name	graphify-chokidar
description	watch a directory and auto-rebuild the graphify knowledge graph on file changes — token-aware, cancellable, no manual re-runs
trigger	/graphify-chokidar

/graphify-chokidar

Start a file watcher that keeps a graphify knowledge graph in sync with your codebase automatically.

Code changes (.ts, .py, .go, …) → rebuild runs immediately, no LLM, no prompt
Doc/media changes (.md, .pdf, .png, …) → asks you before spending tokens
New change mid-build → previous build is cancelled, fresh build starts right away
Repeated LLM triggers while building → collapsed into one prompt, not spammed

Usage

/graphify-chokidar                         # watch current directory
/graphify-chokidar <path>                  # watch a specific path
/graphify-chokidar <path> --debounce 500   # wait 500ms after last change (default: 2000ms)
/graphify-chokidar <path> --silent         # only log errors
/graphify-chokidar <path> --once           # exit after first rebuild (CI mode)

What You Must Do When Invoked

If no path was given, use . (current directory). Do not ask the user for a path.

Step 1 — Ensure graphify-chokidar is installed

which graphify-chokidar 2>/dev/null || npm install -g graphify-chokidar

If the install fails, tell the user and stop. Do not proceed without the binary.

Also verify that graphify itself is on the PATH — graphify-chokidar shells out to it:

which graphify 2>/dev/null || echo "ERROR: graphify not found — install it first"

If graphify is missing, tell the user to install graphify before continuing.

Step 2 — Start the watcher

Construct the command from the user's arguments and run it in a background terminal or as a background process:

graphify-chokidar PATH [--debounce MS] [--silent] [--once]

Replace PATH with the path provided (or .), and include any flags the user specified.

If the user asked to run it in the background:

graphify-chokidar PATH &
echo "Watcher PID: $!"

Save the PID if the user may want to stop it later.

If the user asked to run it in the foreground (or didn't specify), run it directly and let it stream output to the terminal.

Step 3 — Confirm it's watching

After start, you should see output like:

◆ watching <path> — ignoring graphify-out/ node_modules/
◆ debounce 2000ms

If you see command not found or an immediate exit, check Step 1 again. If you see graphify failed with unknown command, verify that graphify update <path> works manually — graphify-chokidar calls graphify update internally.

What the watcher does with each change

File saved
    │
    ▼
classifyFile(path)
    │
    ├─ ignore  →  do nothing
    │              (node_modules, .git, dist, graphify-out, __pycache__)
    │
    ├─ ast     →  cancel any in-progress build
    │              → run: graphify update <path>
    │              (no LLM, instant, safe to interrupt)
    │
    └─ llm     →  if a build is already running: skip silently
                   else: show files + token warning
                         → prompt: run graphify? [Y/n]
                         → if yes: run graphify update <path>

AST files (rebuilt without LLM): .ts .tsx .js .jsx .py .go .rs .java .c .cpp .cs .rb .swift .kt .scala .php .lua .zig .ex .exs .vue .svelte .dart

LLM files (prompts before rebuilding): .md .mdx .txt .rst .adoc .pdf .png .jpg .jpeg .gif .webp .svg .mp4 .mov .mp3 .wav

Always ignored: graphify-out/ node_modules/ .git/ dist/ __pycache__/ .cache/

Debounce

Changes are batched. If 10 files save in quick succession, one rebuild fires — not ten.

save fileA  →  start 2s timer
save fileB  →  reset timer
save fileC  →  reset timer
              ... 2s of silence ...
              → rebuild([fileA, fileB, fileC])

Tune with --debounce <ms>. Lower values (e.g. 500) make rebuilds feel more instant. Higher values (e.g. 5000) reduce rebuilds during large refactors.

Log symbols

Symbol	Meaning
`◆`	Watcher started / config
`~`	File changed
`↻`	Build started
`↺`	Previous build cancelled, restarting
`✓`	Build succeeded
`✗`	Build failed or skipped by user
`⏸`	LLM rebuild skipped (build in progress)
`⚠`	LLM rebuild — token confirmation required

Stopping the watcher

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal where the watcher is running. It will print:

watchify stopped

If running in the background, kill by PID:

kill <PID>

CI mode (`--once`)

Run once on the next file change, then exit with code 0 (success) or 1 (failure). Useful in pre-commit hooks or CI pipelines that should fail if the graph can't be rebuilt:

graphify-chokidar . --once --silent

Troubleshooting

graphify failed: unknown command '.' graphify-chokidar calls graphify update <path>. If your graphify version doesn't support update, upgrade it: pip install --upgrade graphifyy

Builds triggering on graphify-out/ changes Already ignored by default. If it's still triggering, ensure you're on the latest build — run npm install -g graphify-chokidar to upgrade.

Watcher fires too often Increase --debounce. Some editors write temp files before the final save; a 1000–2000ms debounce absorbs those.

LLM prompt appearing repeatedly This happens if you answer n and then save again. It's correct — each new change after a skip re-prompts. If you want to suppress it entirely, use --silent (errors only) or consider whether those files should be reclassified.

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SKILL.md

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