watchexec

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

Rust / Terminal · Apache-2.0 · 7.2k

Reviewed 2026-09-11 · last push 2026-10-19 · repo checked 2026-10-19

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.

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