A versatile utility that executes arbitrary commands automatically whenever monitored files are modified.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install entr
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install entr using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is entr?
The entr skill, short for Event Notify Test Runner, is a powerful utility designed to automate the developer inner loop within Openclaw Skills. It functions by receiving a list of filenames through standard input and monitoring them for any changes. Once a modification is detected, it immediately triggers a specified command, making it an essential tool for reactive development environments.
By integrating this skill into your workflow, you can eliminate the manual overhead of restarting servers or re-running build scripts. It follows the Unix philosophy of doing one thing well, providing a lightweight yet robust mechanism for file-system event monitoring without the bloat of heavy framework-specific watchers.
entr Use Cases
- Automating project rebuilds using make or compilers whenever source code files are saved.
- Running unit tests or integration test suites the moment a relevant file is updated.
- Live-reloading web servers or background processes during active development sessions.
- Clearing the terminal screen automatically before re-running a script to ensure a clean output view.
How entr Works
- The user generates a list of files to monitor using a standard command such as find, ls, or git ls-files.
- This list is piped into the entr utility via standard input (STDIN).
- The skill enters a watch state, monitoring the provided file descriptors for modification events.
- When a file change occurs, the utility executes the command provided as its primary argument.
- Depending on the flags used, it can clear the screen, restart a persistent process, or evaluate commands through a specific shell.
entr Setup
To use this skill within Openclaw Skills, ensure the entr binary is installed on your local system or container.
On macOS using Homebrew:
brew install entr
On Ubuntu or Debian-based systems:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install entr
Verify the installation by checking the version:
entr -h
entr Data Schema & Taxonomy
The entr skill uses a stream-based data model, relying on standard UNIX pipelines to define its operational scope.
| Input Type | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| File List | Text Stream | A newline-separated list of file paths provided via STDIN. |
| Utility | String | The command-line utility and arguments to execute upon a change. |
| Options | Flags | Configuration flags like -c (clear), -r (reload), or -s (shell). |
| Logs | STDOUT/STDERR | The output generated by the triggered command is passed through to the terminal. |
entr Advanced Features
- Utilize the -r (reload) flag to manage persistent child processes, allowing for seamless server restarts without manual PID management.
- Combine with the -c flag to keep your development terminal organized by clearing previous logs before each execution.
- Use shell interpretation with the -s flag to run complex shell pipelines or built-in functions as the response trigger.
- Integrate with Openclaw Skills process tools to run file watchers in the background while performing other parallel development tasks.
SKILL.md
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