Zippy

Zippy is a lightweight Linux CLI that watches a file or directory and reruns your command the moment you save. It’s ideal for C++ development, letting you see the impact of your changes immediately without waiting for a full build.

Quick start

# Build from source
make build

# Run from the local build
./build/zippy ./path/to/file-or-dir

# Install it globally
sudo make install

# Or install for your user only
make install PREFIX=$HOME/.local

# Run zippy after install
zippy ./path

Configuration

Zippy loads Zippy.json from the current working directory:

{
  "delay": 1000000,
  "ignore": [],
  "save_log": false,
  "log_path": "zippy.log",
  "cmd": "make && ./build/out"
}

• delay (microseconds): debounce between checks. Default: 1000000.
• ignore: parsed for compatibility and future use; currently not applied.
• cmd: command to run when a change is detected. Placeholders: {file} and {dir}.
• save_log: when true, append Zippy logs and child output to log_path.
• log_path: log file path used when save_log=true. Default: zippy.log.

Generate a starter config with zippy --generate.

CLI commands

• --help show help
• --version print version
• --config print the active config summary
• --log print the configured log file when save_log=true
• --clear truncate the configured log file when save_log=true
• --credits show credits
• --generate write Zippy.json

Example session

2026-03-11 12:45:28.038 [INFO] zippy Starting Zippy v1.3.0
2026-03-11 12:45:28.039 [INFO] zippy Watching file: /home/user/project/src/main.cpp
2026-03-11 12:45:29.201 [INFO] zippy Running: make && ./build/out
2026-03-11 12:45:33.812 [WARN] zippy File changed; re-running command...
Your program output here...

Build and install

Prereqs:

• CMake 3.16+
• A C++20 compiler such as GCC or Clang
• Linux or a Linux-compatible environment

Commands:

• make build configures and builds the project
• make run ARGS="./path" runs the local build
• make install PREFIX=/path installs zippy into PREFIX/bin
• make clean removes the CMake build directory

After install, ensure PREFIX/bin is on your PATH.