# Install gitwatch with Homebrew, Nix Watch a file or folder and automatically commit changes to a git repo easily. Version 0.6 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-18. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:gitwatch ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install gitwatch ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#gitwatch ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gi/gitwatch/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:gitwatch - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.6 - **Source summary:** Watch a file or folder and automatically commit changes to a git repo easily - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-18T09:25:51+09:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-09T07:20:21+00:00 ## Executables - gitwatch (cli) - gitwatch (alias) ## Dependencies - coreutils - fswatch ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on all ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-09 - Package-manager version: 0.6 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-18 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/gitwatch/gitwatch - Upstream latest detected: v0.6 (current) ## Project history and usage gitwatch is a small shell-script utility that watches a file or directory and automatically commits changes to an existing Git repository. Its history is the history of a practical automation wrapper: file-system notifications, a short delay, git add, git commit, and optional push. ### Project history The gitwatch repository was created on GitHub in 2012 and kept the project's scope deliberately small. The official README describes it as a Bash script for watching a file or folder and committing changes to a Git repository. Over time, the project added packaging and operating-system conveniences around that script. The README documents installation from source, bpkg, Arch AUR, NixOS, Docker, and user services for SysVInit and systemd, while keeping the central behavior as a long-running watch loop. ### Adoption history gitwatch attracted users who wanted automatic history for files that are not normally managed through explicit Git commits. The README names configuration files and document files as examples, especially when an application writes changes without a clear save or apply workflow. Package metadata in this batch shows Homebrew and Nix packaging, and the README documents additional community distribution through AUR and Docker. That is modest but real adoption for a niche automation script. ### How it is used Practitioners run gitwatch against a file or directory that already belongs to a Git repository. On Linux it uses inotifywait; on macOS the README points users to fswatch and coreutils through Homebrew. A typical use is personal or small-team backup of frequently edited notes, dotfiles, or generated configuration. gitwatch waits briefly after a change to avoid racing partial writes, commits the changed file or directory contents, and can push to a remote when configured. ### Why package nerds care gitwatch is package-nerd interesting because it is tiny Unix automation rather than a platform. It exposes Git as a low-friction append-only history mechanism for arbitrary local state. The tool also illustrates the tradeoff that packagers like: one shell script plus standard utilities can cover a workflow that would otherwise invite a daemon, database, or bespoke sync service. ### Timeline - 2012: The gitwatch repository is created on GitHub. - 2020: The v0.1 tag appears in the repository tag history. - 2021: The README table of contents records active documentation work around installation and service usage. - 2024: NixOS module instructions are documented for service-style deployments. ### Related projects - Git provides the repository and commit machinery used by gitwatch. - inotify-tools provides the inotifywait watcher used on Linux. - fswatch and GNU coreutils are documented as macOS requirements. - systemd, SysVInit, Docker, bpkg, AUR, and NixOS are documented deployment surfaces. ### Sources - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** gitwatch - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - gitwatch: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/gi/gitwatch/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Archive and compression packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/archive-compression-tools/) - Matched archive or compression metadata. - [coreutils](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/coreutils/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [fswatch](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fswatch/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [gh](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gh/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: automation, cli, developer-tools, git, version-control. - [git-xargs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/git-xargs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: automation, cli, developer-tools, git, version-control. - [gitbackup](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gitbackup/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: backup, cli, developer-tools, git, version-control. - [gitup](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gitup/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: automation, cli, developer-tools, git, version-control. - [lefthook](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lefthook/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: automation, cli, developer-tools, git, version-control. - [ahoy](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ahoy/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: automation, cli, developer-tools. - [aicommit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aicommit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, git, version-control. - [aicommit2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aicommit2/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, git, version-control. - [dura](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dura/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: automatically, backup, cli, control, developer. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/gitwatch.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/gitwatch.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph