watchexec
From public sourcesExecutes commands in response to file modifications
Overview
- command-line
- developer-tools
- file-watchers
- linux
- macos
- rust
- windows
Installation
Commands are shown, never run by the marketplace. Check them against the official documentation.- Official websiteFrom public sourcesfrom catalog metadatawatchexec.github.io/ ↗
- Build from sourceFrom public sourcesfrom catalog metadata
Build from source: no validated build recipe — follow the repository instructions.
github.com/watchexec/watchexec ↗
Compatibility
Unknown means no evidence was found — not that the product is incompatible.| Platform | Status | Architecture | Evidence | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Unknown | — | — | — |
| macOS | Unknown | — | — | — |
| Linux | Unknown | — | — | — |
| Container (OCI) | Unknown | — | — | — |
Releases
checked Oct 22, 2026No releases found on the source.
Quality profile
algorithm quality-v1.0 · assessed Oct 15, 2026Quality Score96
Risk Score0
Quality Score and Risk Score are different measures. A high score does not guarantee safety.
Score components
Maintenance · 2020
Documentation · 1515
Ready to use · 1515
Metadata · 1010
Releases · 1010
Category confidence · 107
Adoption · 1010
License clarity · 55
Community · 55
License
Apache-2.0This is the catalog policy status, not legal advice.
Sources
github.com/watchexec/watchexecPrimary★ 7,239 starslast activity Oct 13, 2026Primary repository · Confidence 1.00
Reviews
No reviews yet.
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From watchexec/watchexec · license Apache-2.0 · fetched Oct 29, 2026Watchexec
Software development often involves running the same commands over and over. Boring!
watchexec is a simple, standalone tool that watches a path and runs a command whenever it detects modifications.
Example use cases:
- Automatically run unit tests
- Run linters/syntax checkers
- Rebuild artifacts
Features
- Simple invocation and use, does not require a cryptic command line involving
xargs - Runs on OS X, Linux, and Windows
- Monitors current directory and all subdirectories for changes
- Coalesces multiple filesystem events into one, for editors that use swap/backup files during saving
- Loads
.gitignoreand.ignorefiles - Uses process groups to keep hold of forking programs
- Provides the paths that changed in environment variables or STDIN
- Does not require a language runtime, not tied to any particular language or ecosystem
- And more!
Quick start
Watch all JavaScript, CSS and HTML files in the current directory and all subdirectories for changes, running npm run build when a change is detected:
$ watchexec -e js,css,html npm run build
Call/restart python server.py when any Python file in the current directory (and all subdirectories) changes:
$ watchexec -r -e py -- python server.py
More usage examples: in the CLI README!
Install
- With your package manager for Arch, Debian, Homebrew, Nix, Scoop, Chocolatey…
- From binary with Binstall:
cargo binstall watchexec-cli - As pre-built binary package from Github
- From source with Cargo:
cargo install --locked watchexec-cli
All options in detail: in the CLI README,
in the online help (watchexec -h, watchexec --help, or watchexec --manual),
and in the manual page.
Augment
Watchexec pairs well with:
- checkexec: to run only when source files are newer than a target file
- just: a modern alternative to
make - systemfd: socket-passing in development
Extend
- watchexec library: to create more specialised watchexec-powered tools.
- watchexec-events: event types for watchexec.
- watchexec-signals: signal types for watchexec.
- watchexec-supervisor: process lifecycle manager (the exec part of watchexec).
- clearscreen: to clear the (terminal) screen on every platform.
- process wrap: to run commands in process groups.
- ignore files: to find, parse, and interpret ignore files.
- project origins: to find the origin(s) directory of a project.
- notify: to respond to file modifications (third-party).
Downstreams
Selected downstreams of watchexec and associated crates:
cargo watch: a specialised watcher for Rust/Cargo projects.- cargo lambda: a dev tool for Rust-powered AWS Lambda functions.
- create-rust-app: a template for Rust+React web apps.
- devenv.sh: a developer environment with nix-based declarative configs.
- dotter: a dotfile manager.
- ghciwatch: a specialised watcher for Haskell projects.
- tectonic: a TeX/LaTeX typesetting system.