watchgod
Simple, modern file watching and code reload in python.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No—the package is no longer actively developed and has been renamed. Unless you have an existing dependency or a specific reason to avoid migration, use the successor package instead. If you are already using watchgod, plan a migration; the package will only receive critical security fixes.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (anyio).
- However, the package is no longer actively developed—it was renamed and will only receive critical security fixes going forward.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.
last release 2022-04-01 (1596 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-09 · 2,522 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 790,764 downloads/mo, #5,050 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install watchgod
from watchgod import watch
for changes in watch('./path/to/dir'):
print(changes)- Whether the package's polling-based approach meets performance requirements for your specific use case.
- Current state of the migration path and compatibility with the successor package.
What it is and what it does
watchgod is a file-watching library that monitors a directory tree for changes and can either report those changes to your code or automatically restart a process when files are modified. It provides both synchronous (watch, run_process) and asynchronous (awatch, arun_process) APIs, plus a CLI tool for reloading Python applications during development. The library uses polling rather than OS-level file notifications, which trades some latency for simplicity and cross-platform consistency.
The package depends only on anyio for async support and works across Python 3.7+. However, it has been superseded by a newer package with the same author that uses a different backend for better performance. watchgod is now in maintenance mode and will not receive new features—only critical security fixes.
Use it for
- Auto-reloading a development web server when Python source files change in the project directory.
- Triggering test runs or linting checks whenever code is modified during active development.
- Building custom file-monitoring tools that need to react to filesystem changes with custom callbacks.
- Watching for changes to configuration or data files and reloading an application in response.
- Implementing a CLI tool that restarts a subprocess when any file in a directory tree is modified.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No—the package is no longer actively developed and has been renamed.
Unless you have an existing dependency or a specific reason to avoid migration, use the successor package instead. If you are already using watchgod, plan a migration; the package will only receive critical security fixes.
Install
watchgod on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (anyio). However, the package is no longer actively developed—it was renamed and will only receive critical security fixes going forward.
License in practice
MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.
Quickstart
pip install watchgod
from watchgod import watch
for changes in watch('./path/to/dir'):
print(changes)Verify before relying
- Whether the package's polling-based approach meets performance requirements for your specific use case.
- Current state of the migration path and compatibility with the successor package.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packageanyio |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 1,596 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 790,764 / month, #5,050 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 7 - InactiveEnvironment :: ConsoleEnvironment :: MacOS XFramework :: AnyIOIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: MacOSOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: System :: Filesystems |
Evidence: watchgod-0.8.2-py3-none-any.whl
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