install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install wgo

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#wgo

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/wg/wgo/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Watch arbitrary files and respond with arbitrary commands

Project links

Commands and aliases

wgo

history

Project history and usage

wgo, expanded in the README as watcher-go, is a Go-focused live-reload and general file-watcher command. Its upstream description is direct: watch arbitrary files and respond with arbitrary commands, including multiple commands in parallel.

Project history

The GitHub repository was created in January 2023 and presents wgo as a response to file watchers that force commands into strings, require configuration files, or produce noisy output. The README emphasizes that the implementation is intentionally short and that core documentation starts with the quickstart.

Release metadata shows continued development through the 0.5 series in 2024-2025 and 0.6.x releases in 2025-2026. That history is young compared with older Unix tools, but the project has settled into a recognizable niche among Go developers who want a small live-reload wrapper.

Adoption history

wgo's adoption signal is mainly GitHub- and Go-community based rather than institutional. It is packaged for Homebrew and Nix, but its source-backed identity comes from the repository, release stream, and README positioning rather than from long distribution history.

How it is used

The most common use is to prefix a command with wgo so that it reruns when files change, for example rebuilding C code, running Go code, or restarting a Go server. The special wgo run mode behaves like go run but reruns when Go files change, and flags allow users to include or exclude files and directories, debounce events, poll, chain commands, and run watchers in parallel.

Because it is not limited to Go commands, wgo also fits frontend-adjacent workflows in Go projects, such as rebuilding Sass or TypeScript alongside a Go server by chaining parallel wgo commands.

Why package nerds care

wgo is significant in the small-tool sense: it keeps live reload out of a project-specific config file and makes it a command-line behavior. For package users, that means one executable can sit beside go, make, gcc, sass, or tsc and provide a simple watch loop without adopting a larger task runner.

Timeline

2023-01-12: The GitHub repository is created.
2024: GitHub release metadata records the 0.5.6 series.
2025: GitHub release metadata records multiple 0.5.x and 0.6.0 releases.
2026-05-06: GitHub release metadata records v0.6.4.

Related projects

Go's built-in go run is the command wgo run shadows for live reload.
General file-watcher and task-runner tools such as entr, watchexec, reflex, air, and make-based watch loops occupy adjacent space.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`wgo`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version0.6.4

manager updated2026-05-06

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detectedv0.6.4

https://github.com/bokwoon95/wgo

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:wgo
Version	0.6.4
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/wgo
Homepage	https://github.com/bokwoon95/wgo
Repository	https://github.com/bokwoon95/wgo
Upstream docs	https://github.com/bokwoon95/wgo#readme
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/bokwoon95/wgo/archive/refs/tags/v0.6.4.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-05-06T18:56:37Z
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	wgo
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

wgo

nix profile install nixpkgs#wgo

normalized package name match
Matched by: Wgo

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/wg/wgo/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/wgo.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install wgo with Homebrew, Nix