A lightweight file watcher that automatically triggers rebuild commands when source files change.

• Recursive directory watching with configurable file patterns
• Smart language detection - auto-detects Go, Rust, Node.js projects
• Debounced rebuilds - prevents redundant builds during rapid edits (500ms default)
• Real-time output streaming - integrates seamlessly with Emacs compilation mode
• Cross-platform - works on Linux, macOS, Windows via fsnotify
• Graceful shutdown - handles Ctrl+C cleanly, no zombie processes

go install github.com/rnestertsov/watch@latest

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/rnestertsov/watch
cd watch
go build -o watch

# Auto-detect project type and watch relevant files
watch --cmd "go build"

# With verbose output
watch --cmd "go build" --verbose

# Watch specific directory
watch --cmd "cargo build" --dir ./myproject

# Custom file patterns
watch --cmd "make test" --pattern "*.c" --ignore "build/"

# Multiple ignore patterns
watch --cmd "npm run build" --ignore "node_modules/,dist/,*.test.js"

# Custom debounce delay (in milliseconds)
watch --cmd "go test" --debounce 1000

--cmd string        Build command to run (required, e.g., "go build")
--dir string        Directory to watch (default: current directory)
--pattern string    File pattern to watch (default: auto-detect from project)
--ignore string     Comma-separated patterns to ignore
--debounce int      Milliseconds to wait after file change (default: 500)
--verbose           Show watcher activity and timing info

Watch automatically detects your project type and sets appropriate defaults:

You can override these defaults with --pattern and --ignore flags.

Some editors use atomic save (write to temp file, then rename). This should work fine with fsnotify, but if you have issues:

1. Try increasing debounce: --debounce 1000
2. Check that your file matches the pattern: use --verbose to see what's being watched
3. Verify the file isn't in an ignored directory

Increase the debounce delay:

watch --cmd "make" --debounce 1000  # Wait 1 second

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

• Uses fsnotify for cross-platform file watching