Watch Mode

Watch mode allows linthis to continuously monitor your files and automatically run checks when files change.

Basic Usage

# Watch current directory
linthis watch

# Watch specific directories
linthis watch -i src/ -i lib/

# Watch with specific languages
linthis watch --lang python,rust

Options

Option	Description
-i, --include	Directories to watch
-e, --exclude	Patterns to exclude
-l, --lang	Languages to check
-c, --check-only	Only check, don't format
-f, --format-only	Only format, don't check
--debounce	Debounce time in milliseconds (default: 500)

Examples

Watch with Check Only

linthis watch --check-only

Watch with Custom Debounce

linthis watch --debounce 1000

Watch Specific File Types

linthis watch --lang python

How It Works

1. linthis monitors the specified directories for file changes
2. When a file is modified, added, or deleted, it triggers a lint/format run
3. Changes are debounced to avoid running multiple times for rapid changes
4. Only changed files are processed for efficiency

Keyboard Shortcuts

While in watch mode:

Key	Action
q	Quit watch mode
r	Force re-run on all files
c	Clear screen

Integration with Editors

Watch mode works well alongside editor integrations:

• VSCode: Use the terminal panel
• Neovim/Vim: Use a split terminal
• Emacs: Use shell-mode

Performance Considerations

• Watch mode uses efficient file system watchers (inotify on Linux, FSEvents on macOS)
• Only changed files are re-checked, not the entire project
• Debouncing prevents excessive runs during rapid edits