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---
pageid: cmd.watch
title: watch
layout: docs
section: Commands
permalink: docs/cmd/watch.html
---
Deprecated starting in version 3.1. We recommend that clients adopt
the [watch-project](/watchman/docs/cmd/watch-project.html) command.
Requests that the specified dir is watched for changes.
Watchman will track all files and dirs rooted at the specified path.
From the command line:
```bash
$ watchman watch ~/www
```
Note that, when you're using the CLI, you can specify the root as `~/www`
because the shell will resolve `~/www` to `/home/wez/www`, but when you use the
JSON protocol, you are responsible for supplying an absolute path.
JSON:
```json
["watch", "/home/wez/www"]
```
Watchman will `realpath(3)` the directory and start watching it if it isn't
already. A newly watched directory is processed in a couple of stages:
* Establishes change notification for the directory with the kernel
* Queues up a request to crawl the directory
* As the directory contents are resolved, those are watched in a similar
fashion
* All newly observed files are considered changed
Unless the `--no-save-state` server option was used to start the watchman
service, watches and their associated triggers are saved and re-established
across a process restart.
## Case-Insensitivity
Watchman has the following level of support for case-insensitive filesystems,
starting in version 2.9.9 on OS X only:
* each watched root is queried to determine if it is case-insensitive.
This is the common default for most Mac systems running HFS+.
* When in case-insensitive mode, Watchman will attempt to resolve the true
canonical name of a file on the filesystem when it observes changes.
* If the case of a filename changes, Watchman will report a delete of the
old name and a change for the new name.
* Query expressions that match names will default to case-insensitive when
the root is on a case-insensitive filesystem.
* Watchman's case folding is ASCII case-folding.
Note that the `match` and `pcre` query expression terms request case folding
support from the containing library, and that their case folding behavior is
not controlled by Watchman beyond being enabled when the root is
case-insensitive.
* The `path` generator is always case sensitive.
|
