Skip to content

edit [target...]

Edit the source state of targets, which must be files or symlinks. If no targets are given then the working tree of the source directory is opened.

Encrypted files are decrypted to a private temporary directory and the editor is invoked with the decrypted file. When the editor exits the edited decrypted file is re-encrypted and replaces the original file in the source state.

If the operating system supports hard links, then the edit command invokes the editor with filenames which match the target filename, unless the edit.hardlink configuration variable is set to false the --hardlink=false command line flag is set.

-a, --apply

Apply target immediately after editing. Ignored if there are no targets.

--hardlink bool

Invoke the editor with a hard link to the source file with a name matching the target filename. This can help the editor determine the type of the file correctly. This is the default.

--watch

Automatically apply changes when files are saved.

Warning

--watch is a beta feature with limitations. Known limitations include:

  • Only works when chezmoi edit is invoked with arguments (i.e. argument-free chezmoi edit is not supported).
  • All edited files are applied when any file is saved.
  • Only the edited files are watched, not any dependent files (e.g. .chezmoitemplates and included files in templates are not watched).
  • Only works on operating systems supported by fsnotify.

Example

$ chezmoi edit ~/.bashrc
$ chezmoi edit ~/.bashrc --apply
$ chezmoi edit