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Watchexec

Run commands when files change

Developer Tools & Git ★ 7.2k stars Easy setup Apache-2.0

Watchexec is a command-line tool that watches a directory for changes and runs a specified command in response, useful for live-reloading and automation. It runs locally as a single binary.

Official siteSource code

Key features

  • Runs commands on file change
  • Cross-platform
  • Ignore-file aware
  • Single binary

Strengths

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Mature project with 7.2k GitHub stars
  • Written in Rust

Is Watchexec secure?

OSV.dev has no published security advisories for Watchexec's repository. No known vulnerabilities is not proof of security: it means none have been publicly catalogued.

Source: OSV.dev, checked 2026-10-14. How this is measured.

Watchexec replaces

Self-hosted nodemon alternatives

Health badge

Maintain Watchexec? Add its health score to your README. The badge links back to this page.

SelfHostIndex: 91 · excellent

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The score is recomputed on every nightly rebuild from public repository data — see how it is calculated.

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