watch#

Keep Feluda on the case continuously — re-scan automatically whenever a dependency file changes.

Overview#

feluda watch monitors your project tree for filesystem changes and re-runs the license scan whenever a dependency manifest or lockfile is added, modified, or removed. It is handy while adding or upgrading dependencies — especially with AI coding tools that pull in packages on the fly — so license issues surface the moment they appear.

Watch mode is report-only: it prints the same report as a normal scan on every change and keeps running until interrupted with Ctrl-C.

Basic Usage#

# Watch the current directory
feluda watch

# Watch a specific path
feluda watch --path /path/to/project/

# Adjust the debounce window (milliseconds)
feluda watch --debounce 800

Options:

Flag

Description

--path, -p

Project directory to watch (default: ./)

--debounce

Milliseconds to wait after a change before re-scanning (default: 500)

Reusing Scan Flags#

Watch mode inherits the same output and filter flags as a normal scan. Pass them before the watch subcommand:

# Watch and report only restrictive licenses, as JSON
feluda --restrictive --json watch

# Watch in strict mode against a specific project license
feluda --strict --project-license MIT watch

What Feluda Watches#

Feluda recursively discovers every dependency manifest and lockfile it understands, honouring .gitignore/.ignore and skipping vendored directories such as node_modules/, target/, vendor/, and .git/.

This is the same set of files the scanner recognises, including:

  • Rust — Cargo.toml, Cargo.lock

  • Node.js — package.json, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml

  • Go — go.mod, go.work, go.sum, go.work.sum

  • Python — pyproject.toml, requirements.txt, Pipfile.lock, uv.lock

  • Java — pom.xml, build.gradle, build.gradle.kts

  • .NET — *.csproj, *.fsproj, *.vbproj, *.slnx, packages.lock.json

  • C/C++ — vcpkg.json, conanfile.txt, CMakeLists.txt, MODULE.bazel

  • R — DESCRIPTION, renv.lock

Note

Watch mode does not support the interactive TUI (--gui) or remote repositories (--repo). Use a local path and a non-interactive report.

Scheduled & Looped Scanning#

When a long-running watcher isn’t a good fit — CI runners, network filesystems, or periodic compliance audits — run Feluda’s single-shot scan on a schedule instead. Combine it with --fail-on-restrictive (or --fail-on-incompatible) so the exit code gates your pipeline.

# cron — scan every 30 minutes, fail on a restrictive license
*/30 * * * * cd /path/to/project && feluda --fail-on-restrictive

# Claude Code /loop — re-run the check every 30 minutes
/loop 30m feluda --restrictive

# CI gate — non-zero exit stops the build
feluda --fail-on-restrictive --json

Tip

Use feluda watch for fast feedback during local development, and the scheduled single-shot scan above for unattended or CI environments.