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# sourcewatch
A file synchronization tool that watches a Windows source directory and syncs changes to a Docker container via Unix socket IPC. Respects `.gitignore` rules.
## Architecture
```
Windows Host Docker Container
┌─────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐
│ sourcewatch.exe │ TCP │ sourcewatch (linux) │
│ watches C:\src │◄────────────►│ - receives manifest │
│ ReadDirectory │ connect │ - syncs changed files │
│ ChangesW │ :5151 │ - listens for events │
└─────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────────┘
```
1. **Container** starts and listens on TCP port 5151
2. **Windows binary** connects to container, scans source directory (fast native NTFS), sends file metadata
3. **Container** compares with local state, copies only changed files
4. **Windows binary** watches for changes, sends events over TCP
5. **Container** receives events and syncs in real-time
## Building
### Windows binary (sourcewatch.exe)
```bash
# From Windows (Git Bash, PowerShell, or cmd)
go build -o sourcewatch.exe .
# Cross-compile from Linux/Mac
GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o sourcewatch.exe .
```
Requires Go 1.24+ and `github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify` (automatically downloaded).
### Docker/Podman image (linux container)
```bash
# Build image
docker build -t sourcewatch .
# Or with Podman
podman build -t sourcewatch .
```
## Usage
### Step 1: Build the Windows binary
```bash
GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o sourcewatch.exe .
```
### Step 2: Start the container
```bash
docker run -d -p 5151:5151 \
-v C:\myproject:/host:ro \
-v project-data:/data \
sourcewatch
```
Or with Podman:
```bash
podman run -d -p 5151:5151 \
-v C:\myproject:/host:ro \
-v project-data:/data \
sourcewatch
```
### Step 3: Start the Windows watcher
```powershell
# PowerShell
.\sourcewatch.exe -dir C:\myproject -connect localhost:5151
# Git Bash
./sourcewatch.exe -dir /c/myproject -connect localhost:5151
```
### Standalone mode (no Windows watcher)
If you don't need real-time watching, run with `-listen ""`:
```bash
docker run -v /path/to/source:/host:ro -v data:/data sourcewatch -listen ""
```
## Flags
### Windows binary (sourcewatch.exe)
```
-dir string Source directory to watch (required)
-connect string TCP address of the container (default "localhost:5151")
-log-level string Log level: debug, info, warn, error, none (default "info")
-verbose Enable verbose logging (shorthand for -log-level debug)
```
### Container (sourcewatch)
```
-host string Host source directory (default "/host")
-data string Data destination directory (default "/data")
-listen string TCP address to listen on (default ":5151")
-verbose Enable verbose logging (shorthand for -log-level debug)
-log-level string Log level: debug, info, warn, error, none (default "info")
-dry-run Preview what would be synced without copying
```
## Protocol
Communication uses newline-delimited JSON over TCP:
```json
{"type":"manifest","files":{"path":{"size":1234,"modtime":"2024-01-01T00:00:00Z","mode":"0644"}}}
{"type":"manifest_done"}
{"type":"event_create","path":"new/file.go"}
{"type":"event_write","path":"modified/file.go"}
{"type":"event_remove","path":"deleted/file.go"}
```
## .gitignore support
- Full gitignore spec: `*`, `**`, `[]`, `!` negation
- Nested `.gitignore` files (child patterns override parents)
- Patterns scoped to their directory
- `.git` directory always skipped
Example `.gitignore`:
```
*.log
build/
!important.log
```
## Limitations
- One-way sync only (`/host` → `/data`)
- `/host` must be read-only
- `?` single-character wildcard not supported (go-gitignore limitation)
- Windows binary requires Go 1.21+ to build
## License
MIT
|
