README.md

<div align=right>Table of Contents↗️</div>

<h1 align=center><code>just</code></h1>

<div align=center>
  <a href=https://crates.io/crates/just>
    <img src=https://img.shields.io/crates/v/just.svg alt="crates.io version">
  </a>
  <a href=https://github.com/casey/just/actions/workflows/ci.yaml>
    <img src=https://github.com/casey/just/actions/workflows/ci.yaml/badge.svg alt="build status">
  </a>
  <a href=https://github.com/casey/just/releases>
    <img src=https://img.shields.io/github/downloads/casey/just/total.svg alt=downloads>
  </a>
  <a href=https://discord.gg/ezYScXR>
    <img src=https://img.shields.io/discord/695580069837406228?logo=discord alt="chat on discord">
  </a>
  <a href=mailto:casey@rodarmor.com?subject=Thanks%20for%20Just!>
    <img src=https://img.shields.io/badge/Say%20Thanks-!-1EAEDB.svg alt="say thanks">
  </a>
</div>
<br>

`just` is a handy way to save and run project-specific commands.

This readme is also available as a [book](https://just.systems/man/en/). The
book reflects the latest release, whereas the
[readme on GitHub](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/README.md)
reflects latest master.

(中文文档在 [这里](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/README.中文.md),
快看过来!)

Commands, called recipes, are stored in a file called `justfile` with syntax
inspired by `make`:

![screenshot](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/casey/just/master/etc/screenshot.png)

You can then run them with `just RECIPE`:

```console
$ just test-all
cc *.c -o main
./test --all
Yay, all your tests passed!
```

`just` has a ton of useful features, and many improvements over `make`:

- `just` is a command runner, not a build system, so it avoids much of
  [`make`'s complexity and idiosyncrasies](#what-are-the-idiosyncrasies-of-make-that-just-avoids).
  No need for `.PHONY` recipes!

- Linux, macOS, Windows, and other reasonable unixes are supported with no
  additional dependencies. (Although if your system doesn't have an `sh`,
  you'll need to [choose a different shell](#shell).)

- Errors are specific and informative, and syntax errors are reported along
  with their source context.

- Recipes can accept [command line arguments](#recipe-parameters), including
  [flags and options](#recipe-flags-and-options).

- `just` has a rich [expression language](#expressions) and many
  built-in-functions.

- Wherever possible, errors are resolved statically. Unknown recipes and
  circular dependencies are reported before anything runs.

- `just` [loads `.env` files](#dotenv-settings), making it easy to populate
  environment variables.

- Recipes can be [listed from the command line](#listing-available-recipes).

- Command line completion scripts are
  [available for most popular shells](#shell-completion-scripts).

- Recipes can be written in
  [arbitrary languages](#shebang-recipes), like Python or Node.js.

- `just` can be invoked from any subdirectory, not just the directory that
  contains the `justfile`.

- `justfiles` can be organized into multiple files using [modules](#modules)
  and [imports](#imports).

- And [much more](https://just.systems/man/en/)!

If you need help with `just`, please feel free to open an issue or ping me on
[Discord](https://discord.gg/ezYScXR). Feature requests and bug reports are
always welcome!

Installation
------------

Just can be installed using your favorite [package manager](#packages), by
downloading [pre-built binaries](#pre-built-binaries), or building from source
with `cargo install just`.

### Prerequisites

`just` should run on any system with a reasonable `sh`, including Linux, macOS,
and the BSDs.

#### Windows

On Windows, `just` works with the `sh` provided by
[Git for Windows](https://git-scm.com),
[GitHub Desktop](https://desktop.github.com), or
[Cygwin](http://www.cygwin.com). After installation, `sh` must be available in
the `PATH` of the shell you want to invoke `just` from.

If you'd rather not install `sh`, you can use the `shell` setting to use the
shell of your choice.

Like PowerShell:

```just
# use PowerShell instead of sh:
set shell := ["powershell.exe", "-c"]

hello:
  Write-Host "Hello, world!"
```

…or `cmd.exe`:

```just
# use cmd.exe instead of sh:
set shell := ["cmd.exe", "/c"]

list:
  dir
```

You can also set the shell using command-line arguments. For example, to use
PowerShell, launch `just` with `--shell powershell.exe --shell-arg -c`.

(PowerShell is installed by default on Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2
SP1 and later, and `cmd.exe` is quite fiddly, so PowerShell is recommended for
most Windows users.)

### Packages

#### Cross-platform

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Package Manager</th>
      <th>Package</th>
      <th>Command</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/alexellis/arkade>arkade</a></td>
      <td>just</td>
      <td><code>arkade get just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://asdf-vm.com>asdf</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/olofvndrhr/asdf-just>just</a></td>
      <td>
        <code>asdf plugin add just</code><br>
        <code>asdf install just &lt;version&gt;</code>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://www.rust-lang.org>Cargo</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://crates.io/crates/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>cargo install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/cargo-bins/cargo-binstall>Cargo Binstall</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://crates.io/crates/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>cargo binstall just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/index.html>Conda</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>conda install -c conda-forge just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://brew.sh>Homebrew</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>brew install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://nixos.org/nix/>Nix</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/by-name/ju/just/package.nix>just</a></td>
      <td><code>nix-env -iA nixpkgs.just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://www.npmjs.com/>npm</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://www.npmjs.com/package/rust-just>rust-just</a></td>
      <td><code>npm install -g rust-just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://pipx.pypa.io/stable/>pipx</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://pypi.org/project/rust-just/>rust-just</a></td>
      <td><code>pipx install rust-just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://snapcraft.io>Snap</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://snapcraft.io/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>snap install --edge --classic just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://spack.io/>Spack</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://packages.spack.io/package.html?name=just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>spack install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://docs.astral.sh/uv/>uv</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://pypi.org/project/rust-just/>rust-just</a></td>
      <td><code>uv tool install rust-just</code></td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

#### BSD

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Operating System</th>
      <th>Package Manager</th>
      <th>Package</th>
      <th>Command</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://www.freebsd.org>FreeBSD</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/pkgng-intro.html>pkg</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://www.freshports.org/deskutils/just/>just</a></td>
      <td><code>pkg install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://www.openbsd.org>OpenBSD</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq15.html>pkg_*</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/ports/sysutils/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>pkg_add just</code></td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

#### Linux

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Operating System</th>
      <th>Package Manager</th>
      <th>Package</th>
      <th>Command</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://alpinelinux.org>Alpine</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/Alpine_Linux_package_management>apk-tools</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://pkgs.alpinelinux.org/package/edge/community/x86_64/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>apk add just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://www.archlinux.org>Arch</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Pacman>pacman</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://archlinux.org/packages/extra/x86_64/just/>just</a></td>
      <td><code>pacman -S just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>
        <a href=https://debian.org>Debian 13</a> and
        <a href=https://ubuntu.com>Ubuntu 24.04</a> derivatives</td>
      <td><a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APT_(software)>apt</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://packages.debian.org/trixie/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>apt install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://getfedora.org>Fedora</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://dnf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/>DNF</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/rust-just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>dnf install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://www.gentoo.org>Gentoo</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Portage>Portage</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://packages.gentoo.org/packages/dev-build/just>dev-build/just</a></td>
      <td>
        <code>emerge -av dev-build/just</code>
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://nixos.org/nixos/>NixOS</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://nixos.org/nix/>Nix</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/by-name/ju/just/package.nix>just</a></td>
      <td><code>nix-env -iA nixos.just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://opensuse.org>openSUSE</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://en.opensuse.org/Portal:Zypper>Zypper</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://build.opensuse.org/package/show/Base:System/just>just</a></td>
      <td><code>zypper in just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://getsol.us>Solus</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://getsol.us/articles/package-management/basics/en>eopkg</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://dev.getsol.us/source/just/>just</a></td>
      <td><code>eopkg install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://voidlinux.org>Void</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://wiki.voidlinux.org/XBPS>XBPS</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/blob/master/srcpkgs/just/template>just</a></td>
      <td><code>xbps-install -S just</code></td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

#### Windows

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Package Manager</th>
      <th>Package</th>
      <th>Command</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://chocolatey.org>Chocolatey</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/michidk/just-choco>just</a></td>
      <td><code>choco install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://scoop.sh>Scoop</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/ScoopInstaller/Main/blob/master/bucket/just.json>just</a></td>
      <td><code>scoop install just</code></td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/>Windows Package Manager</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://github.com/microsoft/winget-pkgs/tree/master/manifests/c/Casey/Just>Casey/Just</a></td>
      <td><code>winget install --id Casey.Just --exact</code></td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

#### macOS

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Package Manager</th>
      <th>Package</th>
      <th>Command</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td><a href=https://www.macports.org>MacPorts</a></td>
      <td><a href=https://ports.macports.org/port/just/summary>just</a></td>
      <td><code>port install just</code></td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

![just package version table](https://repology.org/badge/vertical-allrepos/just.svg)

### Pre-Built Binaries

Pre-built binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows can be found on
[the releases page](https://github.com/casey/just/releases).

You can use the following command on Linux, macOS, or Windows to download the
latest release, just replace `DEST` with the directory where you'd like to put
`just`:

```console
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://just.systems/install.sh | bash -s -- --to DEST
```

For example, to install `just` to `~/bin`:

```console
# create ~/bin
mkdir -p ~/bin

# download and extract just to ~/bin/just
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://just.systems/install.sh | bash -s -- --to ~/bin

# add `~/bin` to the paths that your shell searches for executables
# this line should be added to your shell's initialization file,
# e.g. `~/.bashrc` or `~/.zshrc`
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/bin"

# just should now be executable
just --help
```

Note that `install.sh` may fail on GitHub Actions, or in other environments
where many machines share IP addresses. `install.sh` calls GitHub APIs in order
to determine the latest version of `just` to install, and those API calls are
rate-limited on a per-IP basis. To make `install.sh` more reliable in such
circumstances, pass a specific tag to install with `--tag`.

Another way to avoid rate-limiting is to pass a GitHub authentication token to
`install.sh` as an environment variable named `GITHUB_TOKEN`, allowing it to
authenticate its requests.

[Releases](https://github.com/casey/just/releases) include a `SHA256SUM` file
which can be used to verify the integrity of pre-built binary archives.

To verify a release, download the pre-built binary archive along with the
`SHA256SUM` file and run:

```sh
shasum --algorithm 256 --ignore-missing --check SHA256SUMS
```

### GitHub Actions

`just` can be installed on GitHub Actions in a few ways.

Using package managers pre-installed on GitHub Actions runners on macOS with
`brew install just`, and on Windows with `choco install just`.

With [extractions/setup-just](https://github.com/extractions/setup-just):

```yaml
- uses: extractions/setup-just@v3
  with:
    just-version: 1.5.0  # optional semver specification, otherwise latest
```

Or with [taiki-e/install-action](https://github.com/taiki-e/install-action):

```yaml
- uses: taiki-e/install-action@just
```

### Docker

`just` is available as a Docker image from
[the GitHub Container Registry](https://ghcr.io/casey/just).

To copy `just` into a Docker image, add the following line to your
`Dockerfile`:

```dockerfile
COPY --from=ghcr.io/casey/just:latest /just /usr/local/bin/
```

After copying, `just` may also be used as part of a docker build:

```dockerfile
RUN just
```

### Release RSS Feed

An [RSS feed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS) of `just` releases is
available [here](https://github.com/casey/just/releases.atom).

### Node.js Installation

[just-install](https://npmjs.com/package/just-install) can be used to automate
installation of `just` in Node.js applications.

`just` is a great, more robust alternative to npm scripts. If you want to
include `just` in the dependencies of a Node.js application, `just-install`
will install a local, platform-specific binary as part of the `npm install`
command. This removes the need for every developer to install `just`
independently using one of the processes mentioned above. After installation,
the `just` command will work in npm scripts or with npx. It's great for teams
who want to make the setup process for their project as easy as possible.

For more information, see the
[just-install README file](https://github.com/brombal/just-install#readme).

### Nix Flake

The `just` repository includes a
[`flake.nix`](https://github.com/casey/just/tree/master/flake.nix) that defines
a [nix flake](https://nix.dev/concepts/flakes.html), allowing you to use `just`
as an input to another flake:

```nix
{
  inputs = {
    just.url = "github:casey/just";
  }

  outputs = {self, nixpkgs, just}: {
  }
}
```

Backwards Compatibility
-----------------------

With the release of version 1.0, `just` features a strong commitment to
backwards compatibility and stability.

Future releases will not introduce backwards incompatible changes that make
existing `justfile`s stop working, or break working invocations of the
command-line interface.

This does not, however, preclude fixing outright bugs, even if doing so might
break `justfiles` that rely on their behavior.

There will never be a `just` 2.0. Any desirable backwards-incompatible changes
will be opt-in on a per-`justfile` basis, so users may migrate at their
leisure.

Features that aren't yet ready for stabilization are marked as unstable and may
be changed or removed at any time. Using unstable features produces an error by
default, which can be suppressed by passing the `--unstable` flag,
`set unstable`, or setting the environment variable `JUST_UNSTABLE` to any
value other than `false`, `0`, or the empty string.

### Requiring a Minimum Just Version

If you use features of `just` which require a particular version, you may use
the `minimum-version`<sup>1.55.0</sup> setting to make it an error to use older
versions of `just`:

```justfile
set minimum-version := '1.55.0'
```

If `just` encounters a minimum version greater than its own version, it will
print an error message with the required version, which is hopefully better
than the confused error message it would have otherwise produced.

The `minimum-version` setting should be placed at the top of the `justfile`,
before any usage of the new feature that it guards.

Any features which change the lexer in forward-incompatible ways will still
produce an unhelpful error message, as the minimum version check is implemented
in the parser, which runs after the lexer.

Editor Support
--------------

`justfile` syntax is close enough to `make` that you may want to tell your
editor to use `make` syntax highlighting for `just`.

### Vim and Neovim

Vim version 9.1.1042 or better and Neovim version 0.11 or better support
Justfile syntax highlighting out of the box, thanks to
[pbnj](https://github.com/pbnj).

#### `vim-just`

The [vim-just](https://github.com/NoahTheDuke/vim-just) plugin provides syntax
highlighting for `justfile`s.

Install it with your favorite package manager, like
[Plug](https://github.com/junegunn/vim-plug):

```vim
call plug#begin()

Plug 'NoahTheDuke/vim-just'

call plug#end()
```

Or with Vim's built-in package support:

```console
mkdir -p ~/.vim/pack/vendor/start
cd ~/.vim/pack/vendor/start
git clone https://github.com/NoahTheDuke/vim-just.git
```

#### `tree-sitter-just`

[tree-sitter-just](https://github.com/IndianBoy42/tree-sitter-just) is an
[Nvim Treesitter](https://github.com/nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter) plugin
for Neovim.

### Emacs

[just-mode](https://github.com/leon-barrett/just-mode.el) provides syntax
highlighting and automatic indentation of `justfile`s. It is available on
[MELPA](https://melpa.org/) as [just-mode](https://melpa.org/#/just-mode).

[justl](https://github.com/psibi/justl.el) provides commands for executing and
listing recipes.

You can add the following to an individual `justfile` to enable `make` mode on
a per-file basis:

```text
# Local Variables:
# mode: makefile
# End:
```

### Visual Studio Code

An extension for VS Code is [available here](https://github.com/nefrob/vscode-just).

Unmaintained VS Code extensions include
[skellock/vscode-just](https://github.com/skellock/vscode-just) and
[sclu1034/vscode-just](https://github.com/sclu1034/vscode-just).

### JetBrains IDEs

A plugin for JetBrains IDEs by [linux_china](https://github.com/linux-china) is
[available here](https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/18658-just).

### Kakoune

Kakoune supports `justfile` syntax highlighting out of the box, thanks to
TeddyDD.

### Helix

[Helix](https://helix-editor.com/) supports `justfile` syntax highlighting
out-of-the-box since version 23.05.

### Sublime Text

The [Just package](https://github.com/nk9/just_sublime) by
[nk9](https://github.com/nk9) with `just` syntax and some other tools is
available on [PackageControl](https://packagecontrol.io/packages/Just).

### Micro

[Micro](https://micro-editor.github.io/) supports Justfile syntax highlighting
out of the box, thanks to [tomodachi94](https://github.com/tomodachi94).

### Zed

The [zed-just](https://github.com/jackTabsCode/zed-just/) extension by
[jackTabsCode](https://github.com/jackTabsCode) is available on the
[Zed extensions page](https://zed.dev/extensions?query=just).

### Other Editors

Feel free to send me the commands necessary to get syntax highlighting working
in your editor of choice so that I may include them here.

### Language Server Protocol

[just-lsp](https://github.com/terror/just-lsp) provides a [language server
protocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Server_Protocol)
implementation, enabling features such as go-to-definition, inline diagnostics,
and code completion.

### Model Context Protocol

[just-mcp](https://github.com/promptexecution/just-mcp) provides a
[model context protocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_Context_Protocol)
adapter to allow LLMs to query the contents of `justfiles` and run recipes.

Quick Start
-----------

See the installation section for how to install `just` on your computer. Try
running `just --version` to make sure that it's installed correctly.

For an overview of the syntax, check out
[this cheatsheet](https://cheatography.com/linux-china/cheat-sheets/justfile/).

Once `just` is installed and working, create a file named `justfile` in the
root of your project with the following contents:

```just
recipe-name:
  echo 'This is a recipe!'

# this is a comment
another-recipe:
  @echo 'This is another recipe.'
```

When you invoke `just`, it looks for a file named `justfile` in the current
directory and upwards, so you can invoke it from any subdirectory of your
project.

The search for a `justfile` is case insensitive, so any case, like `Justfile`,
`JUSTFILE`, or `JuStFiLe`, will work. `just` will also look for files with the
name `.justfile`, in case you'd like to hide a `justfile`.

By default, running `just` with no arguments runs the first recipe in the
`justfile`:

```console
$ just
echo 'This is a recipe!'
This is a recipe!
```

One or more arguments specify the recipe(s) to run:

```console
$ just another-recipe
This is another recipe.
```

`just` prints each command to standard error before running it, which is why
`echo 'This is a recipe!'` was printed. This is suppressed for lines starting
with `@`, which is why `echo 'This is another recipe.'` was not printed.

Recipes stop running if a command fails. Here `cargo publish` will only run if
`cargo test` succeeds:

```just
publish:
  cargo test
  # tests passed, time to publish!
  cargo publish
```

Recipes can depend on other recipes. Here the `test` recipe depends on the
`build` recipe, so `build` will run before `test`:

```just
build:
  cc main.c foo.c bar.c -o main

test: build
  ./test

sloc:
  @echo "`wc -l *.c` lines of code"
```

```console
$ just test
cc main.c foo.c bar.c -o main
./test
testing… all tests passed!
```

Recipes without dependencies will run in the order they're given on the command
line:

```console
$ just build sloc
cc main.c foo.c bar.c -o main
1337 lines of code
```

Dependencies will always run first, even if they are passed after a recipe that
depends on them:

```console
$ just test build
cc main.c foo.c bar.c -o main
./test
testing… all tests passed!
```

Recipes may depend on recipes in submodules:

```justfile
mod foo

baz: foo::bar
```

Examples
--------

A variety of `justfile`s can be found in the
[examples directory](https://github.com/casey/just/tree/master/examples) and on
[GitHub](https://github.com/search?q=path%3A**%2Fjustfile&type=code).

Recipes
-------

### The Default Recipe

When `just` is invoked without a recipe, it runs the recipe with the
`[default]` attribute, or the first recipe in the `justfile` if no recipe has
the `[default]` attribute.

This recipe might be the most frequently run command in the project, like
running the tests:

```just
test:
  cargo test
```

You can also use dependencies to run multiple recipes by default:

```just
default: lint build test

build:
  echo Building…

test:
  echo Testing…

lint:
  echo Linting…
```

If no recipe makes sense as the default recipe, you can use
`default-list`<sup>1.52.0</sup> to list the available recipes instead:

```just
set default-list := true
```

### Recipe Parameters

Recipes may have parameters. Here recipe `build` has a parameter called
`target`:

```just
build target:
  @echo 'Building {{target}}…'
  cd {{target}} && make
```

To pass arguments on the command line, put them after the recipe name:

```console
$ just build my-awesome-project
Building my-awesome-project…
cd my-awesome-project && make
```

To pass arguments to a dependency, put the dependency in parentheses along with
the arguments:

```just
default: (build "main")

build target:
  @echo 'Building {{target}}…'
  cd {{target}} && make
```

Variables can also be passed as arguments to dependencies:

```just
target := "main"

_build version:
  @echo 'Building {{version}}…'
  cd {{version}} && make

build: (_build target)
```

A command's arguments can be passed to a dependency by putting the dependency in
parentheses along with the arguments:

```just
build target:
  @echo "Building {{target}}…"

push target: (build target)
  @echo 'Pushing {{target}}…'
```

Parameters may have default values:

```just
default := 'all'

test target tests=default:
  @echo 'Testing {{target}}:{{tests}}…'
  ./test --tests {{tests}} {{target}}
```

Parameters with default values may be omitted:

```console
$ just test server
Testing server:all…
./test --tests all server
```

Or supplied:

```console
$ just test server unit
Testing server:unit…
./test --tests unit server
```

Default values may be arbitrary expressions, but expressions containing the
`+`, `&&`, `||`, or `/` operators must be parenthesized:

```just
arch := "wasm"

test triple=(arch + "-unknown-unknown") input=(arch / "input.dat"):
  ./test {{triple}}
```

The last parameter of a recipe may be variadic, indicated with either a `+` or
a `*` before the argument name:

```just
backup +FILES:
  scp {{FILES}} me@server.com:
```

Variadic parameters prefixed with `+` accept _one or more_ arguments and expand
to a string containing those arguments separated by spaces:

```console
$ just backup FAQ.md GRAMMAR.md
scp FAQ.md GRAMMAR.md me@server.com:
FAQ.md                  100% 1831     1.8KB/s   00:00
GRAMMAR.md              100% 1666     1.6KB/s   00:00
```

Variadic parameters prefixed with `*` accept _zero or more_ arguments and
expand to a string containing those arguments separated by spaces, or an empty
string if no arguments are present:

```just
commit MESSAGE *FLAGS:
  git commit {{FLAGS}} -m "{{MESSAGE}}"
```

Variadic parameters can be assigned default values. These are overridden by
arguments passed on the command line:

```just
test +FLAGS='-q':
  cargo test {{FLAGS}}
```

The number of arguments a variadic parameter accepts may be limited with the
`[arg(ARG, min=MIN)]` and `[arg(ARG, max=MAX)]` attributes<sup>1.56.0</sup>,
which require lists to be enabled:

```just
set unstable
set lists

[arg('FILES', min='2', max='4')]
backup +FILES:
  scp {{FILES}} me@server.com:
```

`min` and `max` also apply to default values.

`{{…}}` substitutions may need to be quoted if they contain spaces. For
example, if you have the following recipe:

```just
search QUERY:
  lynx https://www.google.com/?q={{QUERY}}
```

And you type:

```console
$ just search "cat toupee"
```

`just` will run the command `lynx https://www.google.com/?q=cat toupee`, which
will get parsed by `sh` as `lynx`, `https://www.google.com/?q=cat`, and
`toupee`, and not the intended `lynx` and `https://www.google.com/?q=cat toupee`.

You can fix this by adding quotes:

```just
search QUERY:
  lynx 'https://www.google.com/?q={{QUERY}}'
```

Parameters prefixed with a `$` will be exported as environment variables:

```just
foo $bar:
  echo $bar
```

Parameters may be constrained to match regular expression patterns using the
`[arg("name", pattern=PATTERN)]` attribute<sup>1.45.0</sup>:

```just
[arg('n', pattern='\d+')]
double n:
  echo $(({{n}} * 2))
```

The value of `pattern` may be a const expression<sup>1.55.0</sup>.

A leading `^` and trailing `$` are added to the pattern, so it must match the
entire argument value.

You may constrain the pattern to a number of alternatives using the `|`
operator:

```just
[arg('flag', pattern='--help|--version')]
info flag:
  just {{flag}}
```

Regular expressions are provided by the
[Rust `regex` crate](https://docs.rs/regex/latest/regex/). See the
[syntax documentation](https://docs.rs/regex/latest/regex/#syntax) for usage
examples.

Usage information for a recipe may be printed with the `--usage`
subcommand<sup>1.46.0</sup>:

```console
$ just --usage foo
Usage: just foo [OPTIONS] bar

Arguments:
  bar
```

Help strings may be added to arguments using the `[arg(ARG, help=HELP)]` attribute:

```just
[arg("bar", help="hello")]
foo bar:
```

The value `help` may be a const expression<sup>1.55.0</sup>.

```console
$ just --usage foo
Usage: just foo bar

Arguments:
  bar hello
```

#### Recipe Flags and Options

Recipe parameters are positional by default.

In this `justfile`:

```just
@foo bar:
  echo bar={{bar}}
```

The parameter `bar` is positional:

```console
$ just foo hello
bar=hello
```

The `[arg(ARG, long=OPTION)]`<sup>1.46.0</sup> attribute can be used to make a
parameter a long option.

In this `justfile`:

```just
[arg("bar", long="bar")]
foo bar:
```

The parameter `bar` is given with the `--bar` option:

```console
$ just foo --bar hello
bar=hello
```

Options may also be passed with `--name=value` syntax:

```console
$ just foo --bar=hello
bar=hello
```

The value of `long` may be omitted, in which case the option defaults to the
name of the parameter. With the following justfile, `bar` may be passed with
`--bar`:

```just
[arg("bar", long)]
foo bar:
```

The `[arg(ARG, short=OPTION)]`<sup>1.46.0</sup> attribute can be used to make a
parameter a short option.

In this `justfile`:

```just
[arg("bar", short="b")]
foo bar:
```

The parameter `bar` is given with the `-b` option:

```console
$ just foo -b hello
bar=hello
```

The value of `short` may be omitted, in which case the option defaults to the
first character of the name of the parameter. With the following justfile,
`bar` may be passed with `-b`:

```just
[arg("bar", short)]
foo bar:
```

If a parameter has both a long and short option, it may be passed using either.

Multiple short options may be combined<sup>1.55.0</sup>, for example `-abc` is
equivalent to `-a -b -c`. A short option which takes a value may appear last,
for example `-abcd VALUE`.

Variadic `*` and `+` parameters may be options, in which case the option is
repeatable, with each occurrence contributing one value:

```just
[arg('file', long)]
backup +file:
  scp {{file}} me@server.com:
```

```console
$ just backup --file FAQ.md --file GRAMMAR.md
scp FAQ.md GRAMMAR.md me@server.com:
```

As with positional variadic parameters, `+` options must be passed at least
once, whereas `*` options may be omitted.

The `[arg(ARG, value=VALUE, …)]`<sup>1.46.0</sup> attribute can be used with
`long` or `short` to make a parameter a flag which does not take a value.
`VALUE` may be an expression<sup>1.54.0</sup>.

In this `justfile`:

```just
[arg("bar", long="bar", value="hello")]
foo bar:
```

The parameter `bar` is given with the `--bar` option, but does not take a
value, and instead takes the value given in the `[arg]` attribute:

```console
$ just foo --bar
bar=hello
```

This is useful for unconditionally requiring a flag like `--force` on dangerous
commands.

A flag is optional if its parameter has a default:

```just
[arg("bar", long="bar", value="hello")]
foo bar="goodbye":
```

Causing it to receive the default when not passed in the invocation:

```console
$ just foo
bar=goodbye
```

### Avoiding Argument Splitting

Given this `justfile`:

```just
foo argument:
  touch {{argument}}
```

The following command will create two files, `some` and `argument.txt`:

```console
$ just foo "some argument.txt"
```

The user's shell will parse `"some argument.txt"` as a single argument, but
when `just` replaces `touch {{argument}}` with `touch some argument.txt`, the
quotes are not preserved, and `touch` will receive two arguments.

There are a few ways to avoid this: quoting, positional arguments, and exported
arguments.

#### Quoting

Quotes can be added around the `{{argument}}` interpolation:

```just
foo argument:
  touch '{{argument}}'
```

This preserves `just`'s ability to catch variable name typos before running,
for example if you were to write `{{argument}}`, but will not do what you want
if the value of `argument` contains single quotes.

#### Positional Arguments

The `positional-arguments` setting causes all arguments to be passed as
positional arguments, allowing them to be accessed with `$1`, `$2`, …, and
`$@`, which can then be double-quoted to avoid further splitting by the shell:

```just
set positional-arguments

foo argument:
  touch "$1"
```

This defeats `just`'s ability to catch typos, for example if you type `$2`
instead of `$1`, but works for all possible values of `argument`, including
those with double quotes.

#### Exported Arguments

All arguments are exported when the `export` setting is set:

```just
set export

foo argument:
  touch "$argument"
```

Or individual arguments may be exported by prefixing them with `$`:

```just
foo $argument:
  touch "$argument"
```

This defeats `just`'s ability to catch typos, for example if you type
`$argument`, but works for all possible values of `argument`, including those
with double quotes.

### Positional Arguments

If `positional-arguments` is `true`, recipe arguments will be passed as
positional arguments to commands. For shell recipes, argument `$0` will be the
name of the recipe.

For example, running this recipe:

```just
set positional-arguments

@foo bar:
  echo $0
  echo $1
```

Will produce the following output:

```console
$ just foo hello
foo
hello
```

When using an `sh`-compatible shell, such as `bash` or `zsh`, `$@` expands to
the positional arguments given to the recipe, starting from one. When used
within double quotes as `"$@"`, arguments including whitespace will be passed
on as if they were double-quoted. That is, `"$@"` is equivalent to `"$1" "$2"`…
When there are no positional parameters, `"$@"` and `$@` expand to nothing
(i.e., they are removed).

This example recipe will print arguments one by one on separate lines:

```just
set positional-arguments

@test *args='':
  bash -c 'while (( "$#" )); do echo - $1; shift; done' -- "$@"
```

Running it with _two_ arguments:

```console
$ just test foo "bar baz"
- foo
- bar baz
```

Positional arguments may also be turned on a per-recipe basis with the
`[positional-arguments]` attribute<sup>1.29.0</sup>:

```just
[positional-arguments]
@foo bar:
  echo $0
  echo $1
```

Note that PowerShell does not handle positional arguments in the same way as
other shells, so turning on positional arguments will likely break recipes that
use PowerShell.

If using PowerShell 7.4 or better, the `-CommandWithArgs` flag will make
positional arguments work as expected:

```just
set shell := ['pwsh.exe', '-CommandWithArgs']
set positional-arguments

print-args a b c:
  Write-Output @($args[1..($args.Count - 1)])
```

### Dependencies

Dependencies run before recipes that depend on them:

```just
a: b
  @echo A

b:
  @echo B
```

```
$ just a
B
A
```

In a given invocation of `just`, a recipe with the same arguments will only run
once, regardless of how many times it appears in the command-line invocation,
or how many times it appears as a dependency:

```just
a:
  @echo A

b: a
  @echo B

c: a
  @echo C
```

```
$ just a a a a a
A
$ just b c
A
B
C
```

Multiple recipes may depend on a recipe that performs some kind of setup, and
when those recipes run, that setup will only be performed once:

```just
build:
  cc main.c

test-foo: build
  ./a.out --test foo

test-bar: build
  ./a.out --test bar
```

```
$ just test-foo test-bar
cc main.c
./a.out --test foo
./a.out --test bar
```

Recipes in a given run are only skipped when they receive the same arguments:

```just
build:
  cc main.c

test TEST: build
  ./a.out --test {{TEST}}
```

```
$ just test foo test bar
cc main.c
./a.out --test foo
./a.out --test bar
```

#### Running Recipes at the End of a Recipe

Normal dependencies of a recipe always run before a recipe starts. That is to
say, the dependee always runs before the depender. These dependencies are
called "prior dependencies".

A recipe can also have subsequent dependencies, which run immediately after the
recipe and are introduced with an `&&`:

```just
a:
  echo 'A!'

b: a && c d
  echo 'B!'

c:
  echo 'C!'

d:
  echo 'D!'
```

…running _b_ prints:

```console
$ just b
echo 'A!'
A!
echo 'B!'
B!
echo 'C!'
C!
echo 'D!'
D!
```

#### Running Recipes in the Middle of a Recipe

`just` doesn't support running recipes in the middle of another recipe, but you
can call `just` recursively in the middle of a recipe. Given the following
`justfile`:

```just
a:
  echo 'A!'

b: a
  echo 'B start!'
  just c
  echo 'B end!'

c:
  echo 'C!'
```

…running _b_ prints:

```console
$ just b
echo 'A!'
A!
echo 'B start!'
B start!
echo 'C!'
C!
echo 'B end!'
B end!
```

This has limitations, since recipe `c` is run with an entirely new invocation
of `just`: Assignments will be recalculated, dependencies might run twice, and
command line arguments will not be propagated to the child `just` process.

### Parallelism

Dependencies may be run in parallel with the `[parallel]` attribute.

In this `justfile`, `foo`, `bar`, and `baz` will execute in parallel when
`main` is run:

```just
[parallel]
main: foo bar baz

foo:
  sleep 1

bar:
  sleep 1

baz:
  sleep 1
```

The number of simultaneously running recipes may be limited with the `--jobs`
option<sup>1.56.0</sup>. The `num_jobs()` function returns the number of jobs,
falling back to the empty list if `--jobs` was not passed.

GNU `parallel` may be used to run recipe lines concurrently:

```just
parallel:
  #!/usr/bin/env -S parallel --shebang --ungroup --jobs {{ num_cpus() }}
  echo task 1 start; sleep 3; echo task 1 done
  echo task 2 start; sleep 3; echo task 2 done
  echo task 3 start; sleep 3; echo task 3 done
  echo task 4 start; sleep 3; echo task 4 done
```

### Documentation Comments

Comments immediately preceding a recipe will appear in `just --list`:

```just
# build stuff
build:
  ./bin/build

# test stuff
test:
  ./bin/test
```

```console
$ just --list
Available recipes:
    build # build stuff
    test # test stuff
```

The `[doc]` attribute can be used to set or suppress a recipe's doc comment:

```just
# This comment won't appear
[doc('Build stuff')]
build:
  ./bin/build

# This one won't either
[doc]
test:
  ./bin/test
```

```console
$ just --list
Available recipes:
    build # Build stuff
    test
```

The value of `[doc]` may be a const expression<sup>1.56.0</sup>.

### Groups

Recipes and modules may be annotated with one or more group names:

```just
[group('lint')]
js-lint:
    echo 'Running JS linter…'

[group('rust recipes')]
[group('lint')]
rust-lint:
    echo 'Running Rust linter…'

[group('lint')]
cpp-lint:
  echo 'Running C++ linter…'

# not in any group
email-everyone:
    echo 'Sending mass email…'
```

Recipes are listed by group:

```
$ just --list
Available recipes:
    email-everyone # not in any group

    [lint]
    cpp-lint
    js-lint
    rust-lint

    [rust recipes]
    rust-lint
```

`just --list --unsorted` prints recipes in their justfile order within each group:

```
$ just --list --unsorted
Available recipes:
    (no group)
    email-everyone # not in any group

    [lint]
    js-lint
    rust-lint
    cpp-lint

    [rust recipes]
    rust-lint
```

Groups can be listed with `--groups`:

```
$ just --groups
Recipe groups:
  lint
  rust recipes
```

Use `just --groups --unsorted` to print groups in their justfile order.

### Aliases

Aliases allow recipes to be invoked on the command line with alternative names:

```just
alias b := build

build:
  echo 'Building!'
```

```console
$ just b
echo 'Building!'
Building!
```

The target of an alias may be a recipe in a submodule:

```justfile
mod foo

alias baz := foo::bar
```

Or a module<sup>1.55.0</sup>:

```justfile
mod frontend

alias f := frontend
```

```console
$ just f build
```

### Private Recipes

Recipes and aliases whose name starts with a `_` are omitted from `just --list`:

```just
test: _test-helper
  ./bin/test

_test-helper:
  ./bin/super-secret-test-helper-stuff
```

```console
$ just --list
Available recipes:
    test
```

And from `just --summary`:

```console
$ just --summary
test
```

The `[private]` attribute<sup>1.10.0</sup> may also be used to hide recipes or
aliases without needing to change the name:

```just
[private]
foo:

[private]
alias b := bar

bar:
```

```console
$ just --list
Available recipes:
    bar
```

This is useful for helper recipes which are only meant to be used as
dependencies of other recipes.

### Enabling and Disabling Items

The `[android]`, `[dragonfly]`, `[freebsd]`, `[linux]`, `[macos]`, `[netbsd]`,
`[openbsd]`, `[unix]`, and `[windows]` attributes are conditional attributes.
By default, items are always enabled. An item with one or more conditional
attributes will only be enabled when one or more of those conditional
attributes is active.

The conditional attributes originally applied only to recipes, but may now be
applied to all top-level items<sup>1.56.0</sup>.

This can be used to write `justfile`s that behave differently depending on
which operating system they run on. The `run` recipe in this `justfile` will
compile and run `main.c`, using a different C compiler and using the correct
output binary name for that compiler depending on the operating system:

```just
[unix]
run:
  cc main.c
  ./a.out

[windows]
run:
  cl main.c
  main.exe
```

Similarly, a setting can be made conditional on the current operating system:

```just
[unix]
set shell := ['sh', '-cu']

[windows]
set shell := ['cmd', '/c']
```

### Allow Duplicate Recipes

If `allow-duplicate-recipes` is set to `true`, defining multiple recipes with
the same name is not an error and the last definition is used. Defaults to
`false`.

```just
set allow-duplicate-recipes

@foo:
  echo foo

@foo:
  echo bar
```

```console
$ just foo
bar
```

Expressions
-----------

### Variables and Assignments

Module-level variables may be created by assigning them a value with `:=`:

```just
foo := "hello"
bar := "world"

baz:
  echo {{ foo + " " + bar }}
```

All variables in a module may be printed:

```console
$ just --evaluate
bar := "world"
foo := "hello"
```

Or the value of a single variable:

```console
$ just --evaluate foo
hello
```

All variables in a submodule or a single variable in a submodule may be printed
with a path to the submodule or variable<sup>1.49.0</sup>:

```console
$ just --evaluate bob::bar
x := "world"
y := "hello"
$ just --evaluate bob::bar::y
hello
```

The format of exported variables may be controlled with
`--evaluate-format`<sup>1.49.0</sup>:

```console
$ just --evaluate --evaluate-format shell
bar="world"
foo="hello"
```

The default format is `--evaluate-format just`:

```console
$ just --evaluate --evaluate-format just
bar := "world"
foo := "hello"
```

### Allow Duplicate Variables

If `allow-duplicate-variables` is set to `true`, defining multiple variables
with the same name is not an error and the last definition is used. Defaults to
`false`.

```just
set allow-duplicate-variables

a := "foo"
a := "bar"

@foo:
  echo {{a}}
```

```console
$ just foo
bar
```

### Lazy

The `lazy` setting<sup>1.47.0</sup> causes the evaluator to skip evaluating
unused variables. This can be beneficial when a `justfile` contains variables
that are expensive to evaluate but only sometimes used.

In the following `justfile`, `token` will be skipped when only invoking `bar`:

```just
set lazy

token := `expensive-script-to-get-credentials`

foo:
  curl -H "Authorization: Bearer {{ token }}" https://example.com/foo

bar:
  cargo test
```

Because `just` cannot determine when exported variables are used, assignments
with `export` and assignments in a module with `set export` will always be
evaluated.

### Expressions and Substitutions

Various operators and function calls are supported in expressions, which may be
used in assignments, default recipe arguments, and inside recipe body `{{…}}`
substitutions.

```just
tmpdir  := `mktemp -d`
version := "0.2.7"
tardir  := tmpdir / "awesomesauce-" + version
tarball := tardir + ".tar.gz"
config  := quote(config_dir() / ".project-config")

publish:
  rm -f {{tarball}}
  mkdir {{tardir}}
  cp README.md *.c {{ config }} {{tardir}}
  tar zcvf {{tarball}} {{tardir}}
  scp {{tarball}} me@server.com:release/
  rm -rf {{tarball}} {{tardir}}
```

#### Concatenation

The `+` operator returns the left-hand argument concatenated with the
right-hand argument:

```just
foobar := 'foo' + 'bar'
```

#### Logical Operators

The logical operators `&&` and `||` can be used to coalesce
values<sup>1.37.0</sup>, similar to Python's `and` and `or`. The only false
value is the empty list `[]`; every other value, including the empty string
`''`, is true.

These operators require `set lists`<sup>1.53.0</sup>, which is currently
unstable.

The `&&` operator returns the empty list if the left-hand argument is false,
otherwise it returns the right-hand argument:

```justfile
foo := [] && 'goodbye'      # []
bar := 'hello' && 'goodbye' # 'goodbye'
```

The `||` operator returns the left-hand argument if it is true, otherwise it
returns the right-hand argument:

```justfile
foo := [] || 'goodbye'      # 'goodbye'
bar := 'hello' || 'goodbye' # 'hello'
```

#### Joining Paths

The `/` operator can be used to join two strings with a slash:

```just
foo := "a" / "b"
```

```
$ just --evaluate foo
a/b
```

Note that a `/` is added even if one is already present:

```just
foo := "a/"
bar := foo / "b"
```

```
$ just --evaluate bar
a//b
```

Absolute paths can also be constructed<sup>1.5.0</sup>:

```just
foo := / "b"
```

```
$ just --evaluate foo
/b
```

The `/` operator uses the `/` character, even on Windows. Thus, using the `/`
operator should be avoided with paths that use universal naming convention
(UNC), i.e., those that start with `\\`, since forward slashes are not
supported with UNC paths.

#### Escaping `{{`

To write a recipe containing `{{`, use `{{{{`:

```just
braces:
  echo 'I {{{{LOVE}} curly braces!'
```

(An unmatched `}}` is ignored, so it doesn't need to be escaped.)

Another option is to put all the text you'd like to escape inside of an
interpolation:

```just
braces:
  echo '{{'I {{LOVE}} curly braces!'}}'
```

Yet another option is to use `{{ "{{" }}`:

```just
braces:
  echo 'I {{ "{{" }}LOVE}} curly braces!'
```

### Strings

`'single'`, `"double"`, and `'''triple'''` quoted string literals are
supported. Unlike in recipe bodies, `{{…}}` interpolations are not supported
inside strings.

Double-quoted strings support escape sequences:

```just
carriage-return   := "\r"
double-quote      := "\""
newline           := "\n"
no-newline        := "\
"
slash             := "\\"
tab               := "\t"
unicode-codepoint := "\u{1F916}"
```

```console
$ just --evaluate
"arriage-return   := "
double-quote      := """
newline           := "
"
no-newline        := ""
slash             := "\"
tab               := "     "
unicode-codepoint := "🤖"
```

The unicode character escape sequence `\u{…}`<sup>1.36.0</sup> accepts up to
six hex digits.

Strings may contain line breaks:

```just
single := '
hello
'

double := "
goodbye
"
```

Single-quoted strings do not recognize escape sequences:

```just
escapes := '\t\n\r\"\\'
```

```console
$ just --evaluate
escapes := "\t\n\r\"\\"
```

Indented versions of both single- and double-quoted strings, delimited by
triple single- or double-quotes, are supported. Indented string lines are
stripped of a leading line break, and leading whitespace common to all
non-blank lines:

```just
# this string will evaluate to `foo\nbar\n`
x := '''
  foo
  bar
'''

# this string will evaluate to `abc\n  wuv\nxyz\n`
y := """
  abc
    wuv
  xyz
"""
```

Similar to unindented strings, indented double-quoted strings process escape
sequences, and indented single-quoted strings ignore escape sequences. Escape
sequence processing takes place after unindentation. The unindentation
algorithm does not take escape-sequence produced whitespace or newlines into
account.

#### Shell-expanded strings

Strings prefixed with `x` are shell expanded<sup>1.27.0</sup>:

```justfile
foobar := x'~/$FOO/${BAR}'
```

| Value | Replacement |
|------|-------------|
| `$VAR` | value of environment variable `VAR` |
| `${VAR}` | value of environment variable `VAR` |
| `${VAR:-DEFAULT}` | value of environment variable `VAR`, or `DEFAULT` if `VAR` is not set |
| Leading `~` | path to current user's home directory |
| Leading `~USER` | path to `USER`'s home directory |

This expansion is performed at compile time, so variables from `.env` files and
exported `just` variables cannot be used. However, this allows shell expanded
strings to be used in places like settings and import paths, which cannot
depend on `just` variables and `.env` files.

#### Format strings

Strings prefixed with `f` are format strings<sup>1.44.0</sup>:

```justfile
name := "world"
message := f'Hello, {{name}}!'
```

Format strings may contain interpolations delimited with `{{…}}` that contain
expressions. Format strings evaluate to the concatenated string fragments and
evaluated expressions.

Use `{{{{` to include a literal `{{` in a format string:

```justfile
foo := f'I {{{{LOVE} curly braces!'
```

### Lists

The `lists` setting<sup>1.53.0</sup> allows values that are lists of strings.
It is currently unstable and will change in backwards incompatible ways. This
section documents changes in behavior when `set lists` is enabled.

It has not yet been decided how lists should behave with many of the built-in
functions. Functions that have been updated to accept lists are mentioned in
this section. Using lists with any other function is an error. The
`join_list()` function can be used to convert lists into space-separated
strings for use with un-upgraded functions. Feedback on how built-in functions
should behave with lists, and on lists in general, is most welcome! Feel free
to open an issue or leave a comment in the
[`set lists` tracking issue](https://github.com/casey/just/issues/3377).

Variadic recipe parameters are lists of strings instead of single
space-separated strings.

List literals are written `[a, b, c]`. List literals flatten their arguments,
since lists may only contain strings and not other lists. For example,
`[["a", "b"], [], "c"]` evaluates to `["a", "b", "c"]`.

Lists in recipe and `f`-string interpolations are joined with spaces into a
single string.

Each argument to a dependency binds to exactly one parameter, and supplying
extra arguments to a variadic dependency is an error.

Dependencies may be invoked once per element of a list with
`*(recipe *argument)`.

A parameter evaluates to the default when the argument is the empty list.

Passing an empty list to a non-`*` parameter without a default is an error.

The `else` of an `if` may be omitted, in which case the `if` evaluates to `[]`
when its condition is false.

Message values in `assert(condition, message)` and `[confirm(message)]` are
space-joined for display.

The `+` and `/` operators combine strings and lists. A string and a non-empty
list are combined by concatenating the string with each element of the list.
Two lists of the same length are combined into a list containing the pairwise
concatenated elements of both operands. Combining two lists of different
lengths is an error.

The `++` operator performs list concatenation.

#### Booleans

The canonical boolean true value is the string `"true"`, and the canonical
boolean false value is the empty list `[]`. All values other than the empty
list are truthy, including `''`.

The condition of an `if` or `assert()` may be any expression, which is
evaluated for truthiness.

The comparison operators `==`, `!=`, `=~`, and `!~` may be used anywhere, not
just in `if` and `assert()`, and evaluate to `"true"` or `[]`.

`value =~ regexes` is true if any element in `value` matches any regex in
`regexes`. It is false if either `value` or `regexes` is empty.

`value !~ regexes` is true if no element in `value` matches any regex in
`regexes`. It is true if either `value` or `regexes` is empty.

Values may be negated with `!`. `!expression` evaluates to `"true"` if
`expression` is `[]`, otherwise it evaluates to `[]`.

#### Settings

The `script-interpreter`, `shell`, and `windows-shell` settings flatten their
elements like list literals.

When `positional-arguments` is set, list arguments are space-joined unless they
are variadic, in which case they are passed as one positional argument per
element.

The `--dotenv-filename` and `--dotenv-path` options may be passed multiple
times, and the `dotenv-filename` and `dotenv-path` settings accept lists, in
which case multiple environment files may be loaded. The values of
`dotenv-path` are tried first. If none are found the current directory is
searched for the names in `dotenv-filename`, followed by its ancestors,
stopping in the first directory that contains any of them and loading all
matching files in that directory. If multiple environment files are loaded,
variables in files later in list take precedence over earlier ones.

Each element of the value of `set dotenv-command` is run as a command, with
variables from commands later in the list taking precedence over variables from
commands earlier in the list.

#### Attributes

The `[arg(flag)]` attribute makes the parameter a flag which does not take a
value on the command line. For example, with `[arg('foo', long, flag)]`, `foo`
will be `"true"` when `--foo` is passed, and `[]` otherwise. Flag parameters
may not have a default.

The `[arg(multiple)]` attribute allows an option or flag to be passed more than
once, assigning the list of passed values to the parameter. When combined with
`flag` or `value=VALUE`, `"true"` or `VALUE`, respectively, are repeated for
each occurance of the flag.

The `[arg(min=MIN)]` and `[arg(max=MAX)]` attributes<sup>1.56.0</sup> can be
used to limit the number of values an option or flag may receive.

The value of `[arg(help)]` may be a list, in which case the help string is the
elements of the list joined with spaces. If the list is empty, the argument has
no help string.

The value of `[arg(pattern)]` may be a list, in which case the argument is
accepted if it matches any pattern in the list. If the value is the empty list,
any argument is accepted. For example, with
`[arg('foo', pattern=['--help', '--version'])]`, `foo` may be `--help` or
`--version`.

In `[env(variable, value)]` if `value` is `[]`, `variable` is not set.
Otherwise it is set to `value` joined with spaces.

#### Functions

- `absolute_path()` - Applies to each list element individually.
- `append()` - Applies to each list element individually and does not split
  elements on whitespace.
- `assert(condition, message)` - Evaluates to `condition`.
- `bool(value)` Converts `value` to the canonical boolean values. Returns `[]`
  when `value` is `""` `"0"` `"false"`, or `[]`, and `"true"` when `value` is
  `"1"` or `"true"`. All other values are an error. Can be used to parse
  booleans passed as arguments or environment variables.
- `env(keys, default)` Checks for the environment variables named in `keys` in
  order and returns the value of the first that is set. Returns `default` if
  none are set or an error if `default` is omitted.
- `is_dependency()` - Returns the canonical booleans.
- `join_list(value, separator)` - Joins `value` into a single string. Elements
  are joined with `separator`, or with a single space if `separator` is
  omitted.
- `len(value)` - Returns the number of elements in `value`.
- `path_exists()` - Returns the canonical booleans.
- `prepend()` - Applies to each list element individually and does not split
  elements on whitespace.
- `quote()` - Applies to each list element individually.
- `semver_matches()` - Returns the canonical booleans.
- `show(value)` - Converts `value` into a string containing its literal
  representation. Brackets are used for empty and multi-element lists, e.g.,
  `"[]"` and `"["foo", "bar"]"`, but not single-element lists, e.g., `"foo"`.
- `split(string, separator)` - Splits `string` into a list on each occurrence
  of `separator`. If `separator` is omitted, `string` is split on whitespace,
  with leading and trailing whitespace trimmed.
- `which()` - Returns the empty list when no executable is found.

#### Examples

Each list element is `quote()`'ed separately:

```just
set unstable
set lists

@foo *args:
  printf '%s\n' {{ quote(args) }}
```

```console
$ just foo bar 'baz bob'
bar
baz bob
```

The return value of `quote(args)` is `'bar' 'baz bob'`, instead of
`'bar baz bob'`, as would be the case without `set lists`.

Variadic positional arguments:

```just
set unstable
set lists
set positional-arguments

foo *args: (bar args 'bob') (baz args)

@bar first second:
  echo first=$1
  echo second=$2

@baz *args:
  echo '$1='$1
  echo '$2='$2
```

```console
$ just foo one two
first=one two
second=bob
$1=one
$2=two
```

A mapped dependency is invoked once per element of its starred argument, with
`[parallel]` to run them in parallel:

```just
set unstable
set lists

[parallel]
build target *platform: *(compile target *platform)

@compile target platform:
  echo compiling {{ target }} for {{ platform }}…
```

```console
$ just build x86 foo bar
compiling foo for x86…
compiling bar for x86…
```

The canonical false value `[]` is recommended as a default for options:

```just
set unstable
set lists

[arg('bar', long)]
foo bar=[]:
```

### Conditional Expressions

`if`/`else` expressions evaluate different branches depending on if two
expressions evaluate to the same value:

```just
foo := if "2" == "2" { "Good!" } else { "1984" }

bar:
  @echo "{{foo}}"
```

```console
$ just bar
Good!
```

It is also possible to test for inequality:

```just
foo := if "hello" != "goodbye" { "xyz" } else { "abc" }

bar:
  @echo {{foo}}
```

```console
$ just bar
xyz
```

And match against regular expressions:

```just
foo := if "hello" =~ 'hel+o' { "match" } else { "mismatch" }

bar:
  @echo {{foo}}
```

```console
$ just bar
match
```

Regular expressions are provided by the
[regex crate](https://github.com/rust-lang/regex), whose syntax is documented on
[docs.rs](https://docs.rs/regex/1.5.4/regex/#syntax). Since regular expressions
commonly use backslash escape sequences, consider using single-quoted string
literals, which will pass slashes to the regex parser unmolested.

Conditional expressions short-circuit, which means they only evaluate one of
their branches. This can be used to make sure that backtick expressions don't
run when they shouldn't.

```just
foo := if env_var("RELEASE") == "true" { `get-something-from-release-database` } else { "dummy-value" }
```

Conditionals can be used inside of recipes:

```just
bar foo:
  echo {{ if foo == "bar" { "hello" } else { "goodbye" } }}
```

Multiple conditionals can be chained:

```just
foo := if "hello" == "goodbye" {
  "xyz"
} else if "a" == "a" {
  "abc"
} else {
  "123"
}

bar:
  @echo {{foo}}
```

```console
$ just bar
abc
```

### Command Evaluation Using Backticks

Backticks can be used to store the result of commands:

```just
localhost := `dumpinterfaces | cut -d: -f2 | sed 's/\/.*//' | sed 's/ //g'`

serve:
  ./serve {{localhost}} 8080
```

Indented backticks, delimited by three backticks, are de-indented in the same
manner as indented strings:

````just
# This backtick evaluates the command `echo foo\necho bar\n`, which produces the value `foo\nbar\n`.
stuff := ```
    echo foo
    echo bar
  ```
````

See the [Strings](#strings) section for details on unindenting.

Backticks may not start with `#!`. This syntax is reserved for a future
upgrade.

The [`shell(…)` function](#external-commands) provides a more general mechanism
to invoke external commands, including the ability to execute the contents of a
variable as a command, and to pass arguments to a command.

### Stopping execution with error

Execution can be halted with the `error` function. For example:

```just
foo := if "hello" == "goodbye" {
  "xyz"
} else if "a" == "b" {
  "abc"
} else {
  error("123")
}
```

Which produces the following error when run:

```
error: Call to function `error` failed: 123
   |
16 |   error("123")
```

### Built-in Functions

`just` provides many built-in functions for use in expressions, including
recipe body `{{…}}` substitutions, assignments, and default parameter values.

All functions ending in `_directory` can be abbreviated to `_dir`. So
`home_directory()` can also be written as `home_dir()`. In addition,
`invocation_directory_native()` can be abbreviated to
`invocation_dir_native()`.

### User-defined functions

New functions may be defined<sup>1.49.0</sup>:

```just
set unstable

hello(name) := f"Hello, {{ name }}!"

foo:
  echo '{{ hello("World") }}'
```

User-defined functions are currently unstable.

Functions may reference assignments in the same module:

```just
set unstable

base := "foo"

join(extension) := base + "." + extension

create:
  touch {{ join("c") }}
  touch {{ join("html") }}
  touch {{ join("txt") }}
```

Execution
---------

### Sigils

Commands in shell recipes may be prefixed with any combination of the sigils
`-`, `@`, and `?`.

The `@` sigil toggles command echoing:

```just
foo:
  @echo "This line won't be echoed!"
  echo "This line will be echoed!"

@bar:
  @echo "This line will be echoed!"
  echo "This line won't be echoed!"
```

The `-` sigil causes recipe execution to continue even if the command returns a
nonzero exit status:

```just
# execution will continue, even if bar doesn't exist
foo:
  -rmdir bar
  mkdir bar
  echo 'so much good stuff' > bar/stuff.txt
```

The `?` sigil<sup>1.47.0</sup> causes the current recipe to stop executing if
the command exits with status code `1`, however execution of other recipes will
continue. Exit status `0` causes the current recipe to continue execution as
normal. All other exit codes are reserved and should not be used, as they may
be given meaning in a future version of `just`.

If the `guards` setting is unset or false, `?` sigils are ignored and instead
treated as part of the command.

```just
set guards

@foo: bar
  echo FOO

@bar:
  ?[[ -f baz ]]
  echo BAR
```

```console
$ just foo
FOO
$ touch baz
$ just foo
BAR
FOO
```

### Quiet Recipes

A recipe name may be prefixed with `@` to invert the meaning of `@` before each
line:

```just
@quiet:
  echo hello
  echo goodbye
  @# all done!
```

Now only the lines starting with `@` will be echoed:

```console
$ just quiet
hello
goodbye
# all done!
```

All recipes in a justfile can be made quiet with `set quiet`:

```just
set quiet

foo:
  echo "This is quiet"

@foo2:
  echo "This is also quiet"
```

The `[no-quiet]` attribute overrides this setting:

```just
set quiet

foo:
  echo "This is quiet"

[no-quiet]
foo2:
  echo "This is not quiet"
```

Shebang recipes are quiet by default:

```just
foo:
  #!/usr/bin/env bash
  echo 'Foo!'
```

```console
$ just foo
Foo!
```

Adding `@` to a shebang recipe name makes `just` print the recipe before
executing it:

```just
@bar:
  #!/usr/bin/env bash
  echo 'Bar!'
```

```console
$ just bar
#!/usr/bin/env bash
echo 'Bar!'
Bar!
```

`just` normally prints error messages when a recipe line fails. These error
messages can be suppressed using the `[no-exit-message]`<sup>1.7.0</sup>
attribute on individual recipes, or module-wide with
`set no-exit-message`<sup>1.39.0</sup>. You may find this especially useful
with a recipe that wraps a tool:

```just
git *args:
    @git {{args}}
```

```console
$ just git status
fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git
error: Recipe `git` failed on line 2 with exit code 128
```

Add the attribute to suppress the exit error message when the tool exits with a
non-zero code:

```just
[no-exit-message]
git *args:
    @git {{args}}
```

```console
$ just git status
fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git
```

### Shebang Recipes

Recipes that start with `#!` are called shebang recipes, and are executed by
saving the recipe body to a file and running it. This lets you write recipes in
different languages:

```just
polyglot: python js perl sh ruby nu

python:
  #!/usr/bin/env python3
  print('Hello from python!')

js:
  #!/usr/bin/env node
  console.log('Greetings from JavaScript!')

perl:
  #!/usr/bin/env perl
  print "Larry Wall says Hi!\n";

sh:
  #!/usr/bin/env sh
  hello='Yo'
  echo "$hello from a shell script!"

nu:
  #!/usr/bin/env nu
  let hello = 'Hola'
  echo $"($hello) from a nushell script!"

ruby:
  #!/usr/bin/env ruby
  puts "Hello from ruby!"
```

```console
$ just polyglot
Hello from python!
Greetings from JavaScript!
Larry Wall says Hi!
Yo from a shell script!
Hola from a nushell script!
Hello from ruby!
```

On Unix-like operating systems, including Linux and macOS, shebang recipes are
executed by saving the recipe body to a file in a temporary directory, marking
the file as executable, and executing it. The OS then parses the shebang line
into a command line and invokes it, including the path to the file. For
example, if a recipe starts with `#!/usr/bin/env bash`, the final command that
the OS runs will be something like `/usr/bin/env bash
/tmp/PATH_TO_SAVED_RECIPE_BODY`.

Shebang line splitting is operating system dependent. When passing a command
with arguments, you may need to tell `env` to split them explicitly by using
the `-S` flag:

```just
run:
  #!/usr/bin/env -S bash -x
  ls
```

Windows does not support shebang lines. On Windows, `just` splits the shebang
line into a command and arguments, saves the recipe body to a file, and invokes
the split command and arguments, adding the path to the saved recipe body as
the final argument. For example, on Windows, if a recipe starts with `#! py`,
the final command the OS runs will be something like
`py C:\Temp\PATH_TO_SAVED_RECIPE_BODY`.

### Script Recipes

Recipes with a `[script(COMMAND)]`<sup>1.32.0</sup> attribute are run as
scripts interpreted by `COMMAND`. This avoids some of the issues with shebang
recipes, such as the use of `cygpath` on Windows, the need to use
`/usr/bin/env`, inconsistencies in shebang line splitting across Unix OSs, and
requiring a temporary directory from which files can be executed.

Recipes with an empty `[script]` attribute are executed with the value of `set
script-interpreter := […]`<sup>1.33.0</sup>, defaulting to `sh -eu`, and *not*
the value of `set shell`.

The body of the recipe is evaluated, written to disk in the temporary
directory, and run by passing its path as an argument to `COMMAND`.

With `set default-script := true`<sup>1.52.0</sup>, recipes default to script
recipes instead of shell recipes, unless overridden with the `[shell]`
attribute<sup>1.52.0</sup>.

### Script and Shebang Recipe Temporary Files

Both script and shebang recipes write the recipe body to a temporary file for
execution. Script recipes execute that file by passing it to a command, while
shebang recipes execute the file directly. Shebang recipe execution will fail
if the filesystem containing the temporary file is mounted with `noexec` or is
otherwise non-executable.

The directory that `just` writes temporary files to may be configured in a
number of ways, from highest to lowest precedence:

- Globally with the `--tempdir` command-line option or the `JUST_TEMPDIR`
  environment variable<sup>1.41.0</sup>.

- On a per-module basis with the `tempdir` setting.

- Globally on Linux with the `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR` environment variable.

- Falling back to the directory returned by
  [std::env::temp_dir](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/env/fn.temp_dir.html).

### Safer Bash Shebang Recipes

If you're writing a `bash` shebang recipe, consider adding `set -euxo
pipefail`:

```just
foo:
  #!/usr/bin/env bash
  set -euxo pipefail
  hello='Yo'
  echo "$hello from Bash!"
```

It isn't strictly necessary, but `set -euxo pipefail` turns on a few useful
features that make `bash` shebang recipes behave more like normal, shell `just`
recipes:

- `set -e` makes `bash` exit if a command fails.

- `set -u` makes `bash` exit if a variable is undefined.

- `set -x` makes `bash` print each script line before it's run.

- `set -o pipefail` makes `bash` exit if a command in a pipeline fails. This is
  `bash`-specific, so isn't turned on in normal shell `just` recipes.

Together, these avoid a lot of shell scripting gotchas.

#### Shebang Recipe Execution on Windows

On Windows, shebang interpreter paths containing a `/` are translated from
Unix-style paths to Windows-style paths using `cygpath`, a utility that ships
with [Cygwin](http://www.cygwin.com).

For example, to execute this recipe on Windows:

```just
echo:
  #!/bin/sh
  echo "Hello!"
```

The interpreter path `/bin/sh` will be translated to a Windows-style path using
`cygpath` before being executed.

If the interpreter path does not contain a `/` it will be executed without
being translated. This is useful if `cygpath` is not available, or you wish to
pass a Windows-style path to the interpreter.

### Indentation

Recipe lines can be indented with spaces or tabs, but not a mix of both. All of
a recipe's lines must have the same type of indentation, but different recipes
in the same `justfile` may use different indentation.

Each recipe must be indented at least one level from the `recipe-name` but
after that may be further indented.

Here's a justfile with a recipe indented with spaces, represented as `·`, and
tabs, represented as `→`.

```justfile
[windows]
set shell := ["pwsh", "-NoLogo", "-NoProfileLoadTime", "-Command"]

set ignore-comments

list-space directory:
··#!pwsh
··foreach ($item in $(Get-ChildItem {{directory}} )) {
····echo $item.Name
··}
··echo ""

# indentation nesting works even when newlines are escaped
list-tab directory:
→ @foreach ($item in $(Get-ChildItem {{directory}} )) { \
→ → echo $item.Name \
→ }
→ @echo ""
```

```pwsh
PS > just list-space ~
Desktop
Documents
Downloads

PS > just list-tab ~
Desktop
Documents
Downloads
```

### Multi-Line Constructs

Recipes without an initial shebang are evaluated and run line-by-line, which
means that multi-line constructs probably won't do what you want.

For example, with the following `justfile`:

```justfile
conditional:
  if true; then
    echo 'True!'
  fi
```

The extra leading whitespace before the second line of the `conditional` recipe
will produce a parse error:

```console
$ just conditional
error: Recipe line has extra leading whitespace
  |
3 |         echo 'True!'
  |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
```

To work around this, you can write conditionals on one line, escape newlines
with slashes, or add a shebang to your recipe. Some examples of multi-line
constructs are provided for reference.

#### `if` statements

```just
conditional:
  if true; then echo 'True!'; fi
```

```just
conditional:
  if true; then \
    echo 'True!'; \
  fi
```

```just
conditional:
  #!/usr/bin/env sh
  if true; then
    echo 'True!'
  fi
```

#### `for` loops

```just
for:
  for file in `ls .`; do echo $file; done
```

```just
for:
  for file in `ls .`; do \
    echo $file; \
  done
```

```just
for:
  #!/usr/bin/env sh
  for file in `ls .`; do
    echo $file
  done
```

#### `while` loops

```just
while:
  while `server-is-dead`; do ping -c 1 server; done
```

```just
while:
  while `server-is-dead`; do \
    ping -c 1 server; \
  done
```

```just
while:
  #!/usr/bin/env sh
  while `server-is-dead`; do
    ping -c 1 server
  done
```

#### Outside Recipe Bodies

Parenthesized expressions can span multiple lines:

```just
abc := ('a' +
        'b'
         + 'c')

abc2 := (
  'a' +
  'b' +
  'c'
)

foo param=('foo'
      + 'bar'
    ):
  echo {{param}}

bar: (foo
        'Foo'
     )
  echo 'Bar!'
```

Lines ending with a backslash continue on to the next line as if the lines were
joined by whitespace<sup>1.15.0</sup>:

```just
a := 'foo' + \
     'bar'

foo param1 \
  param2='foo' \
  *varparam='': dep1 \
                (dep2 'foo')
  echo {{param1}} {{param2}} {{varparam}}

dep1: \
    # this comment is not part of the recipe body
  echo 'dep1'

dep2 \
  param:
    echo 'Dependency with parameter {{param}}'
```

Backslash line continuations can also be used in interpolations. The line
following the backslash must be indented.

```just
recipe:
  echo '{{ \
  "This interpolation " + \
    "has a lot of text." \
  }}'
  echo 'back to recipe body'
```

### Setting Variables in a Recipe

Recipe lines are interpreted by the shell, not `just`, so it's not possible to
set `just` variables in the middle of a recipe:

```justfile
foo:
  x := "hello" # This doesn't work!
  echo {{x}}
```

It is possible to use shell variables, but there's another problem. Every
recipe line is run by a new shell instance, so variables set in one line won't
be set in the next:

```just
foo:
  x=hello && echo $x # This works!
  y=bye
  echo $y            # This doesn't, `y` is undefined here!
```

The best way to work around this is to use a shebang recipe. Shebang recipe
bodies are extracted and run as scripts, so a single shell instance will run
the whole thing:

```just
foo:
  #!/usr/bin/env bash
  set -euxo pipefail
  x=hello
  echo $x
```

### Configuring the Shell

There are a number of ways to configure the shell for shell recipes, which are
the default when a recipe does not start with a `#!` shebang. Their precedence,
from highest to lowest, is:

1. The `--shell` and `--shell-arg` command line options. Passing either of
   these will cause `just` to ignore any settings in the current justfile.
2. `set windows-shell := [...]` (deprecated)
3. `set windows-powershell` (deprecated)
4. `set shell := [...]`

Use the `[windows]` and `[unix]` attributes with `set shell` to use different a
shells on Windows.

### Shell

The `shell` setting controls the command used to invoke recipe lines and
backticks. Shebang recipes are unaffected. The default shell is `sh -cu`.

```just
# use python3 to execute recipe lines and backticks
set shell := ["python3", "-c"]

# use print to capture result of evaluation
foos := `print("foo" * 4)`

foo:
  print("Snake snake snake snake.")
  print("{{foos}}")
```

`just` passes the command to be executed as an argument. Many shells will need
an additional flag, often `-c`, to make them evaluate the first argument.

#### Windows Shell

`just` uses `sh` on Windows by default. To use a different shell on Windows,
use the `[windows]` attribute on the `shell` setting:

```just
[windows]
set shell := ["powershell.exe", "-NoLogo", "-Command"]

hello:
  Write-Host "Hello, world!"
```

See
[powershell.just](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/examples/powershell.just)
for a justfile that uses PowerShell on all platforms.

#### Python 3

```just
set shell := ["python3", "-c"]
```

#### Bash

```just
set shell := ["bash", "-uc"]
```

#### Z Shell

```just
set shell := ["zsh", "-uc"]
```

#### Fish

```just
set shell := ["fish", "-c"]
```

#### Nushell

```just
set shell := ["nu", "-c"]
```

If you want to change the default table mode to `light`:

```just
set shell := ['nu', '-m', 'light', '-c']
```

*[Nushell](https://github.com/nushell/nushell) was written in Rust, and **has
cross-platform support for Windows / macOS and Linux**.*

Environment Variables
---------------------

### Getting and Setting Environment Variables

#### Exporting `just` Variables

Assignments prefixed with the `export` keyword will be exported to recipes as
environment variables:

```just
export RUST_BACKTRACE := "1"

test:
  # will print a stack trace if it crashes
  cargo test
```

Parameters prefixed with a `$` will be exported as environment variables:

```just
test $RUST_BACKTRACE="1":
  # will print a stack trace if it crashes
  cargo test
```

You can also use the `[env(NAME, VALUE)]` attribute to export environment
variables to a specific recipe:

```just
[env("RUST_BACKTRACE", "1")]
test:
  # will print a stack trace if it crashes
  cargo test
```

Exported variables and parameters are not exported to backticks in the same scope.

```just
export WORLD := "world"
# This backtick will fail with "WORLD: unbound variable"
BAR := `echo hello $WORLD`
```

```just
# Running `just a foo` will fail with "A: unbound variable"
a $A $B=`echo $A`:
  echo $A $B
```

When [export](#export) is set, all `just` variables are exported as environment
variables.

#### Unexporting Environment Variables

Environment variables can be unexported with the `unexport`
keyword<sup>1.29.0</sup>:

```just
unexport FOO

@foo:
  echo $FOO
```

```
$ export FOO=bar
$ just foo
sh: FOO: unbound variable
```

#### Getting Environment Variables from the Environment

Environment variables from the environment are passed automatically to the
recipes.

```just
print_home_folder:
  @echo "HOME is: '${HOME}'"
```

```console
$ just
HOME is: '/home/myuser'
```

#### Setting `just` Variables from Environment Variables

Environment variables can be propagated to `just` variables using the `env()` function.
See
[environment-variables](#environment-variables).

### Dotenv Settings

If any of `dotenv-load`, `dotenv-filename`, `dotenv-override`, `dotenv-path`,
or `dotenv-required` are set, `just` will try to load environment variables
from a file.

If `dotenv-path` is set, `just` will look for a file at the given path, which
may be absolute, or relative to the working directory.

The command-line option `--dotenv-path`, short form `-E`, can be used to set or
override `dotenv-path` at runtime.

If `dotenv-filename` is set, `just` will look for a file at the given path,
relative to the working directory and each of its ancestors.

The command-line option `--dotenv-filename`, short form `-F`, can be used to
set or override `dotenv-filename` at runtime.

If `dotenv-filename` is not set, but `dotenv-load` or `dotenv-required` are
set, `just` will look for a file named `.env`, relative to the working directory
and each of its ancestors.

`dotenv-filename` and `dotenv-path` are similar, but `dotenv-path` is only
checked relative to the working directory, whereas `dotenv-filename` is checked
relative to the working directory and each of its ancestors.

It is not an error if an environment file is not found, unless
`dotenv-required` is set.

The loaded variables are environment variables, not `just` variables, and so
must be accessed using `$VARIABLE_NAME` in recipes and backticks.

If `dotenv-override` is set, variables from the environment file will override
existing environment variables.

If `dotenv-command` is set, `just` runs it with the configured `shell` and loads
its standard output as an environment file.

This is useful for sourcing secrets from a secret manager or vault:

```just
set dotenv-command := 'sops -d .enc.env'
```

The command-line option `--dotenv-command` can be used to set or override
`dotenv-command` at runtime, and may be passed multiple times. Each value is
run as a command, with variables from later commands taking precedence over
variables from earlier commands.

For example, if your `.env` file contains:

```console
# a comment, will be ignored
DATABASE_ADDRESS=localhost:6379
SERVER_PORT=1337
```

And your `justfile` contains:

```just
set dotenv-load

serve:
  @echo "Starting server with database $DATABASE_ADDRESS on port $SERVER_PORT…"
  ./server --database $DATABASE_ADDRESS --port $SERVER_PORT
```

`just serve` will output:

```console
$ just serve
Starting server with database localhost:6379 on port 1337…
./server --database $DATABASE_ADDRESS --port $SERVER_PORT
```

Variables in environment files loaded in parent modules are inherited by
submodules.

Environment files are loaded in submodules<sup>1.49.0</sup> and may override
variables defined in parent module environment files.

### Export

The `export` setting causes all `just` variables to be exported as environment
variables. Defaults to `false`.

```just
set export

a := "hello"

@foo b:
  echo $a
  echo $b
```

```console
$ just foo goodbye
hello
goodbye
```

### Sharing Environment Variables Between Recipes

Each line of each recipe is executed by a fresh shell, so it is not possible to
share environment variables between recipes.

#### Using Python Virtual Environments

Some tools, like [Python's venv](https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html),
require loading environment variables in order to work, making them challenging
to use with `just`. As a workaround, you can execute the virtual environment
binaries directly:

```just
venv:
  [ -d foo ] || python3 -m venv foo

run: venv
  ./foo/bin/python3 main.py
```

Working Directory
-----------------

By default, recipes run with the working directory set to the directory that
contains the `justfile`.

The `[no-cd]` attribute can be used to make recipes run with the working
directory set to the directory in which `just` was invoked.

```just
@foo:
  pwd

[no-cd]
@bar:
  pwd
```

```console
$ cd subdir
$ just foo
/
$ just bar
/subdir
```

Note that this does not affect dotenv file search, or the working directory of
backtick and `shell()` invocations.

Use `set no-cd`<sup>1.51.0</sup> to make all recipes in the current module
default to the same behavior.

`set no-cd` and `set working-directory` can be overridden on a per-recipe basis
with the `[no-cd]` and `[working-directory]` attributes.

You can override the working directory for all recipes with
`set working-directory := '…'`:

```just
set working-directory := 'bar'

@foo:
  pwd
```

```console
$ pwd
/home/bob
$ just foo
/home/bob/bar
```

You can override the working directory for a specific recipe with the
`working-directory` attribute<sup>1.38.0</sup>:

```just
[working-directory: 'bar']
@foo:
  pwd
```

```console
$ pwd
/home/bob
$ just foo
/home/bob/bar
```

The argument to the `working-directory` setting or `working-directory`
attribute may be an expression<sup>1.51.0</sup> whose value is absolute or
relative. If it is relative it is interpreted relative to the default working
directory.

### Changing the Working Directory in a Recipe

Each recipe line is executed by a new shell, so if you change the working
directory on one line, it won't have an effect on later lines:

```just
foo:
  pwd    # This `pwd` will print the same directory…
  cd bar
  pwd    # …as this `pwd`!
```

There are a couple ways around this. One is to call `cd` on the same line as
the command you want to run:

```just
foo:
  cd bar && pwd
```

The other is to use a shebang recipe. Shebang recipe bodies are extracted and
run as scripts, so a single shell instance will run the whole thing, and thus a
`cd` on one line will affect later lines, just like a shell script:

```just
foo:
  #!/usr/bin/env bash
  set -euxo pipefail
  cd bar
  pwd
```

### Disabling Changing Directory

`just` normally executes recipes with the current directory set to the
directory that contains the `justfile`. This can be disabled using the
`[no-cd]` attribute<sup>1.9.0</sup>. This can be used to create recipes which
use paths relative to the invocation directory, or which operate on the current
directory.

For example, this `commit` recipe:

```just
[no-cd]
commit file:
  git add {{file}}
  git commit
```

Can be used with paths that are relative to the current directory, because
`[no-cd]` prevents `just` from changing the current directory when executing
`commit`.

Note that this does not affect dotenv file search, or the working directory of
backtick and `shell()` invocations.

Organization
------------

### Imports

One `justfile` can include the contents of another using `import` statements.

If you have the following `justfile`:

```justfile
import 'foo/bar.just'

a: b
  @echo A
```

And the following text in `foo/bar.just`:

```just
b:
  @echo B
```

`foo/bar.just` will be included in `justfile` and recipe `b` will be defined:

```console
$ just b
B
$ just a
B
A
```

The `import` path can be absolute or relative to the location of the justfile
containing it. A leading `~/` in the import path is replaced with the current
user's home directory.

Justfiles are insensitive to order, so included files can reference variables
and recipes defined after the `import` statement.

Imported files can themselves contain `import`s, which are processed
recursively.

`allow-duplicate-recipes` and `allow-duplicate-variables` allow duplicate
recipes and variables, respectively, to override each other, instead of
producing an error.

Within a module, later definitions override earlier definitions:

```just
set allow-duplicate-recipes

foo:

foo:
  echo 'yes'
```

When `import`s are involved, things unfortunately get much more complicated and
hard to explain.

Shallower definitions always override deeper definitions, so recipes at the top
level will override recipes in imports, and recipes in an import will override
recipes in an import which itself imports those recipes.

When two duplicate definitions are imported and are at the same depth, the one
from the earlier import will override the one from the later import.

This is because `just` uses a stack when processing imports, pushing imports
onto the stack in source-order, and always processing the top of the stack
next, so earlier imports are actually handled later by the compiler.

This is definitely a bug, but since `just` has very strong backwards
compatibility guarantees and we take enormous pains not to break anyone's
`justfile`, see issue [#2540](https://github.com/casey/just/issues/2540) for
discussion on whether or not we can actually fix it.

Imports may be made optional by putting a `?` after the `import` keyword:

```just
import? 'foo/bar.just'
```

Importing the same source file multiple times is not an error<sup>1.37.0</sup>.
This allows importing multiple justfiles, for example `foo.just` and
`bar.just`, which both import a third justfile containing shared recipes, for
example `baz.just`, without the duplicate import of `baz.just` being an error:

```justfile
# justfile
import 'foo.just'
import 'bar.just'
```

```justfile
# foo.just
import 'baz.just'
foo: baz
```

```justfile
# bar.just
import 'baz.just'
bar: baz
```

```just
# baz
baz:
```

### Modules

A `justfile` can declare modules using `mod` statements<sup>1.19.0</sup>.

`mod` statements were stabilized in `just`<sup>1.31.0</sup>.

If you have the following `justfile`:

```justfile
mod bar

a:
  @echo A
```

And the following text in `bar.just`:

```just
b:
  @echo B
```

`bar.just` will be included in `justfile` as a submodule. Recipes, aliases, and
variables defined in one submodule cannot be used in another, and each module
uses its own settings.

Recipes in submodules can be invoked as subcommands:

```console
$ just bar b
B
```

Or with path syntax:

```console
$ just bar::b
B
```

If a module is named `foo`, `just` will search for the module file in `foo.just`,
`foo/mod.just`, `foo/justfile`, and `foo/.justfile`. In the latter two cases,
the module file may have any capitalization.

Module statements may be of the form:

```justfile
mod foo 'PATH'
```

Which loads the module's source file from `PATH`, instead of from the usual
locations. A leading `~/` in `PATH` is replaced with the current user's home
directory. `PATH` may point to the module source file itself, or to a directory
containing the module source file with the name `mod.just`, `justfile`, or
`.justfile`. In the latter two cases, the module file may have any
capitalization.

Environment files are loaded for each module, respecting that module's related
settings. Environment variables from parent modules are visible in child
modules.

Recipes in submodules without the `[no-cd]` attribute run with the working
directory set to the directory containing the submodule source file.

`justfile()` and `justfile_directory()` always return the path to the root
justfile and the directory that contains it, even when called from submodule
recipes.

Modules may be made optional by putting a `?` after the `mod` keyword:

```just
mod? foo
```

Missing source files for optional modules do not produce an error. If a recipe
or alias depends on a missing optional module, directly, or transitively, it
will be disabled. Attempting to invoke a disabled recipe or alias is an error,
but other non-disabled recipes can still be run.<sup>1.52.0</sup>

Optional modules with no source file do not conflict, so you can have multiple
mod statements with the same name, but with different source file paths, as
long as at most one source file exists:

```just
mod? foo 'bar.just'
mod? foo 'baz.just'
```

Modules may be given doc comments which appear in `--list`
output<sup>1.30.0</sup>:

```justfile
# foo is a great module!
mod foo
```

```console
$ just --list
Available recipes:
    foo ... # foo is a great module!
```

Modules are still missing a lot of features, for example, the ability to refer
to variables in other modules. See the [module improvement tracking
issue](https://github.com/casey/just/issues/2252) for more information.

### Invoking `justfile`s in Other Directories

If the first argument passed to `just` contains a `/`, then the following
occurs:

1.  The argument is split at the last `/`.

2.  The part before the last `/` is treated as a directory. `just` will start
    its search for the `justfile` there, instead of in the current directory.

3.  The part after the last slash is treated as a normal argument, or ignored
    if it is empty.

This may seem a little strange, but it's useful if you wish to run a command in
a `justfile` that is in a subdirectory.

For example, if you are in a directory which contains a subdirectory named
`foo`, which contains a `justfile` with the recipe `build`, which is also the
default recipe, the following are all equivalent:

```console
$ (cd foo && just build)
$ just foo/build
$ just foo/
```

Additional recipes after the first are sought in the same `justfile`. For
example, the following are both equivalent:

```console
$ just foo/a b
$ (cd foo && just a b)
```

And will both invoke recipes `a` and `b` in `foo/justfile`.

### Fallback to parent `justfile`s

If a recipe is not found in a `justfile` and the `fallback` setting is set,
`just` will look for `justfile`s in the parent directory and up, until it
reaches the root directory. `just` will stop after it reaches a `justfile` in
which the `fallback` setting is `false` or unset.

As an example, suppose the current directory contains this `justfile`:

```just
set fallback
foo:
  echo foo
```

And the parent directory contains this `justfile`:

```just
bar:
  echo bar
```

```console
$ just bar
Trying ../justfile
echo bar
bar
```

### Remote Justfiles

If you wish to include a `mod` or `import` source file in many `justfiles`
without needing to duplicate it, you can use an optional `mod` or `import`,
along with a recipe to fetch the module source:

```just
import? 'foo.just'

fetch:
  curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/casey/just/master/justfile > foo.just
```

Given the above `justfile`, after running `just fetch`, the recipes in
`foo.just` will be available.

### Global and User `justfile`s

If you want some recipes to be available everywhere, you have a few options.

#### Global Justfile

`just --global-justfile`, or `just -g` for short, searches the following paths,
in-order, for a justfile:

- `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/just/justfile`
- `$HOME/.config/just/justfile`
- `$HOME/justfile`
- `$HOME/.justfile`

You can put recipes that are used across many projects in a global justfile to
easily invoke them from any directory.

#### User justfile tips

You can also adopt some of the following workflows. These tips assume you've
created a `justfile` at `~/.user.justfile`, but you can put this `justfile`
at any convenient path on your system.

##### Recipe Aliases

If you want to call the recipes in `~/.user.justfile` by name, and don't mind
creating an alias for every recipe, add the following to your shell's
initialization script:

```console
for recipe in `just --justfile ~/.user.justfile --summary`; do
  alias $recipe="just --justfile ~/.user.justfile --working-directory . $recipe"
done
```

Now, if you have a recipe called `foo` in `~/.user.justfile`, you can just type
`foo` at the command line to run it.

It took me way too long to realize that you could create recipe aliases like
this. Notwithstanding my tardiness, I am very pleased to bring you this major
advance in `justfile` technology.

##### Forwarding Alias

If you'd rather not create aliases for every recipe, you can create a single alias:

```console
alias .j='just --justfile ~/.user.justfile --working-directory .'
```

Now, if you have a recipe called `foo` in `~/.user.justfile`, you can just type
`.j foo` at the command line to run it.

I'm pretty sure that nobody actually uses this feature, but it's there.

¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯

##### Customization

You can customize the above aliases with additional options. For example, if
you'd prefer to have the recipes in your `justfile` run in your home directory,
instead of the current directory:

```console
alias .j='just --justfile ~/.user.justfile --working-directory ~'
```

### Markdown `justfile`s

If the argument to `--justfile` ends in `.md`, `just` extracts the contents of
unindented `just` fenced code blocks and writes them to a `justfile` in a
temporary directory<sup>1.53.0</sup>:

````markdown
# Project

Build the project:

```just
build:
  echo Building…
```
````

```console
$ just --justfile README.md build
echo Building…
Building…
```

### Just Scripts

By adding a shebang line to the top of a `justfile` and making it executable,
`just` can be used as an interpreter for scripts:

```console
$ cat > script <<EOF
#!/usr/bin/env just --justfile

foo:
  echo foo
EOF
$ chmod +x script
$ ./script foo
echo foo
foo
```

When a script with a shebang is executed, the system supplies the path to the
script as an argument to the command in the shebang. So, with a shebang of
`#!/usr/bin/env just --justfile`, the command will be `/usr/bin/env just --justfile PATH_TO_SCRIPT`.

With the above shebang, `just` will change its working directory to the
location of the script. If you'd rather leave the working directory unchanged,
use `#!/usr/bin/env just --working-directory . --justfile`.

Note: Shebang line splitting is not consistent across operating systems. The
previous examples have only been tested on macOS. On Linux, you may need to
pass the `-S` flag to `env`:

```just
#!/usr/bin/env -S just --justfile

default:
  echo foo
```

### Hiding `justfile`s

`just` looks for `justfile`s named `justfile` and `.justfile`, which can be
used to keep a `justfile` hidden.

Command Line
------------

### Listing Available Recipes

Recipes can be listed in alphabetical order with `just --list`:

```console
$ just --list
Available recipes:
    build
    test
    deploy
    lint
```

Recipes in [submodules](#modules) can be listed with `just --list PATH`, where
`PATH` is a space- or `::`-separated module path:

```
$ cat justfile
mod foo
$ cat foo.just
mod bar
$ cat bar.just
baz:
$ just --list foo bar
Available recipes:
    baz
$ just --list foo::bar
Available recipes:
    baz
```

`just --summary` is more concise:

```console
$ just --summary
build test deploy lint
```

Pass `--unsorted` to print recipes in the order they appear in the `justfile`:

```just
test:
  echo 'Testing!'

build:
  echo 'Building!'
```

```console
$ just --list --unsorted
Available recipes:
    test
    build
```

```console
$ just --summary --unsorted
test build
```

If you'd like `just` to default to listing the recipes in the `justfile`, set
`default-list`<sup>1.52.0</sup>:

```just
set default-list := true
```

The setting is per-module, so invoking a module path with `default-list`
enabled lists that module's recipes.

You can also default to listing recipes this behavior by settting the
environment variable `JUST_DEFAULT_LIST=true` or passing
`--default-list`<sup>1.52.0</sup>.


The heading text can be customized with `--list-heading`:

```console
$ just --list --list-heading $'Cool stuff…\n'
Cool stuff…
    test
    build
```

And the indentation can be customized with `--list-prefix`:

```console
$ just --list --list-prefix ····
Available recipes:
····test
····build
```

The argument to `--list-heading` replaces both the heading and the newline
following it, so it should contain a newline if non-empty. It works this way so
you can suppress the heading line entirely by passing the empty string:

```console
$ just --list --list-heading ''
    test
    build
```

### Invoking Multiple Recipes

Multiple recipes may be invoked on the command line at once:

```just
build:
  make web

serve:
  python3 -m http.server -d out 8000
```

```console
$ just build serve
make web
python3 -m http.server -d out 8000
```

Keep in mind that recipes with parameters will swallow arguments, even if they
match the names of other recipes:

```just
build project:
  make {{project}}

serve:
  python3 -m http.server -d out 8000
```

```console
$ just build serve
make: *** No rule to make target `serve'.  Stop.
```

The `--one` flag can be used to restrict command-line invocations to a single
recipe:

```console
$ just --one build serve
error: Expected 1 command-line recipe invocation but found 2.
```

### Setting Variables from the Command Line

Variables can be overridden from the command line.

```just
os := "linux"

test: build
  ./test --test {{os}}

build:
  ./build {{os}}
```

```console
$ just
./build linux
./test --test linux
```

Any number of arguments of the form `NAME=VALUE` can be passed before recipes:

```console
$ just os=plan9
./build plan9
./test --test plan9
```

Or you can use the `--set` flag:

```console
$ just --set os bsd
./build bsd
./test --test bsd
```

Variables in submodules can be overridden using the `::`-separated path to the
variable. A variable named `bar` in a submodule named `foo` may be overridden
with `foo::bar=VALUE` or `--set foo::bar VALUE`.

### Command-line Options

`just` supports a number of useful command-line options for listing, dumping,
and debugging recipes and variables:

```console
$ just --list
Available recipes:
  js
  perl
  polyglot
  python
  ruby
$ just --show perl
perl:
  #!/usr/bin/env perl
  print "Larry Wall says Hi!\n";
$ just --show polyglot
polyglot: python js perl sh ruby
```

#### Setting Command-line Options with Environment Variables

Some command-line options can be set with environment variables

For example, unstable features can be enabled either with the `--unstable`
flag:

```console
$ just --unstable
```

Or by setting the `JUST_UNSTABLE` environment variable:

```console
$ export JUST_UNSTABLE=1
$ just
```

Since environment variables are inherited by child processes, command-line
options set with environment variables are inherited by recursive invocations
of `just`, whereas command-line options set with arguments are not.

Consult `just --help` for which options can be set with environment variables.

### Selecting Recipes to Run With an Interactive Chooser

The `--choose` subcommand makes `just` invoke a chooser to select which recipes
to run. Choosers should read lines containing recipe names from standard input
and print one or more of those names separated by spaces to standard output.

Because there is currently no way to run a recipe that requires arguments with
`--choose`, such recipes will not be given to the chooser. Private recipes and
aliases are also skipped.

The chooser can be overridden with the `--chooser` flag. If `--chooser` is not
given, then `just` first checks if `$JUST_CHOOSER` is set. If it isn't, then
the chooser defaults to `fzf`, a popular fuzzy finder.

Arguments can be included in the chooser, i.e. `fzf --exact`.

The chooser is invoked in the same way as recipe lines. For example, if the
chooser is `fzf`, it will be invoked with `sh -cu 'fzf'`, and if the shell, or
the shell arguments are overridden, the chooser invocation will respect those
overrides.

If you'd like `just` to default to selecting recipes with a chooser, you can
use this as your default recipe:

```just
default:
  @just --choose
```

### Requiring Confirmation for Recipes

`just` normally executes all recipes unless there is an error. The `[confirm]`
attribute<sup>1.17.0</sup> allows recipes to require confirmation in the terminal
prior to running. This can be overridden by passing `--yes` to `just`, which
will automatically confirm any recipes marked by this attribute.

Recipes dependent on a recipe that requires confirmation will not be run if the
relied upon recipe is not confirmed, as well as recipes passed after any recipe
that requires confirmation.

```just
[confirm]
delete-all:
  rm -rf *
```

#### Custom Confirmation Prompt

The default confirmation prompt can be overridden with
`[confirm(PROMPT)]`<sup>1.23.0</sup>:

```just
[confirm("Are you sure you want to delete everything?")]
delete-everything:
  rm -rf *
```

The confirmation prompt may also be an expression<sup>1.49.0</sup> which may
reference assignments or recipe arguments:

```just
[confirm("Deploy to " + env + "?")]
deploy env:
  echo 'Deploying to {{env}}...'
```

### Timestamps

`just` can print timestamps before each recipe command:

```just
recipe:
  echo one
  sleep 2
  echo two
```

```
$ just --timestamp recipe
[07:28:46] echo one
one
[07:28:46] sleep 2
[07:28:48] echo two
two
```

By default, timestamps are formatted as `HH:MM:SS`. The format can be changed
with `--timestamp-format`:

```
$ just --timestamp recipe --timestamp-format '%H:%M:%S%.3f %Z'
[07:32:11:.349 UTC] echo one
one
[07:32:11:.350 UTC] sleep 2
[07:32:13:.352 UTC] echo two
two
```

The argument to `--timestamp-format` is a `strftime`-style format string, see
the
[`chrono` library docs](https://docs.rs/chrono/latest/chrono/format/strftime/index.html)
for details.

The `[timestamp]` attribute<sup>1.58.0</sup> can be used to enable timestamps
for a specific recipe:

```just
[timestamp]
foo:
  echo hello
```

```
$ just foo
[07:28:46] echo hello
hello
```

Which may include a format string:

```just
[timestamp('%H:%M:%S%.3f')]
foo:
  echo hello
```

```
$ just foo
[07:28:46.487] echo hello
hello
```

### Signal Handling

[Signals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_(IPC)) are messages sent to
running programs to trigger specific behavior. For example, `SIGINT` is sent to
all processes in the terminal foreground process group when `ctrl-c` is pressed.

`just` tries to exit when requested by a signal, but it also tries to avoid
leaving behind running child processes, two goals which are somewhat in
conflict.

If `just` exits leaving behind child processes, the user will have no recourse
but to `ps aux | grep` for the children and manually `kill` them, a tedious
endeavor.

#### Fatal Signals

`SIGHUP`, `SIGINT`, and `SIGQUIT` are generated when the user closes the
terminal, types `ctrl-c`, or types `ctrl-\`, respectively, and are sent to all
processes in the foreground process group.

`SIGTERM` is the default signal sent by the `kill` command, and is delivered
only to its intended victim.

When a child process is not running, `just` will exit immediately on receipt of
any of the above signals.

When a child process *is* running, `just` will wait until it terminates, to
avoid leaving it behind.

Additionally, on receipt of `SIGTERM`, `just` will forward `SIGTERM` to any
running children<sup>1.41.0</sup>, since unlike other fatal signals, `SIGTERM`,
was likely sent to `just` alone.

Regardless of whether a child process terminates successfully after `just`
receives a fatal signal, `just` halts execution.

#### Continuing Execution

The `[continue]`<sup>1.54.0</sup> attribute can be used to make `just` continue
execution even if it receives a fatal signal as long as the child process it's
running exits successfully.

With no arguments, `[continue]` handles `SIGINT` (`ctrl-c`) so `SIGQUIT`
(`ctrl-\`) can still be used to stop execution.

With arguments, one or more signals to handle may be given explicitly, as
`"SIGHUP"`, `"SIGINT"`, and `"SIGQUIT"`.

In this example, if `main.py` catches `SIGINT` and exits successfully,
`cleanup` will still run and `just` will exit successfully:

```just
[continue]
test: && cleanup
  python3 main.py

cleanup:
  echo cleanup
```

#### `SIGINFO`

`SIGINFO` is sent to all processes in the foreground process group when the
user types `ctrl-t` on
[BSD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Software_Distribution)-derived
operating systems, including macOS, but not Linux.

`just` responds by printing a list of all child process IDs and
commands<sup>1.41.0</sup>.

#### Windows

On Windows, `just` behaves as if it had received `SIGINT` when the user types
`ctrl-c`. Other signals are unsupported.

### Shell Completion Scripts

Shell completion scripts for Bash, Elvish, Fish, Nushell, PowerShell, and Zsh
are available in [release archives](https://github.com/casey/just/releases).

The `just` binary can also generate the same completion scripts at runtime
using `just --completions SHELL`:

```console
$ just --completions bash > just
```

#### Bash

The recommended approach is to use the `bash-completions` package to lazy-load
the completion script:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions
just --completions bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/just
```

If `bash-completions` is not installed, you can source the completion script in
your `.bashrc`:

```bash
source <(just --completions bash)
```

If you use an alias like `alias j=just`, you should also save the completion
script with the name `j` when lazy-loading:

```bash
just --completions bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/j
```

Or if not lazy-loading, add this line after sourcing the completion script in
your `.bashrc`:

```bash
complete -F _clap_complete_just -o bashdefault -o default j
```

#### Elvish

In your `rc.elv`:

```elvish
set edit:completion:arg-completer[just] = { |@args|
  eval (just --completions elvish | slurp)
  set @result = (edit:completion:arg-completer[just] $@args)
  put $@result
}
```

#### Fish

Save the completion script to the completions directory to lazy-load it:

```fish
mkdir -p ~/.config/fish/completions
just --completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/just.fish
```

#### Nushell

First save the completion script:

```nu
just --completions nushell | save -f ($nu.default-config-dir | path join just.nu)
```

Then in `config.nu`:

```nu
source just.nu
```

#### PowerShell

In your PowerShell `$PROFILE`:

```powershell
just --completions powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression
```

#### Zsh

First save the completion script:

```zsh
mkdir -p ~/.zsh/completions
just --completions zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_just
```

Then in your `.zshrc`:

```zsh
fpath=(~/.zsh/completions $fpath)
autoload -U compinit
compinit
```

### Man Page

`just` can print its own man page with `just --man`. Man pages are written in
[`roff`](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roff_%28software%29), a venerable markup
language and one of the first practical applications of Unix. If you have
[`groff`](https://www.gnu.org/software/groff/) installed you can view the man
page with `just --man | groff -mandoc -Tascii | less`.

### Formatting and dumping `justfile`s

Each `justfile` has a canonical formatting with respect to whitespace and
newlines.

You can overwrite the current justfile with a canonically-formatted version
using the `--fmt` flag:

```console
$ cat justfile
# A lot of blank lines





some-recipe:
  echo "foo"
$ just --fmt
$ cat justfile
# A lot of blank lines

some-recipe:
    echo "foo"
```

When the `justfile` is read from standard input with `--justfile -` or
extracted from a markdown file, `--fmt` prints the formatted `justfile` to
stdout.

Note that formatting is not covered by any backwards compatibility guarantee
and is subject to change from time to time.

Recipe bodies are indented with four spaces by default. This can be changed
with the `--indentation` command-line option, the `JUST_INDENTATION`
environment variable, or the `indentation` setting:

```just
set indentation := "  "
```

Invoking `just --fmt --check` runs `--fmt` in check mode. Instead of
overwriting the `justfile`, `just` will exit with an exit code of 0 if it is
formatted correctly, and will exit with 1 and print a diff if it is not.

You can use the `--dump` command to output a formatted version of the
`justfile` to stdout:

```console
$ just --dump > formatted-justfile
```

The `--dump` command can be used with `--dump-format json` to print a JSON
representation of a `justfile`.

Cached Recipes
--------------

`just` will skip invocations of recipes with the `[cache]`
attribute<sup>1.54.0</sup> if it finds an entry matching the invocation in the
cache. The `[cache]` attribute may only be used with script recipes and is
currently unstable.

For example, this recipe will be skipped if `image.jpg` exists and the contents
of `image.png` and the output of `convert -version` haven't changed since the
last run:

```just
set unstable

[script]
[cache(inputs = "image.png", outputs = "image.jpg", extra = `convert -version`)]
convert:
  convert image.png image.jpg
```

Unlike many other features of `just`, which are, hopefully, well thought-out
and user-friendly, cached recipes are inherently fragile. It is important to
understand their limitations before relying on them. Please read this section
thoroughly, including the friendly admonitions below.

### Friendly Admonitions

`just` will happily skip cached recipes, but it is your responsibility to make
sure that this is safe, and that the contents of the cache key capture enough
information about recipe invocations for caching to make sense in the first
place.

In particular, there are many details about the context in which a recipe runs
that are not captured by cache keys.

These include the time, input files, output files, system binaries, operating
system version, databases, systems over the network, the DNS, and any of the
myriad other things which may change the execution of a computer program.

Attempting to skip execution based on the type of crude heuristics that `just`
employs has a long and sordid history. However, it is an undeniably convenient
and powerful tool, and it is provided in the hopes that you find it useful.

### Implementation

The cache is a directory named `.justcache` alongside the `justfile` and should
not be committed to version control systems. It contains cache entries named
`HASH.json`, where `HASH` is the BLAKE3 hash of a serialized cache key JSON
object.

The keys of the cache key object are:

- `body`: evaluated recipe body
- `environment`: map of environment variable names to values
- `executor`: script interpreter or shebang
- `extension`: script file extension
- `extra`: user-supplied value
- `inputs`: map of file paths to content hashs
- `positional`: positional arguments
- `recipe`: `::`-separated module path to invoked recipe
- `working_directory`: current working directory

All keys other than `extra` and `inputs` are populated automatically.

Cache key objects for invoked recipes can be printed to standard error with
`just -vv`.

The value of `extra` may be supplied with `[cache(extra = EXPRESSION)]`, where
`EXPRESSION` is an arbitrary expression evaluated with recipe arguments in
scope. Changes to the value of `extra` will cause a cache miss.

Before `just` runs a cached recipe, it creates a cache key, hashes it, and
looks for the corresponding cache entry.

If the cache entry is non-empty, it skips the invocation.

If the cache entry does not exist or is empty, it runs the invocation and
writes `{}` to the cache entry.

File locks are taken on cache entries, so concurrent execution of cached
recipes by multiple `just` processes is safe. If two processes run a recipe
invocation with the same cache key, the first will take the lock, run the
recipe, write to the cache entry, and relinquish the lock. The second will
block until the first relinquishes the lock, see that the entry is non-empty,
and skip the invocation.

The cache can be bypassed entirely with the `--no-cache` flag.

### Clearing the Cache

The recipe cache is stored in a directory named `.justcache` alongside the
`justfile`. Deleting it will clear the cache.

The cache can also be cleared with `just --clean`, which can selectively clear
cache entries:

```sh
# clear all cache entries
just --clean

# clear cache entries for recipe `foo`
just --clean foo

# clear cache entries for recipe `baz` in submodule `bar`
just --clean bar baz

# clear cache entries for recipes in submodule module `bar`
just --clean bar

# clear cache entries for recipes in submodule module `bar::bob`
just --clean bar bob

# '::'-separated paths may also be used
just --clean bar::bob
```

### Input Files

Input files can be provided with `[cache(inputs = FILES)]`, where `FILES` is an
expression that is evaluated with recipe arguments in scope and whose evaluated
elements are paths. Paths may be absolute or relative to the recipe's working
directory.

Each input file is hashed with BLAKE3 and added to the `inputs` cache key,
which contains a map of paths to hashes.

Any changes to the contents of an input file changes the cache key, which
causes the next invocation to miss the cache and re-run.

Missing inputs and paths to directories are errors.

In this example, the `build` recipe will re-run if `lib.c` or `main.c` change:

```just
set unstable
set lists

[script]
[cache(inputs = ["lib.c", "main.c"])]
build:
  cc lib.c main.c -o main
```

### Output Files

Output files can be provided with `[cache(outputs = FILES)]`, where `FILES` is
an expression that is evaluated with recipe arguments in scope and whose
evaluated elements are paths. Paths may be absolute or relative to the recipe's
working directory.

Outputs are not part of the cache key.

All output files must exist for an invocation to be skipped, and after an
invocation runs successfully, it is an error if any output file does not exist.

In this example, `build` re-runs whenever `main` is missing, and errors if it
runs without producing `main`:

```just
set unstable
set lists

[script]
[cache(inputs = ["lib.c", "main.c"], outputs = "main")]
build:
  cc lib.c main.c -o main

clean:
  rm -f main
```

This forces `build` to re-run if `main` is deleted by `clean`.

Reference
---------

### Attributes

Recipes, `mod` statements, and aliases may be annotated with attributes that
change their behavior.

| Name | Type | Description |
|------|------|-------------|
| `[arg(ARG, help="HELP")]`<sup>1.46.0</sup> | recipe | Print help string `HELP` for `ARG` in usage messages. May be a const expression<sup>1.55.0</sup>. |
| `[arg(ARG, long="LONG")]`<sup>1.46.0</sup> | recipe | Require values of argument `ARG` to be passed as `--LONG` option. If the parameter is variadic, the option is repeatable<sup>1.55.0master</sup>. |
| `[arg(ARG, max="MAX")]`<sup>1.56.0</sup> | recipe | Allow at most `MAX` values to be passed to argument `ARG`. Requires `multiple` or a variadic parameter. |
| `[arg(ARG, min="MIN")]`<sup>1.56.0</sup> | recipe | Require at least `MIN` values to be passed to argument `ARG`. Requires `multiple` or a variadic parameter. |
| `[arg(ARG, pattern="PATTERN")]`<sup>1.45.0</sup> | recipe | Require values of argument `ARG` to match regular expression `PATTERN`. May be a const expression<sup>1.55.0</sup>. |
| `[arg(ARG, short="S")]`<sup>1.46.0</sup> | recipe | Require values of argument `ARG` to be passed as short `-S` option. If the parameter is variadic, the option is repeatable<sup>1.55.0</sup>. |
| `[arg(ARG, value=VALUE)]`<sup>1.46.0</sup> | recipe | Makes option `ARG` a flag which does not take a value. |
| `[cache]`<sup>1.54.0</sup> | recipe | Skip recipe invocations when a matching entry exists in the cache. See [cached recipes](#cached-recipes) for details. Currently unstable. |
| `[confirm(PROMPT)]`<sup>1.23.0</sup> | recipe | Require confirmation prior to executing recipe with a custom prompt. |
| `[confirm]`<sup>1.17.0</sup> | recipe | Require confirmation prior to executing recipe. |
| `[continue(SIGNALS)]`<sup>1.54.0</sup> | recipe | Continue execution normally if a command is interrupted by any of `SIGNALS` and exits successfully. Defaults to `SIGINT`. |
| `[default]`<sup>1.43.0</sup> | recipe | Use recipe as module's default recipe. |
| `[doc(DOC)]`<sup>1.27.0</sup> | module, recipe | Set recipe or module's [documentation comment](#documentation-comments) to `DOC`. May be a const expression<sup>1.56.0</sup>. |
| `[dragonfly]`<sup>1.47.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on DragonFly BSD. |
| `[env(NAME, VALUE)]` <sup>1.47.0</sup> | recipe | Set environment variable `NAME` to `VALUE` for recipe. `NAME` and `VALUE` may be expressions<sup>1.51.0</sup>. |
| `[extension(EXT)]`<sup>1.32.0</sup> | recipe | Set shebang recipe script's file extension to `EXT`. `EXT` should include a period if one is desired. |
| `[exit-message]`<sup>1.39.0</sup> | recipe | Print error message if recipe fails regardless of `set no-exit-message`. |
| `[freebsd]`<sup>1.47.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on FreeBSD. |
| `[group(NAME)]`<sup>1.27.0</sup> | module, recipe | Put recipe or module in [group](#groups) `NAME`. |
| `[android]`<sup>1.50.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on Android. |
| `[linux]`<sup>1.8.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on Linux. |
| `[macos]`<sup>1.8.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on macOS. |
| `[metadata(METADATA)]`<sup>1.42.0</sup> | recipe | Attach `METADATA` to recipe. |
| `[netbsd]`<sup>1.47.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on NetBSD. |
| `[no-cd]`<sup>1.9.0</sup> | recipe | Don't change directory before executing recipe. |
| `[no-exit-message]`<sup>1.7.0</sup> | recipe | Don't print an error message if recipe fails. |
| `[no-quiet]`<sup>1.23.0</sup> | recipe | Override globally quiet recipes and always echo out the recipe. |
| `[openbsd]`<sup>1.38.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on OpenBSD. |
| `[parallel]`<sup>1.42.0</sup> | recipe | Run this recipe's dependencies in parallel. |
| `[positional-arguments]`<sup>1.29.0</sup> | recipe | Turn on [positional arguments](#positional-arguments) for this recipe. |
| `[private]`<sup>1.10.0</sup> | alias, recipe | Make recipe, alias, or variable private. See [Private Recipes](#private-recipes). |
| `[script(COMMAND)]`<sup>1.32.0</sup> | recipe | Execute recipe as a script interpreted by `COMMAND`. See [script recipes](#script-recipes) for more details. |
| `[script]`<sup>1.33.0</sup> | recipe | Execute recipe as script. See [script recipes](#script-recipes) for more details. |
| `[shell]`<sup>1.52.0</sup> | recipe | Execute recipe as a shell recipe, overriding `set default-script`. |
| `[timestamp(FORMAT)]`<sup>1.58.0</sup> | recipe | Print command timestamps with format `FORMAT`. `FORMAT` may be an expression. |
| `[timestamp]`<sup>1.58.0</sup> | recipe | Print command timestamps. |
| `[unix]`<sup>1.8.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on unixes. (Includes macOS). |
| `[windows]`<sup>1.8.0</sup> | any<sup>1.56.0</sup> | Enable item on Windows. |
| `[working-directory(PATH)]`<sup>1.38.0</sup> | recipe | Set recipe working directory. `PATH` may be an expression<sup>1.51.0</sup> whose value is relative or absolute. If relative, it is interpreted relative to the default working directory. |

A recipe can have multiple attributes, either on multiple lines:

```just
[no-cd]
[private]
foo:
    echo "foo"
```

Or separated by commas on a single line<sup>1.14.0</sup>:

```just
[no-cd, private]
foo:
    echo "foo"
```

Attributes with a single argument may be written with a colon:

```just
[group: 'bar']
foo:
```

### Settings

Settings control interpretation and execution. Each setting may be specified at
most once, anywhere in the `justfile`.

For example:

```just
set shell := ["zsh", "-cu"]

foo:
  # this line will be run as `zsh -cu 'ls **/*.txt'`
  ls **/*.txt
```

#### Table of Settings

| Name | Value | Default | Description |
|------|-------|---------|-------------|
| `allow-duplicate-recipes` | boolean | `false` | Allow recipes appearing later in a `justfile` to override earlier recipes with the same name. |
| `allow-duplicate-variables` | boolean | `false` | Allow variables appearing later in a `justfile` to override earlier variables with the same name. |
| `default-list` | boolean | `false` | List recipes instead of running the default recipe. |
| `default-script`<sup>1.52.0</sup> | boolean | `false` | Default recipes to script instead of shell. |
| `dotenv-command`<sup>1.54.0</sup> | string | - | Run a command and load its output as an environment file. |
| `dotenv-filename` | string | - | Load a `.env` file with a custom name, if present. |
| `dotenv-load` | boolean | `false` | Load a `.env` file, if present. |
| `dotenv-override` | boolean | `false` | Override existing environment variables with values from the `.env` file. |
| `dotenv-path` | string | - | Load a `.env` file from a custom path and error if not present. Overrides `dotenv-filename`. |
| `dotenv-required` | boolean | `false` | Error if a `.env` file isn't found. |
| `export` | boolean | `false` | Export all variables as environment variables. |
| `fallback` | boolean | `false` | Search for `justfile` in parent directory if the first recipe on the command line is not found. |
| `guards`<sup>1.47.0</sup> | boolean | `false` | Enable the `?` guard sigil on recipe lines. See [sigils](#sigils). |
| `ignore-comments` | boolean | `false` | Ignore shell recipe lines beginning with `#`. Does not apply to script recipes.  |
| `indentation`<sup>1.56.0</sup> | string | - | Set recipe body indentation used when formatting with `--fmt` or `--dump`. |
| `lazy`<sup>1.47.0</sup> | boolean | `false` | Don't evaluate unused variables. |
| `lists`<sup>1.53.0</sup> | boolean | `false` | Values may be lists of strings instead of strings. Currently unstable. |
| `minimum-version`<sup>1.55.0</sup> | string | - | Error if `just` is older than `minimum-version`. Accepts a string of the form `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`, e.g., `"1.55.0"`. |
| `no-cd`<sup>1.51.0</sup> | boolean | `false` | Don't change directory when executing recipes by recipe attribute. |
| `no-exit-message`<sup>1.39.0</sup> | boolean | `false` | Don't print exit messages if recipes fail. |
| `positional-arguments` | boolean | `false` | Pass positional arguments. |
| `quiet` | boolean | `false` | Disable echoing recipe lines before executing. |
| `script-interpreter`<sup>1.33.0</sup> | `[COMMAND, ARGS…]` | `['sh', '-eu']` | Set command used to invoke recipes with empty `[script]` attribute. |
| `shell` | `[COMMAND, ARGS…]` | - | Set command used to invoke recipes and evaluate backticks. |
| `tempdir` | string | - | Create temporary directories in `tempdir` instead of the system default temporary directory. |
| `unstable`<sup>1.31.0</sup> | boolean | `false` | Enable unstable features. |
| `windows-powershell` | boolean | `false` | Use PowerShell on Windows as default shell. (Deprecated. Use the `[windows]` attribute on `set shell`.) |
| `windows-shell` | `[COMMAND, ARGS…]` | - | Set the command used to invoke recipes and evaluate backticks. (Deprecated. Use the `[windows]` attribute on `set shell`.) |
| `working-directory`<sup>1.33.0</sup> | string | - | Set the working directory for recipes and backticks, relative to the default working directory. |

Boolean settings can be written as:

```justfile
set NAME
```

Which is equivalent to:

```justfile
set NAME := true
```

Non-boolean settings can be set to both strings and
expressions<sup>1.46.0</sup>.

However, because settings affect the behavior of backticks and many functions,
those expressions may not contain backticks or function calls, directly or
transitively via reference.

### Functions

#### System Information

- `arch()` — Instruction set architecture. Possible values are: `"aarch64"`,
  `"arm"`, `"asmjs"`, `"hexagon"`, `"mips"`, `"msp430"`, `"powerpc"`,
  `"powerpc64"`, `"s390x"`, `"sparc"`, `"wasm32"`, `"x86"`, `"x86_64"`, and
  `"xcore"`.
- `num_cpus()`<sup>1.15.0</sup> — Number of logical CPUs.
- `os()` — Operating system. Possible values are: `"android"`, `"bitrig"`,
  `"dragonfly"`, `"emscripten"`, `"freebsd"`, `"haiku"`, `"ios"`, `"linux"`,
  `"macos"`, `"netbsd"`, `"openbsd"`, `"solaris"`, and `"windows"`.
- `os_family()` — Operating system family; possible values are: `"unix"` and
  `"windows"`.

For example:

```just
system-info:
  @echo "This is an {{arch()}} machine."
```

```console
$ just system-info
This is an x86_64 machine.
```

The `os_family()` function can be used to create cross-platform `justfile`s
that work on various operating systems. For an example, see
[cross-platform.just](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/examples/cross-platform.just)
file.

#### External Commands

- `shell(command, args...)`<sup>1.27.0</sup> returns the standard output of shell script
  `command` with zero or more positional arguments `args`. The shell used to
  interpret `command` is the same shell that is used to evaluate recipe lines,
  and can be changed with `set shell := […]`.

  `command` is passed as the first argument, so if the command is `'echo $@'`,
  the full command line, with the default shell command `sh -cu` and `args`
  `'foo'` and `'bar'` will be:

  ```
  'sh' '-cu' 'echo $@' 'echo $@' 'foo' 'bar'
  ```

  This is so that `$@` works as expected, and `$1` refers to the first
  argument. `$@` does not include the first positional argument, which is
  expected to be the name of the program being run.

```just
# arguments can be variables or expressions
file := '/sys/class/power_supply/BAT0/status'
bat0stat := shell('cat $1', file)

# commands can be variables or expressions
command := 'wc -l'
output := shell(command + ' "$1"', 'main.c')

# arguments referenced by the shell command must be used
empty := shell('echo', 'foo')
full := shell('echo $1', 'foo')
error := shell('echo $1')
```

```just
# Using python as the shell. Since `python -c` sets `sys.argv[0]` to `'-c'`,
# the first "real" positional argument will be `sys.argv[2]`.
set shell := ["python3", "-c"]
olleh := shell('import sys; print(sys.argv[2][::-1])', 'hello')
```

#### Environment Variables

- `env(key)`<sup>1.15.0</sup> — Retrieves the environment variable with name `key`, aborting
  if it is not present.

```just
home_dir := env('HOME')

test:
  echo "{{home_dir}}"
```

```console
$ just
/home/user1
```

- `env(key, default)`<sup>1.15.0</sup> — Retrieves the environment variable with
  name `key`, returning `default` if it is not present.
- `env_var(key)` — Deprecated alias for `env(key)`.
- `env_var_or_default(key, default)` — Deprecated alias for `env(key, default)`.

#### Executables

- `require(name)`<sup>1.39.0</sup> — Search directories in the `PATH`
  environment variable for the executable `name` and return its full path, or
  halt with an error if no executable with `name` exists.

  ```just
  bash := require("bash")

  @test:
      echo "bash: '{{bash}}'"
  ```

  ```console
  $ just
  bash: '/bin/bash'
  ```

- `which(name)`<sup>1.39.0</sup> — Search directories in the `PATH` environment
  variable for the executable `name` and return its full path, or the empty
  list if not found. Requires `set lists`<sup>1.53.0</sup>.


  ```just
  set unstable
  set lists

  bosh := which("bosh")

  @test:
      echo "bosh: '{{bosh}}'"
  ```

  ```console
  $ just
  bosh: ''
  ```

#### Invocation Information

- `is_dependency()` - Returns the string `true` if the current recipe is being
  run as a dependency of another recipe, rather than being run directly,
  otherwise returns the string `false`.

- `num_jobs()`<sup>1.56.0</sup> — The value of `--jobs` or the empty list,
  `[]`, if it was not passed.

- `recipe_name()`<sup>1.53.0</sup> - Returns the name of the current recipe.

#### Invocation Directory

- `invocation_directory()` - Retrieves the absolute path to the current
  directory when `just` was invoked, before `just` changed it (chdir'd) prior
  to executing commands. On Windows, `invocation_directory()` uses `cygpath` to
  convert the invocation directory to a Cygwin-compatible `/`-separated path.
  Use `invocation_directory_native()` to return the verbatim invocation
  directory on all platforms.

For example, to call `rustfmt` on files just under the "current directory"
(from the user/invoker's perspective), use the following recipe:

```just
rustfmt:
  find {{invocation_directory()}} -name \*.rs -exec rustfmt {} \;
```

Alternatively, if your command needs to be run from the current directory, you
could use (e.g.):

```just
build:
  cd {{invocation_directory()}}; ./some_script_that_needs_to_be_run_from_here
```

- `invocation_directory_native()` - Retrieves the absolute path to the current
  directory when `just` was invoked, before `just` changed it (chdir'd) prior
  to executing commands.

#### Justfile and Justfile Directory

- `justfile()` - Retrieves the path of the current `justfile`.

- `justfile_directory()` - Retrieves the path of the parent directory of the
  current `justfile`.

For example, to run a command relative to the location of the current
`justfile`:

```just
script:
  {{justfile_directory()}}/scripts/some_script
```

#### Source and Source Directory

- `source_file()`<sup>1.27.0</sup> - Retrieves the path of the current source file.

- `source_directory()`<sup>1.27.0</sup> - Retrieves the path of the parent directory of the
  current source file.

`source_file()` and `source_directory()` behave the same as `justfile()` and
`justfile_directory()` in the root `justfile`, but will return the path and
directory, respectively, of the current `import` or `mod` source file when
called from within an import or submodule.

#### Module and Module Directory

- `module_file()` - Returns the path of the current module file.

- `module_directory()` - Returns the path of the parent directory of the
  current module file.

- `module_path()` - Returns the `::`-separated path to the current module.

`module_file()` and `module_directory()` behave the same as `justfile()` and
`justfile_directory()` in the root `justfile`, but will return the path and
directory, respectively, of the current `mod` source file when called from
within a submodule.

#### Just Process and Executable

- `just_executable()` - Absolute path to the `just` executable.
- `just_pid()` - Process ID of the `just` executable.
- `just_version()`<sup>1.55.0</sup> - Version of the `just` executable.

For example:

```just
just-info:
  @echo The executable is at: {{just_executable()}}
  @echo The process ID is: {{ just_pid() }}
  @echo The version is: {{ just_version() }}
```

```console
$ just
The executable is at: /bin/just
The process ID is: 420
The version is: 1.54.0
```

#### String Manipulation

- `append(suffix, s)`<sup>1.27.0</sup> - Append `suffix` to
  whitespace-separated strings in `s`. `append('/src', 'foo bar baz')` →
  `'foo/src bar/src baz/src'`
- `prepend(prefix, s)`<sup>1.27.0</sup> - Prepend `prefix` to
  whitespace-separated strings in `s`. `prepend('src/', 'foo bar baz')` →
  `'src/foo src/bar src/baz'`
- `encode_uri_component(s)`<sup>1.27.0</sup> - Percent-encode characters in `s`
  except `[A-Za-z0-9_.!~*'()-]`, matching the behavior of the
  [JavaScript `encodeURIComponent` function](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/encodeURIComponent).
- `quote(s)` - Replace all single quotes with `'\''` and prepend and append
  single quotes to `s`. This is sufficient to escape special characters for
  many shells, including most Bourne shell descendants.
- `replace(s, from, to)` - Replace all occurrences of `from` in `s` with `to`.
- `replace_regex(s, regex, replacement)` - Replace all occurrences of `regex`
  in `s` with `replacement`. Regular expressions are provided by the
  [Rust `regex` crate](https://docs.rs/regex/latest/regex/). See the
  [syntax documentation](https://docs.rs/regex/latest/regex/#syntax) for usage
  examples. Capture groups are supported. The `replacement` string uses
  [Replacement string syntax](https://docs.rs/regex/latest/regex/struct.Regex.html#replacement-string-syntax).
- `trim(s)` - Remove leading and trailing whitespace from `s`.
- `trim_end(s)` - Remove trailing whitespace from `s`.
- `trim_end_match(s, substring)` - Remove suffix of `s` matching `substring`.
- `trim_end_matches(s, substring)` - Repeatedly remove suffixes of `s` matching
  `substring`.
- `trim_start(s)` - Remove leading whitespace from `s`.
- `trim_start_match(s, substring)` - Remove prefix of `s` matching `substring`.
- `trim_start_matches(s, substring)` - Repeatedly remove prefixes of `s`
  matching `substring`.

#### Case Conversion

- `capitalize(s)`<sup>1.7.0</sup> - Convert first character of `s` to uppercase
  and the rest to lowercase.
- `kebabcase(s)`<sup>1.7.0</sup> - Convert `s` to `kebab-case`.
- `lowercamelcase(s)`<sup>1.7.0</sup> - Convert `s` to `lowerCamelCase`.
- `lowercase(s)` - Convert `s` to lowercase.
- `shoutykebabcase(s)`<sup>1.7.0</sup> - Convert `s` to `SHOUTY-KEBAB-CASE`.
- `shoutysnakecase(s)`<sup>1.7.0</sup> - Convert `s` to `SHOUTY_SNAKE_CASE`.
- `snakecase(s)`<sup>1.7.0</sup> - Convert `s` to `snake_case`.
- `titlecase(s)`<sup>1.7.0</sup> - Convert `s` to `Title Case`.
- `uppercamelcase(s)`<sup>1.7.0</sup> - Convert `s` to `UpperCamelCase`.
- `uppercase(s)` - Convert `s` to uppercase.

#### Path Manipulation

##### Fallible

- `absolute_path(path)` - Absolute path to relative `path` in the working
  directory. `absolute_path("./bar.txt")` in directory `/foo` is
  `/foo/bar.txt`.
- `canonicalize(path)`<sup>1.24.0</sup> - Canonicalize `path` by resolving symlinks and removing
  `.`, `..`, and extra `/`s where possible.
- `extension(path)` - Extension of `path`. `extension("/foo/bar.txt")` is
  `txt`.
- `file_name(path)` - File name of `path` with any leading directory components
  removed. `file_name("/foo/bar.txt")` is `bar.txt`.
- `file_stem(path)` - File name of `path` without extension.
  `file_stem("/foo/bar.txt")` is `bar`.
- `parent_directory(path)` - Parent directory of `path`.
  `parent_directory("/foo/bar.txt")` is `/foo`.
- `without_extension(path)` - `path` without extension.
  `without_extension("/foo/bar.txt")` is `/foo/bar`.

These functions can fail, for example if a path does not have an extension,
which will halt execution.

##### Infallible

- `clean(path)` - Simplify `path` by removing extra path separators,
  intermediate `.` components, and `..` where possible. `clean("foo//bar")` is
  `foo/bar`, `clean("foo/..")` is `.`, `clean("foo/./bar")` is `foo/bar`.
- `join(a, b…)` - *This function uses `/` on Unix and `\` on Windows, which can
  lead to unwanted behavior. The `/` operator, e.g., `a / b`, which always
  uses `/`, should be considered as a replacement unless `\`s are specifically
  desired on Windows.* Join path `a` with path `b`. `join("foo/bar", "baz")` is
  `foo/bar/baz`. Accepts two or more arguments.

#### Filesystem Access

- `path_exists(path)` - Returns the string `true` if the path points at an
  existing entity and the string `false` otherwise. Traverses symbolic links,
  and returns the string `false` if the path is inaccessible or points to a
  broken symlink.
- `read(path)`<sup>1.39.0</sup> - Returns the content of file at `path` as a
  string.

#### Assertions and Error Reporting

- `assert(CONDITION, EXPRESSION)`<sup>1.27.0</sup> - Error with message
  `EXPRESSION` if `CONDITION` is false. `EXPRESSION` may be
  omitted<sup>1.53.0</sup>,
- `error(message)` - Abort execution and report error `message` to user.

#### UUID and Hash Generation

- `blake3(string)`<sup>1.25.0</sup> - Return [BLAKE3] hash of `string` as hexadecimal string.
- `blake3_file(path)`<sup>1.25.0</sup> - Return [BLAKE3] hash of file at `path` as hexadecimal
  string.
- `sha256(string)` - Return the SHA-256 hash of `string` as hexadecimal string.
- `sha256_file(path)` - Return SHA-256 hash of file at `path` as hexadecimal
  string.
- `uuid()` - Generate a random version 4 UUID.

[BLAKE3]: https://github.com/BLAKE3-team/BLAKE3/

#### Random

- `choose(n, alphabet)`<sup>1.27.0</sup> - Generate a string of `n` randomly
  selected characters from `alphabet`, which may not contain repeated
  characters. For example, `choose('64', HEX)` will generate a random
  64-character lowercase hex string.

#### Datetime

- `datetime(format)`<sup>1.30.0</sup> - Return local time with `format`.
- `datetime_utc(format)`<sup>1.30.0</sup> - Return UTC time with `format`.

The arguments to `datetime` and `datetime_utc` are `strftime`-style format
strings, see the
[`chrono` library docs](https://docs.rs/chrono/latest/chrono/format/strftime/index.html)
for details.

#### Semantic Versions

- `semver_matches(version, requirement)`<sup>1.16.0</sup> - Check whether a
  [semantic `version`](https://semver.org), e.g., `"0.1.0"` matches a
  `requirement`, e.g., `">=0.1.0"`, returning the string `"true"` if so and the
  string `"false"` otherwise.

#### Style

- `style(styles)`<sup>1.37.0</sup> - Return a terminal escape sequence
  combining the named styles in `styles`.

  The styles supported by version 1.37.0 and later can be used to duplicate
  `just`'s own styles:

  - `command`: echoed recipe lines
  - `error`: errors
  - `warning`: warnings

  Additional styles supported by <sup>1.55.0</sup> and later include
  named colors:

  - `black`
  - `blue`
  - `cyan`
  - `green`
  - `magenta`
  - `red`
  - `white`
  - `yellow`

  The 256 indexed colors, written as integers between `0` and `255`, e.g., `1`
  or `67`.

  The 24-bit colors, written as `#RRGGBB` or `#RGB` hex codes, e.g., `#065535`
  or `#AAA`.

  And display properties:

  - `blink`
  - `bold`
  - `dim`
  - `hidden`
  - `italic`
  - `reverse`
  - `strikethrough`
  - `underline`

  Two stream names<sup>1.55.0</sup> gate the style on whether `just` would
  color the output stream, determined by `--color`, `JUST_COLOR`, and whether
  the stream is connected to a terminal:

  - `stdout`
  - `stderr`

  All color styles color the foreground by default, and come in explicit
  foreground variants prefixed with `fg:` and background variants prefixed with
  `bg:`, e.g., `bg:blue`, `fg:133`, and `#FFF`.

  `styles` may be a list of styles, in which case all listed styles are
  combined to produce the final escape sequence.

  Note that the escape sequence returned by `style(styles)` are prefixes. You
  can use the `NORMAL` constant to reset the style after use:

  ```just
  error message:
    echo '{{style("error") + message + NORMAL}}'
  ```

- `style(styles, text)`<sup>1.55.0</sup> Style `text` with `styles` as in the
  one-argument form. The style is reset automatically, so use of `NORMAL` to
  reset the terminal is not needed:

  ```just
  error message:
    echo '{{style("error", message)}}'
  ```

##### User Directories

These functions<sup>1.23.0</sup> return paths to user-specific directories for
things like configuration, data, caches, executables, and the user's home
directory.

On Unix, these functions follow the
[XDG Base Directory Specification](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html).

On macOS and Windows, these functions return the system-specified user-specific
directories. For example, `cache_directory()` returns `~/Library/Caches` on
macOS and `{FOLDERID_LocalAppData}` on Windows.

See the [`dirs`](https://docs.rs/dirs/latest/dirs/index.html) crate for more
details.

- `cache_directory()` - The user-specific cache directory.
- `config_directory()` - The user-specific configuration directory.
- `config_local_directory()` - The local user-specific configuration directory.
- `data_directory()` - The user-specific data directory.
- `data_local_directory()` - The local user-specific data directory.
- `executable_directory()` - The user-specific executable directory.
- `home_directory()` - The user's home directory.
- `runtime_directory()` - The user-specific runtime directory. Only defined on
  Linux.

If you would like to use XDG base directories on all platforms you can use the
`env(…)` function with the appropriate environment variable and fallback,
although note that the XDG specification requires ignoring non-absolute paths,
so for full compatibility with spec-compliant applications, you would need to
do:

```just
xdg_config_dir := if env('XDG_CONFIG_HOME', '') =~ '^/' {
  env('XDG_CONFIG_HOME')
} else {
  home_directory() / '.config'
}
```

### Constants

A number of constants are predefined:

| Name | Value | Value on Windows |
|---|---|---|
| `HEX`<sup>1.27.0</sup> | `"0123456789abcdef"` |  |
| `HEXLOWER`<sup>1.27.0</sup> | `"0123456789abcdef"` |  |
| `HEXUPPER`<sup>1.27.0</sup> | `"0123456789ABCDEF"` |  |
| `PATH_SEP`<sup>1.41.0</sup> | `"/"` | `"\"` |
| `PATH_VAR_SEP`<sup>1.41.0</sup> | `":"` | `";"` |
| `CLEAR`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\ec"` |  |
| `NORMAL`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[0m"` |  |
| `BOLD`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[1m"` |  |
| `ITALIC`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[3m"` |  |
| `UNDERLINE`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[4m"` |  |
| `INVERT`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[7m"` |  |
| `HIDE`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[8m"` |  |
| `STRIKETHROUGH`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[9m"` |  |
| `BLACK`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[30m"` |  |
| `RED`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[31m"` |  |
| `GREEN`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[32m"` |  |
| `YELLOW`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[33m"` |  |
| `BLUE`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[34m"` |  |
| `MAGENTA`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[35m"` |  |
| `CYAN`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[36m"` |  |
| `WHITE`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[37m"` |  |
| `BG_BLACK`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[40m"` |  |
| `BG_RED`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[41m"` |  |
| `BG_GREEN`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[42m"` |  |
| `BG_YELLOW`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[43m"` |  |
| `BG_BLUE`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[44m"` |  |
| `BG_MAGENTA`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[45m"` |  |
| `BG_CYAN`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[46m"` |  |
| `BG_WHITE`<sup>1.37.0</sup> | `"\e[47m"` |  |

```just
@foo:
  echo {{HEX}}
```

```console
$ just foo
0123456789abcdef
```

Constants starting with `\e` are
[ANSI escape sequences](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANSI_escape_code).

`CLEAR` clears the screen, similar to the `clear` command. The rest are of the
form `\e[Nm`, where `N` is an integer, and set terminal display attributes.

Terminal display attribute escape sequences can be combined, for example text
weight `BOLD`, text style `STRIKETHROUGH`, foreground color `CYAN`, and
background color `BG_BLUE`. They should be followed by `NORMAL`, to reset the
terminal back to normal.

Escape sequences should be quoted, since `[` is treated as a special character
by some shells.

```just
@foo:
  echo '{{BOLD + STRIKETHROUGH + CYAN + BG_BLUE}}Hi!{{NORMAL}}'
```

Changelog
---------

A changelog for the latest release is available in
[CHANGELOG.md](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/casey/just/master/CHANGELOG.md).
Changelogs for previous releases are available on
[the releases page](https://github.com/casey/just/releases). `just --changelog`
can also be used to make a `just` binary print its changelog.

Miscellanea
-----------

### Re-running recipes when files change

[`watchexec`](https://github.com/mattgreen/watchexec) can re-run any command
when files change.

To re-run the recipe `foo` when any file changes:

```console
watchexec just foo
```

See `watchexec --help` for more info, including how to specify which files
should be watched for changes.

### Shell Alias

For lightning-fast command running, put `alias j=just` in your shell's
configuration file.

### Grammar

A non-normative grammar of `justfile`s can be found in
[GRAMMAR.md](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/GRAMMAR.md).

### just.sh

Before `just` was a fancy Rust program it was a tiny shell script that called
`make`. You can find the old version in
[contrib/just.sh](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/contrib/just.sh).

### Node.js `package.json` Script Compatibility

The following export statement gives `just` recipes access to local Node module
binaries, and makes `just` recipe commands behave more like `script` entries in
Node.js `package.json` files:

```just
export PATH := "./node_modules/.bin:" + env_var('PATH')
```

### Paths on Windows

On Windows, all functions that return paths, except `invocation_directory()`,
will return `\`-separated paths. When not using PowerShell or `cmd.exe`, these
paths should be quoted to prevent the `\`s from being interpreted as character
escapes:

```just
ls:
    echo '{{absolute_path(".")}}'
```

`cygpath.exe` is an executable included in some distributions of Unix userlands
for Windows, including [Cygwin](https://www.cygwin.com/) and
[Git](https://git-scm.com/downloads) for Windows.

`just` uses `cygpath.exe` in two places:

For backwards compatibility, `invocation_directory()`, uses `cygpath.exe` to
convert the invocation directory into a unix-style `/`-separated path. Use
`invocation_directory_native()` to get the native, Windows-style path. On unix,
`invocation_directory()` and `invocation_directory_native()` both return the
same unix-style path.

`cygpath.exe` is also used to convert Unix-style shebang lines into
Windows paths. As an alternative, the `[script]` attribute can be used, which
does not depend on `cygpath.exe`.

If `cygpath.exe` is available, you can use it to convert between path styles:

```just
foo_unix := '/hello/world'
foo_windows := shell('cygpath --windows $1', foo_unix)

bar_windows := 'C:\hello\world'
bar_unix := shell('cygpath --unix $1', bar_windows)
```

### Printing Complex Strings

`echo` can be used to print strings, but because it processes escape sequences,
like `\n`, and different implementations of `echo` recognize different escape
sequences, using `printf` is often a better choice.

`printf` takes a C-style format string and any number of arguments, which are
interpolated into the format string.

This can be combined with indented, triple quoted strings to emulate shell
heredocs.

Substituting complex strings into recipe bodies with `{{…}}` can also lead to
trouble as it may be split by the shell into multiple arguments depending on
the presence of whitespace and quotes. Exporting complex strings as environment
variables and referring to them with `"$NAME"`, note the double quotes, can
also help.

Putting all this together, to print a string verbatim to standard output, with
all its various escape sequences and quotes undisturbed:

```just
export FOO := '''
  a complicated string with
  some dis\tur\bi\ng escape sequences
  and "quotes" of 'different' kinds
'''

bar:
  printf %s "$FOO"
```

### Skill for Agents

A skill for agents is available in
[skills/just](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/skills/just/) and may
be installed manually or with `npx skills add casey/just --global`.

### Alternatives and Prior Art

There is no shortage of command runners! Some more or less similar alternatives
to `just` include:

- [make](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_(software)): The Unix build tool
  that inspired `just`. There are a few different modern day descendants of the
  original `make`, including
  [FreeBSD Make](https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?make(1)) and
  [GNU Make](https://www.gnu.org/software/make/).
- [task](https://github.com/go-task/task): A YAML-based command runner written
  in Go.
- [maid](https://github.com/egoist/maid): A Markdown-based command runner
  written in JavaScript.
- [microsoft/just](https://github.com/microsoft/just): A JavaScript-based
  command runner written in JavaScript.
- [cargo-make](https://github.com/sagiegurari/cargo-make): A command runner for
  Rust projects.
- [mmake](https://github.com/tj/mmake): A wrapper around `make` with a number
  of improvements, including remote includes.
- [robo](https://github.com/tj/robo): A YAML-based command runner written in
  Go.
- [mask](https://github.com/jakedeichert/mask): A Markdown-based command runner
  written in Rust.
- [makesure](https://github.com/xonixx/makesure): A simple and portable command
  runner written in AWK and shell.
- [haku](https://github.com/VladimirMarkelov/haku): A make-like command runner
  written in Rust.
- [mise](https://mise.jdx.dev/): A development environment tool manager written
  in Rust supporting tasks in TOML files and standalone scripts.

### Metadata

Metadata in the form of lists of strings may be attached to recipes with the
`[metadata(METADATA)]` attribute<sup>1.42.0</sup>:

```just
[metadata("hello", "goodbye")]
foo:
```

Metadata can be read using `just --dump --dump-format json`.

### Python Recipes with `uv`

[`uv`](https://github.com/astral-sh/uv) is an excellent cross-platform python
project manager, written in Rust.

Using the `[script]` attribute and `script-interpreter` setting, `just` can
easily be configured to run Python recipes with `uv`:

```just
set script-interpreter := ['uv', 'run', '--script']

[script]
hello:
  print("Hello from Python!")

[script]
goodbye:
  # /// script
  # requires-python = ">=3.11"
  # dependencies=["sh"]
  # ///
  import sh
  print(sh.echo("Goodbye from Python!"), end='')
```

Of course, a shebang also works:

```just
hello:
  #!/usr/bin/env -S uv run --script
  print("Hello from Python!")
```

### Activating Environments

Some tools require an activation step, such as Python virtual environments:

```sh
. .venv/bin/activate
```

Because these tools modify the environment of a running shell, it is not
possible for `just` to perform this activation step for you. However, there are
some workarounds.

The best workaround for Python environment management is to switch to
[`uv`](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/). `uv` sets up the correct environment for
each command, so no activation step is needed.

If that isn't possible, and for other tools, you can create a shared prelude
and include it in script recipes that need it. It can span multiple lines and
include any number of steps:

```just
prelude := '''
  set -eux
  . .venv/bin/activate
'''

[script]
run:
  {{ prelude }}
  python script.py
```

This workaround doesn't work with shell recipes, which spawn a new shell for
each command.

Contributing
------------

> [!NOTE]
> `just` is not currently accepting pull requests. The contributing section is
> retained for posterity.

`just` welcomes your contributions! `just` is released under the maximally
permissive
[CC0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode.txt) public
domain dedication and fallback license, so your changes must also be released
under this license.

### Getting Started

`just` is written in Rust. Use
[rustup](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install) to install a Rust toolchain.

`just` is extensively tested. All new features must be covered by unit or
integration tests. Unit tests are under
[src](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/src), live alongside the code
being tested, and test code in isolation. Integration tests are in the [tests
directory](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/tests) and test the `just`
binary from the outside by invoking `just` on a given `justfile` and set of
command-line arguments, and checking the output.

You should write whichever type of tests are easiest to write for your feature
while still providing good test coverage.

Unit tests are useful for testing new Rust functions that are used internally
and as an aid for development. A good example are the unit tests which cover
the
[`unindent()` function](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/src/unindent.rs),
used to unindent triple-quoted strings and backticks. `unindent()` has a bunch
of tricky edge cases which are easy to exercise with unit tests that call
`unindent()` directly.

Integration tests are useful for making sure that the final behavior of the
`just` binary is correct. `unindent()` is also covered by integration tests
which make sure that evaluating a triple-quoted string produces the correct
unindented value. However, there are no integration tests for all possible
cases. These are covered by faster, more concise unit tests that call
`unindent()` directly.

Integration tests use the `Test` struct, a builder which allows for easily
invoking `just` with a given `justfile`, arguments, and environment variables,
and checking the program's stdout, stderr, and exit code.

### Contribution Workflow

1. Make sure the feature is wanted. There should be an open issue about the
   feature with a comment from [@casey](https://github.com/casey) saying that
   it's a good idea or seems reasonable. If there isn't, open a new issue and
   ask for feedback.

   There are lots of good features which can't be merged, either because they
   aren't backwards compatible, have an implementation which would
   overcomplicate the codebase, or go against `just`'s design philosophy.

2. Settle on the design of the feature. If the feature has multiple possible
   implementations or syntaxes, make sure to nail down the details in the
   issue.

3. Clone `just` and start hacking. The best workflow is to have the code you're
   working on in an editor alongside a job that re-runs tests whenever a file
   changes. You can run such a job by installing
   [cargo-watch](https://github.com/watchexec/cargo-watch) with `cargo install
   cargo-watch` and running `just watch test`.

4. Add a failing test for your feature. Most of the time this will be an
   integration test which exercises the feature end-to-end. Look for an
   appropriate file to put the test in
   [tests](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/tests), or add a new file
   in [tests](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/tests) and add a `mod`
   statement importing that file in
   [tests/lib.rs](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/tests/lib.rs).

5. Implement the feature.

6. Run `just ci` to make sure that all tests, lints, and checks pass. Requires
   [mdBook](https://github.com/rust-lang/mdBook) and
   [mdbook-linkcheck](https://github.com/Michael-F-Bryan/mdbook-linkcheck).

7. Open a PR with the new code that is editable by maintainers. PRs often
   require rebasing and minor tweaks. If the PR is not editable by maintainers,
   each rebase and tweak will require a round trip of code review. Your PR may
   be summarily closed if it is not editable by maintainers.

8. Incorporate feedback.

9. Enjoy the sweet feeling of your PR getting merged!

Feel free to open a draft PR at any time for discussion and feedback.

### Hints

Here are some hints to get you started with specific kinds of new features,
which you can use in addition to the contribution workflow above.

#### Adding a New Attribute

1. Write a new integration test in
   [tests/attributes.rs](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/tests/attributes.rs).

2. Add a new variant to the
   [`Attribute`](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/src/attribute.rs)
   enum.

3. Implement the functionality of the new attribute.

4. Run `just ci` to make sure that all tests pass.

### Janus

[Janus](https://github.com/casey/janus) is a tool for checking whether a change
to `just` breaks or changes the interpretation of existing `justfile`s. It
collects and analyzes public `justfile`s on GitHub.

Before merging a particularly large or gruesome change, Janus should be run to
make sure that nothing breaks. Don't worry about running Janus yourself, Casey
will happily run it for you on changes that need it.

### Minimum Supported Rust Version

The minimum supported Rust version, or MSRV, is current stable Rust. It may
build on older versions of Rust, but this is not guaranteed.

### New Releases

New releases of `just` are made frequently so that users quickly get access to
new features.

Release commit messages use the following template:

```
Release x.y.z

- Bump version: x.y.z → x.y.z
- Update changelog
- Update changelog contributor credits
- Update dependencies
- Update version references in readme
```

Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------

### What are the idiosyncrasies of Make that Just avoids?

`make` has some behaviors which are confusing, complicated, or make it
unsuitable for use as a general command runner.

One example is that under some circumstances, `make` won't actually run the
commands in a recipe. For example, if you have a file called `test` and the
following makefile:

```just
test:
  ./test
```

`make` will refuse to run your tests:

```console
$ make test
make: `test' is up to date.
```

`make` assumes that the `test` recipe produces a file called `test`. Since this
file exists and the recipe has no other dependencies, `make` thinks that it
doesn't have anything to do and exits.

To be fair, this behavior is desirable when using `make` as a build system, but
not when using it as a command runner. You can disable this behavior for
specific targets using `make`'s built-in
[`.PHONY` target name](https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Phony-Targets.html),
but the syntax is verbose and can be hard to remember. The explicit list of
phony targets, written separately from the recipe definitions, also introduces
the risk of accidentally defining a new non-phony target. In `just`, all
recipes are treated as if they were phony.

Other examples of `make`'s idiosyncrasies include the difference between `=`
and `:=` in assignments, the confusing error messages that are produced if you
mess up your makefile, needing `$$` to use environment variables in recipes,
and incompatibilities between different flavors of `make`.

### What's the relationship between Just and Cargo build scripts?

[`cargo` build scripts](http://doc.crates.io/build-script.html) have a pretty
specific use, which is to control how `cargo` builds your Rust project. This
might include adding flags to `rustc` invocations, building an external
dependency, or running some kind of codegen step.

`just`, on the other hand, is for all the other miscellaneous commands you
might run as part of development. Things like running tests in different
configurations, linting your code, pushing build artifacts to a server,
removing temporary files, and the like.

Also, although `just` is written in Rust, it can be used regardless of the
language or build system your project uses.

Further Ramblings
-----------------

I personally find it very useful to write a `justfile` for almost every
project, big or small.

On a big project with multiple contributors, it's very useful to have a file
with all the commands needed to work on the project close at hand.

There are probably different commands to test, build, lint, deploy, and the
like, and having them all in one place is useful and cuts down on the time you
have to spend telling people which commands to run and how to type them.

And, with an easy place to put commands, it's likely that you'll come up with
other useful things which are part of the project's collective wisdom, but
which aren't written down anywhere, like the arcane commands needed for some
part of your revision control workflow, to install all your project's
dependencies, or all the random flags you might need to pass to the build
system.

Some ideas for recipes:

- Deploying/publishing the project

- Building in release mode vs debug mode

- Running in debug mode or with logging enabled

- Complex git workflows

- Updating dependencies

- Running different sets of tests, for example fast tests vs slow tests, or
  running them with verbose output

- Any complex set of commands that you really should write down somewhere, if
  only to be able to remember them

Even for small, personal projects it's nice to be able to remember commands by
name instead of ^Reverse searching your shell history, and it's a huge boon to
be able to go into an old project written in a random language with a
mysterious build system and know that all the commands you need to do whatever
you need to do are in the `justfile`, and that if you type `just` something
useful (or at least interesting!) will probably happen.

For ideas for recipes, check out
[this project's `justfile`](https://github.com/casey/just/blob/master/justfile),
or some of the
`justfile`s
[out in the wild](https://github.com/search?q=path%3A**%2Fjustfile&type=code).

Anyways, I think that's about it for this incredibly long-winded README.

I hope you enjoy using `just` and find great success and satisfaction in all
your computational endeavors!

😸

[🔼 Back to the top!](#just)