git-file-fetch

A lightweight CLI to fetch individual files from remote Git repositories and track them locally for reproducibility.

⚠️ NOT YET PUBLISHED TO NPM This package is pending its initial npm release. Until then, use the local testing methods below to try it out.

🧪 Local Testing (Pre-Release)

The package is not yet available on npm. Here's how to test it locally:

Option 1: Link Globally (Recommended)

Test the tool as if it were installed from npm:

# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/arkahna/git-file-fetch.git
cd git-file-fetch
pnpm install
pnpm build
npm link

# Now use from anywhere on your system
git-file-fetch "https://github.com/octokit/core.js.git@main:LICENSE"

# To unlink later
npm unlink -g @arkahna-npm/git-file-fetch

Option 2: Direct Execution

Quick testing during development:

# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/arkahna/git-file-fetch.git
cd git-file-fetch
pnpm install
pnpm build

# Using built version
node dist/index.js "https://github.com/octokit/core.js.git@main:LICENSE" --dry-run

# Or run TypeScript directly (no build needed)
pnpm start "https://github.com/octokit/core.js.git@main:LICENSE" --dry-run

Option 3: Test in Another Project

Most realistic test of the published package:

# In git-file-fetch directory
pnpm install
pnpm pack
# Creates: arkahna-npm-git-file-fetch-0.1.0.tgz

# In your test project
npm install /path/to/git-file-fetch/arkahna-npm-git-file-fetch-0.1.0.tgz
npx git-file-fetch "https://github.com/user/repo.git@main:file.ts"

---

Quick Start (After npm Release)

🚀 Just want to use it?

npx @arkahna-npm/git-file-fetch "https://github.com/user/repo.git@main:path/to/file.ts"

📦 Want to install it?

npm install -D @arkahna-npm/git-file-fetch
npx @arkahna-npm/git-file-fetch "https://github.com/user/repo.git@main:path/to/file.ts"

🔧 Want to contribute/develop?

git clone https://github.com/arkahna/git-file-fetch.git
cd git-file-fetch
pnpm install
pnpm build

Available development commands:

• pnpm build - Build the project
• pnpm typecheck - Run TypeScript type checking
• pnpm lint:check - Run ESLint checks
• pnpm lint:fix - Run ESLint with auto-fix
• pnpm lint:md - Run Markdown lint checks
• pnpm lint:md:fix - Run Markdown lint with auto-fix
• pnpm test:smoke - Run smoke test

What it does

• Shallow Fetch: Performs a shallow fetch of the target ref without a full clone
• File Extraction: Reads the file at that specific commit using git show
• Local Copy: Copies the requested file(s) into your current working directory
• Manifest Update: Writes an entry for each fetched file to a manifest for tracking provenance

Documentation

• 🚀 Getting Started - Complete setup guide
• 📖 Usage Guide - CLI options and examples
• ⚙️ Configuration - Advanced setup
• 🔧 Troubleshooting - Common issues
• 🚀 CI Integration - CI/CD workflows and automation
• 🛣️ Roadmap - Development plans
• 🤝 Contributing - How to contribute
• 🔒 Security - Security policies
• 📋 Code of Conduct - Community guidelines

Requirements

• Git available on your PATH
• Node.js >= 22 (supports 22, 23, 24)

License

MIT © Arkahna

Originally contributed by Aneki

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