HandoffDev

HandoffDev copies the folder you are currently in into another folder for testing.

It is built for workflows like Chrome extension development:

1. Load one stable unpacked extension folder in Chrome.
2. Keep working in whatever branch, worktree, or clone you want.
3. Run handoffdev to refresh the testing copy.
4. Reload the extension in Chrome.

Install

From npm, after the package is published:

npm install -g handoffdev

From this repo right now:

npm install
npm link

After npm link, handoffdev is available in your shell.

Quick Start

Run it from inside the folder you want to mirror:

cd /path/to/your/project
handoffdev

If you already know the destination:

handoffdev ~/Documents/GitHub/"test dev"
handoffdev "~/Documents/GitHub/test dev"
handoffdev $HOME/Documents/GitHub/"test dev"
handoffdev "$HOME/Documents/GitHub/test dev"
handoffdev --clean ~/Documents/GitHub/"test dev"

Main Commands

handoffdev
handoffdev <destination>
handoffdev --clean
handoffdev --clean <destination>
handoffdev <destination> --clean
handoffdev -- <destination>
handoffdev -h
handoffdev --h
handoffdev -help
handoffdev --help

What It Does

• Copies the contents of your current folder into a destination folder.
• Uses rsync --delete, so the destination becomes a mirror of your current folder.
• Always skips .git/ and .DS_Store.
• --clean also skips common local junk like node_modules/ and cache folders.
• If the destination already has files in it, HandoffDev asks for confirmation before deleting anything.

Interactive Mode

• Running handoffdev with no destination opens an interactive prompt.
• HandoffDev remembers your last 3 unique successful destinations per project.
• Git worktrees share the same recent history.
• If there is no history yet, it asks you to enter a path.

History is stored at:

~/Library/Application Support/HandoffDev/history.json

Path Rules

• ~ and $HOME are supported.
• Relative paths are resolved from the folder you run HandoffDev in.
• Empty destinations, /, protected anchor folders, the current source folder, parents of the source folder, and children of the source folder are rejected.
• On macOS, GitHub and Github are treated as the same path for safety checks and history matching.

$HOME vs $Home

Use $HOME or ~.

Do not use $Home. In zsh, $Home expands before HandoffDev starts, so HandoffDev cannot recover what you meant and the resulting path is rejected as unsafe.

Development

npm test