justfile Documentation

Official docs for just — a handy way to save and run project-specific commands.

CRITICAL: grep references/ for keywords before answering.

Reference Index (87 docs)

Introduction

• references/introduction.md — Overview, features, and comparison with make

Installation (7 docs)

• references/installation/prerequisites.md — Prerequisites and platform support
• references/installation/packages.md — Package manager installation (brew, apt, cargo, etc.)
• references/installation/pre-built-binaries.md — Pre-built binary downloads
• references/installation/github-actions.md — GitHub Actions setup
• references/installation/docker.md — Docker usage
• references/installation/release-rss-feed.md — Release RSS feed
• references/installation/node-js-installation.md — Node.js/npm installation

Editor Support (12 docs)

• references/editor-support/vim-and-neovim.md — Vim and Neovim syntax highlighting
• references/editor-support/emacs.md — Emacs mode
• references/editor-support/visual-studio-code.md — VS Code extension
• references/editor-support/jetbrains-ides.md — JetBrains plugin
• references/editor-support/kakoune.md — Kakoune support
• references/editor-support/helix.md — Helix support
• references/editor-support/sublime-text.md — Sublime Text package
• references/editor-support/micro.md — Micro editor plugin
• references/editor-support/zed.md — Zed editor support
• references/editor-support/other-editors.md — Other editor integrations
• references/editor-support/language-server-protocol.md — LSP support
• references/editor-support/model-context-protocol.md — MCP server

Recipes (14 docs)

• references/recipes/the-default-recipe.md — Default recipe behavior
• references/recipes/listing-available-recipes.md — Listing recipes (just --list)
• references/recipes/invoking-multiple-recipes.md — Running multiple recipes
• references/recipes/aliases.md — Recipe aliases
• references/recipes/recipe-parameters.md — Parameters, default values, variadic params
• references/recipes/dependencies.md — Recipe dependencies and ordering
• references/recipes/shebang-recipes.md — Shebang recipes (Python, Bash, etc.)
• references/recipes/script-recipes.md — Script recipes ([script] attribute)
• references/recipes/script-and-shebang-recipe-temporary-files.md — Temporary file handling
• references/recipes/python-recipes-with-uv.md — Python recipes with uv
• references/recipes/safer-bash-shebang-recipes.md — Safer bash recipes (set -euxo)
• references/recipes/private-recipes.md — Private/hidden recipes
• references/recipes/quiet-recipes.md — Quiet and silent execution
• references/recipes/selecting-recipes-to-run-with-an-interactive-chooser.md — Interactive chooser (--choose)

Language (12 docs)

• references/language/settings.md — Justfile settings (dotenv, shell, tempdir, etc.)
• references/language/documentation-comments.md — Doc comments for recipes
• references/language/expressions-and-substitutions.md — Expressions and {{ }}
• references/language/strings.md — String literals and escapes
• references/language/sigils.md — @, -, ? line prefixes
• references/language/functions.md — Built-in functions (path, string, env, etc.)
• references/language/constants.md — Built-in constants (HEX, CLEAR, NEWLINE, etc.)
• references/language/attributes.md — Recipe attributes ([confirm], [no-cd], [group], etc.)
• references/language/groups.md — Recipe grouping
• references/language/command-evaluation-using-backticks.md — Backtick evaluation
• references/language/conditional-expressions.md — if/else expressions
• references/language/stopping-execution-with-error.md — error() function

Variables (4 docs)

• references/variables/setting-variables-from-the-command-line.md — CLI variable overrides
• references/variables/getting-and-setting-environment-variables.md — Environment variables and env()
• references/variables/setting-variables-in-a-recipe.md — Recipe-local variables
• references/variables/sharing-environment-variables-between-recipes.md — Sharing env vars

Execution (10 docs)

• references/execution/working-directory.md — Working directory behavior
• references/execution/changing-the-working-directory-in-a-recipe.md — Per-recipe directory changes
• references/execution/indentation.md — Indentation rules
• references/execution/multi-line-constructs.md — Multi-line recipes and backslash continuation
• references/execution/command-line-options.md — CLI flags reference
• references/execution/configuring-the-shell.md — Shell configuration
• references/execution/timestamps.md — Recipe timestamps
• references/execution/signal-handling.md — Signal handling (Ctrl-C)
• references/execution/re-running-recipes-when-files-change.md — File watching with --watch
• references/execution/parallelism.md — Parallel execution

Organization (9 docs)

• references/organization/imports.md — import statement
• references/organization/modules.md — mod statement and submodules
• references/organization/invoking-justfiles-in-other-directories.md — Cross-directory invocation
• references/organization/hiding-justfiles.md — Hidden justfiles (.justfile)
• references/organization/just-scripts.md — Executable just scripts
• references/organization/formatting-and-dumping-justfiles.md — just --fmt and --dump
• references/organization/fallback-to-parent-justfiles.md — Parent directory fallback
• references/organization/global-and-user-justfiles.md — Global and user justfiles
• references/organization/remote-justfiles.md — Remote justfile fetching

Shell (2 docs)

• references/shell/shell-alias.md — Shell alias for just
• references/shell/shell-completion-scripts.md — Completion scripts (bash, zsh, fish, etc.)

FAQ (2 docs)

• references/faq/what-are-the-idiosyncrasies-of-make-that-just-avoids.md — Make vs just comparison
• references/faq/what-s-the-relationship-between-just-and-cargo-build-scripts.md — Just vs Cargo build scripts

Misc (8 docs)

• references/misc/man-page.md — Man page generation
• references/misc/grammar.md — Formal grammar reference
• references/misc/just-sh.md — just.sh bootstrapping script
• references/misc/node-js-package-json-script-compatibility.md — package.json compatibility
• references/misc/paths-on-windows.md — Windows path handling
• references/misc/printing-complex-strings.md — Printing complex strings
• references/misc/avoiding-argument-splitting.md — Avoiding argument splitting
• references/misc/alternatives-and-prior-art.md — Alternatives (make, task, cargo-make, etc.)

Contributing (6 docs)

• references/contributing/getting-started.md — Getting started contributing
• references/contributing/contribution-workflow.md — Contribution workflow
• references/contributing/hints.md — Development hints
• references/contributing/janus.md — Janus binary
• references/contributing/minimum-supported-rust-version.md — MSRV policy
• references/contributing/new-releases.md — Release process