Watchexec
Shares file watcher and automation with entr. Rated 4.5 (entr: 4.4).
Automation ToolFreeCross-Platform
4.5Visit
Automation Tool
entr
Run a command whenever the files you name change.
Rating
4.4 / 5
Pricing
Free
Difficulty
Intermediate
Works on
Cross-Platform
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is entr?
entr is a command-line utility that runs a command you specify whenever watched files change. Its README says it uses kqueue or inotify instead of polling, and gives examples such as rebuilding a project, reloading a Node.js server or re-running SQL scripts. It builds on BSD, macOS and Linux and is released under the ISC license.
Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.
Pros: what entr does well
- Instant feedback each time a file changes
- Small and simple to use
- Reacts to file events instead of polling
Cons: where it falls short
- Terminal only
- Docker and WSL may need a workaround
Who entr is for
Developers who want tests or builds to re-run on every save.
Who can skip it
People who do not use the command line.
entr alternatives
Not sold on entr? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.
Task
Focus: task runner and build tool. Shares automation and command line with entr. A desktop app, not an automation tool. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (entr: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
iTerm2
Focus: terminal, mac and tmux. Shares command line and open source with entr. A Mac app, not an automation tool. Adds macOS. Rated 4.7 (entr: 4.4).
Mac AppFreemacOS
4.7Visit
fish shell
Focus: terminal, shell and autocomplete. Shares command line and open source with entr. A desktop app, not an automation tool. Adds macOS and Linux. Rated 4.6 (entr: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.6Visit
Nushell
Focus: shell and data pipelines. Shares command line and open source with entr. A desktop app, not an automation tool. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (entr: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
topgrade
Focus: updates, package manager and terminal. Shares automation and open source with entr. A desktop app, not an automation tool. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.6 (entr: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
Free alternatives to entr
Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.
Dasel
Focus: json, yaml and data conversion. Shares command line and open source with entr. A desktop app, not an automation tool. Adds macOS, Windows and Linux. Rated 4.5 (entr: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
Coolify
Focus: self-hosting, deployment and hosting. Shares open source and github with entr. A web app, not an automation tool. Adds Web. Rated 4.7 (entr: 4.4).
Web AppFreeWeb
4.7Visit
Karabiner-Elements
Focus: keyboard remapping, shortcuts and hyper key. Shares open source and github with entr. A Mac app, not an automation tool. Adds macOS. Rated 4.7 (entr: 4.4).
Mac AppFreemacOS
4.7Visit
Apprise
Focus: notifications, alerts and scripts. Shares command line and open source with entr. Rated 4.6 (entr: 4.4).
Automation ToolFreeCross-Platform
4.6Visit
Hammerspoon
Focus: mac automation, window management and lua scripting. Shares open source and github with entr. A Mac app, not an automation tool. Adds macOS and Offline. Rated 4.6 (entr: 4.4).
Mac AppFreemacOS, Offline
4.6Visit
Kando
Focus: pie menu, launcher and shortcuts. Shares open source and github with entr. A desktop app, not an automation tool. Adds Windows, macOS and Linux. Rated 4.6 (entr: 4.4).
Desktop AppFreeWindows, macOS
4.6Visit
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