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pushwork

★ 54 Open GitHub ↗

Push your work with pushwork.

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# pushwork

_Bidirectional directory synchronization using [Automerge](https://automerge.org/) CRDTs._

pushwork turns any directory into a synchronized, conflict-free replicated folder. Initialize a directory to get a shareable `automerge:` URL, hand that URL to another machine (or another person), and `clone` it. From then on, `sync` reconciles both working trees through a WebSocket relay — concurrent edits, additions, deletions, and renames all converge automatically because every file is backed by an Automerge document.

It feels a bit like Git, but the "merge" is a CRDT: there are no merge conflicts to resolve by hand, and character-level edits to text files combine cleanly.

## Requirements

- Node.js `>= 24`
- [pnpm](https://pnpm.io/) `>= 8`

## Installation

### From npm (recommended)

```sh
npm install --global pushwork
# or run it without installing:
npx pushwork <command>
```

This puts `pushwork` on your PATH. The examples below assume that.

### From source

```sh
git clone <repo-url> pushwork
cd pushwork
pnpm install
pnpm build        # compiles TypeScript to dist/
```

This produces the `pushwork` binary at `dist/cli.js`. You can then either:

```sh
node dist/cli.js <command>      # run directly
pnpm start -- <command>         # via the start script
pnpm link --global              # expose `pushwork` on your PATH
```

> [!NOTE]
>
> The compiled `dist/` is what the CLI runs (and what the tests exercise), so build before running from source.

## Quick start

```sh
# Machine A — turn a directory into a pushwork repo
cd ~/notes
pushwork init
pushwork url            # prints the automerge: URL to share

# Machine B — clone that URL into a new directory
pushwork clone automerge:2sX...e9 ~/notes-clone

# On either machine, after editing files
pushwork sync           # exchange changes with peers and merge to disk

# Inspect local changes before syncing
pushwork status
pushwork diff
```

## Commands

| Command | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `pushwork init [dir]` | Initialize pushwork in a directory (default `.`). |
| `pushwork clone <url> <dir>` | Clone an `automerge:` URL into a directory. |
| `pushwork sync` | Sync local changes with peers and merge remote changes to disk. |
| `pushwork save` (alias `commit`) | Commit local changes to local storage without contacting the server. |
| `pushwork status` | Show changes against the saved state. |
| `pushwork diff [path]` | Show textual diffs of local changes; optionally limit to `path`. |
| `pushwork url` | Print the `automerge:` URL of this repo. |
| `pushwork heads [pathspec]` | Print Automerge heads for the root folder and every file doc (offline). |
| `pushwork yoink <url> [path]` | Pull a single file doc by URL and write it to disk (default path: the doc's own name). |
| `pushwork yeet <path> <url>` | Push a single file from disk into the file doc at `url`, mutating it in place. |
| `pushwork migrate [dir]` | Upgrade an older `.pushwork/config.json` to the current format. |
| `pushwork cut [name]` | Stash working-tree changes and reset the tree to the saved state (offline). |
| `pushwork paste [id-or-name]` | Re-apply a stashed change set (default: most recent). |
| `pushwork snarfs` (alias `clipboard`) | List stashed change sets, newest first. |
| `pushwork version` | Print pushwork and Automerge package versions. |

### Global options

These apply to every command:

| Flag | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `--porcelain` | Machine-readable output: tab-separated lines, no spinners/colors/prompts. |
| `-q, --quiet` | Suppress progress; show only results and errors. |
| `--silent` | Suppress all output except errors (check the exit code). |
| `-v, --version` | Print version info and exit. |

### `init` / `clone` options

| Flag | Applies to | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `--shape <shape>` | both | Document shape: `vfs` (default), `patchwork-folder`, or a path to a custom shape module. |
| `--artifact-dir <dir>` | both | Directory stored as immutable, heads-pinned content. Repeatable. Defaults to `dist`. |
| `--no-sub` | both | Use the legacy WebSocket backend instead of Subduction. |
| `--legacy` | both | Alias for `--no-sub`. |

On `clone`, the shape is normally chosen from the root doc itself (`@patchwork.type` of `directory` → `vfs`, `folder` → `patchwork-folder`); `--shape` is only the fallback when the type isn't recognized.

### `sync` options

| Flag | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `--nuclear` | Re-create every file/folder doc with a fresh URL before syncing, dropping references to the old URLs from this repo. |

## Sync backends

pushwork supports two WebSocket sync backends. **Subduction is the default.**

| Backend | Default endpoint | Selected by |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `subduction` | `wss://subduction.sync.inkandswitch.com` | default |
| `legacy` | `wss://sync3.automerge.org` | `--legacy` / `--no-sub` |

Override either endpoint with an environment variable:

```sh
PUSHWORK_SUBDUCTION_SERVER=wss://my-relay.example.com pushwork sync
PUSHWORK_LEGACY_SERVER=wss://my-relay.example.com pushwork sync --legacy
```

## Configuration

pushwork stores all of its metadata under `.pushwork/` at the repo root:

| Path | Contents |
| --- | --- |
| `.pushwork/config.json` | Repo configuration (see below). |
| `.pushwork/storage/` | Automerge CRDT storage (`NodeFSStorageAdapter`). |
| `.pushwork/snarf/index.json` | Local stash entries (see [Stashing changes](#stashing-changes)). |

`config.json` is currently at version `4`:

```json
{
	"version": 4,
	"rootUrl": "automerge:2sX...e9",
	"backend": "subduction",
	"shape": "vfs",
	"artifactDirectories": ["dist"]
}
```

If the config version doesn't match the installed pushwork, commands fail with a prompt to run `pushwork migrate`.

### Ignore files

The following are always ignored: `.pushwork`, `.git`, and `node_modules`. Symlinks are skipped during traversal.

For anything else, add a `.pushworkignore` file at the repo root. It uses gitignore syntax (blank lines and `#` comments are ignored):

```gitignore
# .pushworkignore
*.log
tmp/
.env
```

### Artifact directories

Files marked as _artifacts_ are treated as build output: their content is stored as an immutable string and their doc URL is _pinned_ to a specific set of heads, so consumers reference an exact snapshot rather than a moving target. By default the `dist` directory is an artifact directory; configure the default list with `--artifact-dir <dir>` (repeatable) at `init`/`clone` time, which is recorded in `.pushwork/config.json` (local to your checkout).

#### `.pushworkattributes` (travels with the repo)

`--artifact-dir` only configures _your_ checkout. To make artifact rules travel with the repo so every collaborator agrees, add a `.pushworkattributes` file at the repo root. It's an ordinary tracked file (synced like any other content) modeled on `.gitattributes`, and a sibling to `.pushworkignore`:

```gitattributes
# .pushworkattributes
dist/**     artifact
build/**    artifact
*.wasm      artifact
vendored/   -artifact     # negate a default; last matching rule wins
```

Each line is `<glob> <attr>...` (blank lines and `#` comments ignored). Patterns are gitignore-style globs; the only attribute today is `artifact` (`-artifact` unsets it). When a `.pushworkattributes` file is present, its `artifact` rules **override** `artifactDirectories` from `.pushwork/config.json`, and pushwork warns when the two disagree so a stale local config can't silently diverge from the repo.

## Document shapes

A _shape_ controls how the directory tree is encoded into Automerge documents.

| Shape | Value | Structure |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VFS _(default)_ | `vfs` | A single directory doc (`@patchwork.type: "directory"`) whose keys are posix file paths mapping to file-doc URLs. |
| Patchwork folder | `patchwork-folder` | A recursive folder-of-docs (`@patchwork.type: "folder"`) compatible with Patchwork and original pushwork repos. |
| Custom | _module path_ | A module with a `default` export implementing `{ encode, decode }`. |

Select a shape with `--shape` at `init`/`clone`.

## Stashing changes

pushwork has a local "clipboard" for working-tree changes — handy for setting aside in-progress edits. These stashes (called _snarfs_) are stored locally and are never synced.

```sh
pushwork cut "wip-refactor"   # stash changes, reset tree to saved state
pushwork snarfs               # list stashes (newest first)
pushwork paste                # re-apply the most recent stash
pushwork paste wip-refactor   # or re-apply a specific one by id or name
```

## Sharing a single file

`yoink` and `yeet` move one file doc around by URL, independent of any folder structure. Find a file's doc URL with `heads`, then pull or push it from anywhere:

```sh
pushwork heads notes/todo.md        # → notes/todo.md  automerge:abcd…  <heads>
pushwork yoink automerge:abcd        # write that doc to ./todo.md (its own name)
pushwork yoink automerge:abcd grabbed.md   # …or to an explicit path
pushwork yeet draft.md automerge:abcd      # overwrite the doc with draft.md
```

Both run inside an initialized repo (they use its backend and storage) and contact the sync server. `yoink` is detached: the file it writes is an ordinary working-tree file, not linked back to the source doc — a later `save` or `sync` tracks it under a fresh file doc like any other path. `yeet` mutates the target doc in place (text merges character-by-character; binary is last-writer-wins), so peers holding that URL see the change.

## How it works

A pushwork repo is a tree of Automerge documents. One _root folder doc_ (whose URL is what you share) references one _file doc_ per file. The folder URL is stable for the life of the repo, so sharing it once is enough.

```mermaid
graph TD
    A["root folder doc<br/>(automerge: URL — this is what you share)"]
    A --> B["src/index.ts → file doc"]
    A --> C["README.md → file doc"]
    A --> D["dist/bundle.js → file doc (pinned artifact)"]
    A --> E["..."]
```

A `sync` performs a full round trip:

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant FS as Working tree
    participant PW as pushwork
    participant SRV as Sync server (WebSocket)
    FS->>PW: read files, honor ignore rules
    PW->>PW: diff against saved tree, write changes into file docs
    PW->>SRV: push/pull doc changes (Automerge merge)
    SRV-->>PW: peer changes
    PW->>FS: materialize merged tree back to disk
```

`save` (alias `commit`) runs the same pipeline _offline_ — it commits to local CRDT storage and never contacts a server.

## Migrating older repos

If you have a repo created by an older pushwork (or the original pushwork "main" repo with a `.pushwork/config.json` predating versioning), upgrade it in place:

```sh
pushwork migrate          # operates on the current directory
pushwork migrate ./repo
```

Migration walks the config forward one version at a time and reports the steps taken, or that the repo is already up to date.

## Programmatic API

The package also exposes a library API (`import` from `pushwork`). Functions that talk to the network accept `online: false` for fully offline operation.

```ts
import {init, clone, sync, save, status} from "pushwork"

// Initialize a repo
const {url, files} = await init({
	dir: "./my-project",
	backend: "subduction", // or "legacy"
	shape: "vfs",
})
console.log(`Initialized ${files} files at ${url}`)

// Clone it elsewhere
await clone({url, dir: "./clone-target", backend: "subduction", shape: "vfs"})

// Sync / inspect
await sync("./my-project") // online by default
await save("./my-project") // offline commit
const {diff} = await status("./my-project")
```

### Exported functions

| Function | Signature |
| --- | --- |
| `init` | `(opts: InitOpts, report?: Reporter) => Promise<RepoSummary>` |
| `clone` | `(opts: CloneOpts, report?: Reporter) => Promise<RepoSummary>` |
| `sync` | `(cwd: string, opts?: { nuclear?: boolean }, report?: Reporter) => Promise<void>` |
| `save` | `(cwd: string, report?: Reporter) => Promise<void>` |
| `status` | `(cwd: string) => Promise<{ diff: Diff }>` |
| `diff` | `(cwd: string, limitToPath?: string) => Promise<Array<{ path; kind; before?; after? }>>` |
| `url` | `(cwd: string) => Promise<AutomergeUrl>` |
| `heads` | `(cwd: string, pathspec?: string) => Promise<HeadsEntry[]>` |
| `cutWorkdir` | `(cwd: string, opts?: { name?: string }) => Promise<{ id; entries }>` |
| `pasteSnarf` | `(cwd: string, selector?: string) => Promise<{ id; entries; name? }>` |
| `showSnarfs` | `(cwd: string) => Promise<Snarf[]>` |
| `nuclearizeRepo` | `(cwd: string) => Promise<void>` |

Configuration and migration helpers (`migrate`, `migrations`, `detectVersion`, `readRawConfig`, `CONFIG_VERSION`) and shape helpers (`vfsShape`, `patchworkFolderShape`, `pinUrl`, `stripHeads`, `isInArtifactDir`, `normalizeArtifactDir`) are exported as well.

Key option types:

```ts
type Backend = "legacy" | "subduction"

type InitOpts = {
	dir: string
	backend: Backend
	shape: string // "vfs" | "patchwork-folder" | module path
	artifactDirectories?: readonly string[] // default: ["dist"]
	online?: boolean // default: true
}

type CloneOpts = InitOpts & {
	url: string
	// optional interactive hooks for legacy "branches" / strategy docs:
	onBranchesDoc?: (info) => AutomergeUrl | Promise<AutomergeUrl>
	onStrategyDoc?: (info) => boolean | Promise<boolean>
}
```

## Environment variables

| Variable | Default | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `PUSHWORK_SUBDUCTION_SERVER` | `wss://subduction.sync.inkandswitch.com` | Subduction sync endpoint. |
| `PUSHWORK_LEGACY_SERVER` | `wss://sync3.automerge.org` | Legacy WebSocket sync endpoint. |
| `PUSHWORK_WS_INLINE` | _off_ | Set to `1` to open the sync WebSocket on the main thread instead of a worker thread. |
| `DEBUG` | _off_ | Set `DEBUG=true` (rewritten to `DEBUG=*`) to enable `pushwork:*` debug logs. |

### Concurrency

pushwork runs a single Automerge `Repo` over one sync connection. The WebSocket (and its frame decoding) lives in a worker thread so a busy main thread never stalls reads or keepalives, and per-file document fetches during clone/pull are pipelined concurrently over that one connection. Every synced document sits under the same delivery check, so the final `SYNCED`/`PENDING` verdict covers the whole tree.

## Development

| Script | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `pnpm build` | Compile TypeScript to `dist/`. |
| `pnpm dev` | `tsc --watch`. |
| `pnpm test` | Run the Vitest suite. |
| `pnpm test:watch` / `pnpm test:coverage` | Watch / coverage modes. |
| `pnpm typecheck` | `tsc --noEmit`. |
| `pnpm lint` / `pnpm lint:fix` | ESLint over `src`. |
| `pnpm bench` | Build and run the sync benchmark harness. |

```sh
# Example benchmark runs
npx tsx bench/sync-bench.ts --files 2000 --size 512 --text 1 --fanout 20
npx tsx bench/sync-bench.ts --clone-local --files 3000
```

## Design

The [`design/`](./design/) directory documents how pushwork works under the hood: [document shapes](./design/shapes.md), [sync verdicts](./design/sync.md), [artifact directories](./design/artifacts.md), [config & migrations](./design/config.md), and [snarfs](./design/snarf.md).

## Contributing

See [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md). This project follows a [code of conduct](./CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).

## License

Licensed under either of:

- Apache License, Version 2.0 ([LICENSE-APACHE](./LICENSE-APACHE) or <http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0>)
- MIT license ([LICENSE-MIT](./LICENSE-MIT) or <http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT>)

at your option.

Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the work by you, as defined in the Apache-2.0 license, shall be dual licensed as above, without any additional terms or conditions.

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