**The Night Watch** is a file change tracker for directory trees, written
in **Zig**, cross platform and provides a CLI tool and a zig module
CJ van den Berg
f3463dd0dc
Handler callbacks invoked while holding snapshots_mutex could deadlock if the handler called watch() or unwatch(), which also acquires that lock. Refactor scan_dir to collect all pending events (dir_created, created, deleted) into temporary lists under the lock, then emit them after releasing it. Also consolidate the two directory iteration passes into one. |
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T H E N I G H T W A T C H
The city sleeps. The files do not.
"FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC"
The Night Watch is a file change tracker for directory trees, written in Zig.
It provides:
- A standalone CLI for tracking filesystem changes
- A module for embedding change-tracking into other Zig programs
- Minimal dependencies and consistent, predictable, cross-platform behavior
It does not interfere. It does not speculate. It simply keeps watch.
Features
- Recursive directory tree tracking
- Deterministic multi-platform support (Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS, Windows)
- Lightweight and fast
- Embeddable Zig module API
- Standalone CLI executable
Installation
The Watch is written in Zig and built using the Zig build system.
Requirements
- Zig (currently zig-0.15.2)
Build CLI
zig build
The executable will be located in:
zig-out/bin/nightwatch
Install System-Wide
zig build install
Using as a Zig Module
The Night Watch exposes a reusable module that can be imported into other Zig programs.
In your build.zig:
const nightwatch = b.dependency("nightwatch", .{
.target = target,
.optimize = optimize,
});
exe.root_module.addImport("nightwatch", nightwatch.module("nightwatch"));
In your Zig source:
const nightwatch = @import("nightwatch");
You now have programmatic access to the tracking engine.
CLI Usage
nightwatch [{path}..]
Run:
nightwatch --help
for full command documentation.
Philosophy
Other tools watch files.
The Night Watch keeps watch over the peace.
It remembers what changed. It records what vanished. It notices what arrived at 2:14 AM.
And it writes it down.