {} : { display: 'none' }} >
           <FileNodes data={this.state.children} />
diff --git a/scripts/components/scroll.js b/scripts/components/scroll.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b1af2f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/components/scroll.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// Keeps the current file or folder visible while the tree restores its expanded folders
+// after a page load. Stops once the user expands or collapses a folder, so the tree
+// doesn't jump back to it.
+let enabled = true;
+
+export function stopAutoScroll() {
+  enabled = false;
+}
+
+// scroll only the tree (not the page)
+export function scrollToCurrent(element) {
+  const tree = enabled && element && element.closest('.file-tree');
+  const current = tree && tree.querySelector('li.current');
+  if (!current) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const item = current.firstElementChild.getBoundingClientRect();
+  const view = tree.getBoundingClientRect();
+  if (item.top < view.top || item.bottom > view.bottom) {
+    tree.scrollTop += (item.top - view.top) - ((view.height - item.height) / 2);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/resources/explorer/assets/plugin-explorer.css b/src/main/resources/explorer/assets/plugin-explorer.css
index 876b132..f48f264 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/explorer/assets/plugin-explorer.css
+++ b/src/main/resources/explorer/assets/plugin-explorer.css
@@ -78,3 +78,19 @@ li.active .file-tree {
 .file-node > a:hover {
   opacity: 0.6;
 }
+/* the file or folder shown on the current page */
+.file-tree li.current > a,
+.file-tree li.current > .folder-expander {
+  font-weight: bold;
+}
+.file-tree li.current > a {
+  background-color: #e8f1f8;
+}
+/* collapsed (mini) sidebar: show only the icon, like the core menu items */
+@media (min-width: 768px) {
+  .sidebar-mini.sidebar-collapse .tree-node > .root-expander,
+  .sidebar-mini.sidebar-collapse .tree-node > .file-tree,
+  .sidebar-mini.sidebar-collapse .submenu-files > span {
+    display: none;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/components/Directory.spec.js b/test/components/Directory.spec.js
index 6723080..fa608a6 100644
--- a/test/components/Directory.spec.js
+++ b/test/components/Directory.spec.js
@@ -34,9 +34,11 @@ describe('Directory', () => {
   });
 
   it('collapses without issuing a network call on second toggle', () => {
-    sinon.stub(request, 'get');
+    sinon.stub(request, 'get').returns({ end: () => {} });
     const wrapper = shallow(<Directory name="src" url="/owner/repo/explore/main/src" />);
+    // expanding loads the children, like restoring the expanded flag from localStorage
     wrapper.setState({ expanded: true, children: [{ name: 'x', url: '/x', isDirectory: false }] });
+    request.get.resetHistory();
 
     wrapper.instance().toggleFolder('/owner/repo/explore/main/src');
     wrapper.update();