watchman
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Description:
Watch files and take action when they change
Type: Formula  |  Latest Version: 2025.12.15.00@0  |  Tracked Since: Dec 16, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  GitHub  |  Docs  |  formulae.brew.sh
Stars: 13,442  |  Forks: 1,047  |  Language: C++  |  Category: Developer tools
Tags: monitoring filesystem automation developer-tools build-tool
Install: brew install watchman
About:
Watchman is a high-performance file-watching service that monitors directories for changes and triggers actions in response. It uses a client-server model to efficiently track file system events, making it ideal for large codebases and complex build processes. Its primary value is enabling fast, reliable automation for development workflows like live reloading, build systems, and synchronization tools.
Key Features:
  • High-performance client-server architecture for efficient file watching
  • Supports powerful expression-based matching and filtering for file changes
  • Provides a persistent subscription model for long-running monitoring tasks
  • Includes a CLI and multiple language bindings for integration
  • Optimized for large projects with deep directory trees and many files
Use Cases:
  • Triggering build systems and compilation tasks when source files change
  • Enabling live reloading for web development servers and hot module replacement
  • Automating file synchronization or deployment pipelines based on filesystem events
Alternatives:
  • inotifywait – Lower-level Linux-only tool; Watchman offers cross-platform support and a persistent daemon.
  • fswatch – Cross-platform file watcher library; Watchman provides a server model and richer query language.
  • nodemon – Node.js-specific tool for restarting applications; Watchman is language-agnostic and more general-purpose.
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Dec 23, 2025 10:37am 2025.12.15.00 0 VERSION_BUMP 03e116d5
Dec 16, 2025 12:57pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 339bdaa1
Dec 15, 2025 12:11am 1 VERSION_BUMP 64030765
Nov 10, 2025 8:38pm 0 VERSION_BUMP ad8762cb
Nov 10, 2025 7:04pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 4a38d019
Nov 3, 2025 7:16pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 641b44b9
Oct 21, 2025 8:59pm 0 VERSION_BUMP e62d6882
Oct 14, 2025 9:40am 0 VERSION_BUMP 5f7acde5
Oct 7, 2025 12:52pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 5cb8b5ad
Aug 26, 2025 7:58am 0 VERSION_BUMP 34863a03
Dec 27, 2024 10:35pm 2 VERSION_BUMP 62b568ef
Dec 27, 2024 2:24pm 2 VERSION_BUMP 5b511f11
Dec 16, 2024 6:40am 1 VERSION_BUMP d7158011
Nov 27, 2024 5:01am 0 VERSION_BUMP e4aa4d1d
Nov 19, 2024 12:30am 0 VERSION_BUMP 4f3ca2fc
Nov 18, 2024 5:25pm 0 VERSION_BUMP c08e773c
Nov 11, 2024 8:38pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 8c25e39c
Nov 11, 2024 1:18pm 0 VERSION_BUMP f049f0a6
Oct 30, 2024 1:08am 0 VERSION_BUMP ccbbdcb0
Oct 29, 2024 7:42pm 0 VERSION_BUMP e4181130
Oct 21, 2024 9:31pm 0 VERSION_BUMP cf35aedc
Sep 30, 2024 11:19pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 7b8c660e
Sep 20, 2024 3:11am 0 VERSION_BUMP ba6a45d0
Sep 12, 2024 1:54pm 0 VERSION_BUMP d17fd4f8