# inotify-tools/inotify-tools

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3,398 stars · 403 forks · C++ · GPL-2.0

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/inotify-tools/inotify-tools
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/inotify-tools-inotify-tools.md

## Topics

`c` `fsnotify` `inotify` `inotify-tools` `inotifywait` `inotifywatch` `linux`

## Description

Inotify-tools is a collection of command-line utilities that provide a direct interface to the Linux kernel inotify subsystem. It functions as a filesystem event monitor, allowing users to track modifications, creations, and deletions of files and directories in real time.

The project translates low-level kernel event structures into human-readable text output, enabling the integration of filesystem monitoring into shell scripts and automated workflows. It manages multiple filesystem watches by tracking individual file descriptors and supports recursive directory traversal to ensure comprehensive coverage across nested filesystem structures.

These utilities facilitate various automation tasks, including triggering build pipelines, optimizing development workflows, and maintaining system configuration consistency. The tools operate by suspending process execution until the kernel signals that a monitored filesystem event has occurred.

## Tags

### System Administration & Monitoring

- [Filesystem Change Monitors](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/system-administration-monitoring/filesystem-change-monitors.md) — Tracks modifications, deletions, and creations within files and directories in real time for automated shell script reporting. ([source](https://github.com/inotify-tools/inotify-tools#readme))

### Operating Systems & Systems Programming

- [Inotify-Based Watchers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/system-administration-maintenance/file-system-management/file-systems/directory-operations/directory-watchers/inotify-based-watchers.md) — Provides a set of command-line utilities for monitoring filesystem events and triggering actions via the Linux inotify subsystem.

### User Interface & Experience

- [Kernel Event Polling](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/form-and-input-management/interaction-and-event-handling/event-handling-architectures/event-handling-systems/event-queue-polling/kernel-event-polling.md) — Interfaces directly with the Linux kernel to receive asynchronous notifications whenever filesystem events occur.

### Development Tools & Productivity

- [Development Workflow Optimization](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/development-workflow-optimization.md) — Optimizes development workflows by instantly refreshing assets or running tests upon file save events.
- [Filesystem Event Wrappers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/terminal-shell-cli/cli-tooling-frameworks/cli-plugin-architectures/command-line-interfaces/filesystem-event-wrappers.md) — Provides command-line utilities that translate low-level kernel filesystem events into human-readable text for shell script integration.

### DevOps & Infrastructure

- [Build Pipeline Triggers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/devops-infrastructure/event-driven-triggers/build-pipeline-triggers.md) — Triggers compilation or deployment processes automatically whenever source code files are modified in a local environment.

### Software Engineering & Architecture

- [Recursive Directory Watchers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/recursive-validation-engines/recursive-tree-traversers/file-system-traversers/recursive-directory-traversers/recursive-directory-watchers.md) — Automatically registers watches on nested subdirectories to ensure comprehensive monitoring coverage across entire filesystem trees.