Patchwork

Manage patches on top of upstream repositories.

Package name: ptchwrk (because patchwork was taken)

Why?

When you maintain local patches on top of an upstream repo (like a fork with custom features), rebasing gets messy. Patchwork exports your changes as patch files that can be cleanly reapplied whenever upstream updates.

Install

# npm
npm install -g ptchwrk

# or run directly
bunx ptchwrk

Usage

# Initialize in your repo (config stored in ~/.local/share/patchwork/)
ptchwrk init

# Or store config in repo for committed forks
ptchwrk init --tracked

# Export a branch as a patch
ptchwrk export my-feature-branch

# Fetch upstream and apply all patches
ptchwrk sync

# Check status
ptchwrk status

# Remove a merged patch
ptchwrk drop 001-my-feature-branch.patch

How it works

1. init - Creates config pointing to your upstream branch
2. export - Generates a .patch file from commits unique to a branch (vs upstream)
3. sync - Fetches upstream, creates a fresh build branch, applies all patches in order
4. status - Shows current patches and their sizes
5. drop - Removes a patch file (use after upstream merges your PR)

Config Location

By default, Patchwork stores config externally to keep your repo clean:

~/.local/share/patchwork/<owner>/<repo>/
├── config.json
└── patches/

Use --tracked to store config in the repo (for committed forks):

<repo>/.ptchwrk/
├── config.json
└── patches/

Config Format

{
  "upstream": {
    "remote": "origin",
    "branch": "main"
  },
  "buildBranch": "patchwork-build",
  "patchDir": "patches"
}

License

MIT