Watching for File Changes on macOS
The article discusses how to monitor file changes on macOS using the File System Events API. It outlines the process of setting up an event stream to detect changes in source files for a local server with live reload functionality. The author shares insights on building a Swift script to utilize the FSEvents API and connect it with Python for further processing.
- ▪The File System Events API allows for passive monitoring of file changes in macOS.
- ▪The author previously used Jekyll's livereload feature and is now creating a similar functionality for their own static site generator.
- ▪The article provides a step-by-step guide on creating a file systems event stream using FSEventStreamCreate.
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Watching for file changes on macOSPosted 11 May 2026Also filed in Swift, Blogging about bloggingWhen I’m working on this website, I want a local server with live reload. I want to be able to open the site in my web browser, make changes to the source files, and have my browser automatically refresh the page when the site is updated. I use this whenever I’m working on the site, and I find it helpful to see my writing in a different font/layout to my text editor; I spot lots of typos and mistakes that way.When I was using Jekyll, I used the command jekyll serve --livereload. Now I’ve written my own static site generator, I need to build my own version.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Alexwlchan.
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