Install fswatch

Use a package manager first, build a release tarball when you need source control.

Release tarballs contain the generated files regular users need. Repository checkouts are intended for contributors who can bootstrap the GNU Build System.

install
$ brew install fswatch
$ port install fswatch
$ sudo pkg install fswatch-mon

Package managers

These are the lowest-friction install paths for supported systems.

Homebrew

Recommended for many macOS users.

$ brew install fswatch

MacPorts

Use the MacPorts package if that is your preferred macOS environment.

$ sudo port install fswatch

FreeBSD

Install the packaged monitor from FreeBSD repositories.

$ sudo pkg install fswatch-mon

Build a release tarball

Download a release archive when a package is not available for your platform. Tarballs include generated configure files and are the recommended source distribution for users.

Download releases

Work from the repository

Clone the repository when you plan to modify fswatch itself. Source checkouts require the GNU Build System to bootstrap generated files. CMake support is available as a convenience for supported workflows.

Browse source

On Windows, MSYS2 with a MinGW-w64 toolchain is the recommended build environment. Cygwin builds are kept for compatibility, but Cygwin is not required to build fswatch on Windows.