# watchexec

> Apache-2.0 mature file→command watcher (entr-class)

**Category:** Rust  
**Pricing:** open-source  
**URL:** https://watchexec.github.io  
**GitHub:** https://github.com/watchexec/watchexec  
**Added:** 2026-09-11

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## The Hook

watchexec is the general file→command watcher when you want “run this on change” without a Kubernetes-shaped Tiltfile.

## What's Good

Apache-2.0. watchexec/watchexec. Cross-platform CLI that watches paths, coalesces editor swap/backup noise, honors .gitignore/.ignore, and restarts or runs any command. Environment/STDIN expose changed paths. Homepage watchexec.github.io; source github.com/watchexec/watchexec.

## The Catch

Vs Tilt (K8s microservice *dev control plane*): watchexec is the entr-class local file watcher, not a cluster live-update UI. Not a build system and not a process supervisor for multi-service graphs. You still write the command and filter extensions yourself.

## Verdict

Apache-2.0 file watcher. Free forever; fill the entr-shaped hole when Tilt is overkill.