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refactor(README): streamline contextzip explanation and enhance feature descriptions

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pip install contextzip
```
**📖 Full docs, every flag, every config option: [contextzip.vercel.app](https://contextzip.vercel.app)**
---
## Why contextzip
Every AI session starts the same way: hunt down the relevant files, manually skip `node_modules`, build artifacts, and lock files, zip them, find the zip, upload it. Then do it all again next session.
Every AI session starts the same way: hunt down the relevant files, skip `node_modules` and build artifacts by hand, zip it, find the zip, upload it — then do it all again next session.
contextzip eliminates that entirely. Run it from your project root — it detects your stack, applies smart exclusions, produces a lean ZIP, and opens your file manager with the archive already selected. One `Ctrl+C` and you're done.
And when the AI tool hands you a ZIP back with the changes, `contextzip apply-zip` closes the loop — no manual unzip-and-hope, no losing track of what actually changed.
---
## Features
- **Smart framework detection** — automatically identifies Node.js, Next.js, Python, Django, FastAPI, Rust, Go, and Ruby, applying the right exclusion rules for each. Detection isn't limited to the project root: a shallow, bounded scan of subdirectories means a monorepo (`frontend/` + `backend/`, etc.) gets every ecosystem it contains detected and excluded correctly, not just whatever sits at the top level
- **Respects `.gitignore`** — your existing ignore patterns are honoured automatically
- **Git-aware packaging** — use `--git-changes` to package only modified, staged, and untracked files; perfect for incremental debugging and PR review sessions
- **AI-powered file selection** — describe your task in plain English with `--prompt` and Gemini selects the minimum relevant files automatically, no manual hunting required
- **Apply AI-returned changes back** — `contextzip apply-zip` takes the ZIP an AI tool hands you back and writes it into your project safely: diffed against what was actually sent, backed up before anything is overwritten, and never silently deleting anything
- **Terminal error watcher** — wrap any dev server with `contextzip watch` to auto-detect errors and package a ready-to-upload debug context in one keypress
- **Configurable workspace location** — `.contextzip/` lives at the git root by default, but you can pin it elsewhere per-machine (`contextzip config --set-workspace`) or for the whole team via a committed `.contextzip.json`
- **Persistent workspace** — all generated ZIPs land in `.contextzip/`, discoverable, reusable, and git-ignored automatically
- **Warns before it's a problem** — flags large (≥ 1 MB) and binary files that AI tools can't read, before you waste an upload
- **Never packages secrets** — SSH keys, cloud credentials, keystores, Terraform state, and other credential files are always excluded, on top of your `.gitignore` (see [What gets excluded](#what-gets-excluded))
- **Handles edge cases** — dangling symlinks, unreadable files, and paths outside the project tree are caught and reported, never silently dropped
- **Full CLI control** — `--include`, `--exclude`, `--dry-run`, `--output`, all composable
---
## Installation
**Requires Python 3.9+**
```bash
pip install contextzip
```
With [pipx](https://pipx.pypa.io/) (recommended for CLI tools — keeps it isolated):
```bash
pipx install contextzip
```
Verify:
```bash
contextzip --version
```
---
contextzip eliminates that. Run it from your project root — it detects your stack, applies smart exclusions, and produces a lean ZIP ready to paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or any AI tool. When the AI hands changes back, `contextzip apply-zip` writes them into your project safely.
## Quick start
Navigate to any project and run:
```bash
cd ~/projects/my-app
contextzip
```
contextzip will:
That's it — no flags required. contextzip detects your framework, excludes the noise, and writes a ZIP to `.contextzip/`.
1. Detect your framework (e.g. `Next.js + Node.js`)
2. Apply the appropriate exclusion rules
3. Create a compressed ZIP in `.contextzip/` at your project root
4. Open your file manager with the ZIP selected and ready to copy
## The essentials
---
## Usage
```
contextzip [OPTIONS]
```
| Option | Description |
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| `-p`, `--prompt TEXT` | Describe your task in plain English — Gemini selects only the relevant files |
| `-i`, `--include PATH` | Only include files under this path (repeatable) |
| `-e`, `--exclude PATTERN` | Add exclusion patterns in gitignore syntax (repeatable) |
| `--git-changes` | Only include files reported by git as modified, staged, or untracked |
| `-n`, `--dry-run` | Preview what would be included without creating a ZIP |
| `-o`, `--output FILE` | Write ZIP to a custom path |
| `-v`, `--verbose` | Show every included and excluded file with sizes |
| `--no-clipboard` | Skip the clipboard / folder-open step |
| `--no-gitignore` | Ignore the project's `.gitignore` |
| `contextzip` | Detect stack, exclude noise, package the project |
| `contextzip --prompt "task"` | Let Gemini pick only the files relevant to a task |
| `contextzip --git-changes` | Package only modified/staged/untracked files |
| `contextzip apply-zip` | Write an AI-returned ZIP back into your project, safely |
| `contextzip watch -- npm run dev` | Auto-package debug context the moment an error appears |
| `contextzip config --ui` | Set include/exclude rules visually in a local browser tab |
**Subcommands:** `exclude`, `include`, `watch`, `config` — run `contextzip --help` for full details.
Every command supports `--dry-run`, `--verbose`, `--include`, `--exclude`, and more — see the [full CLI reference](https://contextzip.vercel.app/cli).
---
contextzip respects your `.gitignore`, detects Node.js, Next.js, Python, Django, FastAPI, Rust, Go, and Ruby (including in monorepos), and never packages secrets — SSH keys, cloud credentials, and Terraform state are always excluded. Details: [contextzip.vercel.app/features](https://contextzip.vercel.app/features).
## Examples
```bash
# Preview what would be packaged
contextzip --dry-run --verbose
# Package only specific directories
contextzip --include src --include app
# Exclude additional patterns
contextzip --exclude "*.log" --exclude "tests/"
# Package only git-modified files
contextzip --git-changes
# Let AI pick only the files relevant to your task
contextzip --prompt "Change toast color on failed login"
# Preview AI file selection without creating a ZIP
contextzip --prompt "Refactor auth middleware" --dry-run
# Save to a custom path
contextzip --output ~/Desktop/project-context.zip
# Apply the ZIP an AI tool handed back
contextzip apply-zip
```
---
## Python API
contextzip is also usable as a library. All CLI capabilities are available as plain Python functions — no Click, no Rich output, no `SystemExit`.
## Also a Python library
```python
from contextzip import get_git_changes, get_files, create_zip
from contextzip import get_git_changes, create_zip
# Get changed files and use them directly
collection = get_git_changes()
for f in collection.files: # plain pathlib.Path objects
upload(f) # no zip required
# Or zip them and upload the archive
pkg = create_zip(collection, output="/tmp/changes.zip")
with open(pkg.zip_path, "rb") as f:
upload_to_s3(f)
# Full project scan with filters
collection = get_files(include=["src/"], exclude=["tests/"])
pkg = create_zip(collection, output="/tmp/upload.zip")
print(f"{pkg.file_count} files, {pkg.compressed_bytes} bytes")
# Apply a ZIP an AI tool returned (auto-detects from .contextzip/inbox/)
result = apply_zip()
print(f"Wrote {len(result.written)} files, backup at {result.backup_dir}")
```
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| `get_git_changes(path?)` | Modified, added, and untracked files from git |
| `get_files(path?, include?, exclude?)` | All project files after exclusion rules |
| `create_zip(collection, output?)` | Write a `FileCollection` to a ZIP archive |
| `apply_zip(zip_path?, project_dir?, manifest?)` | Apply an AI-returned ZIP back into the project |
| `detect_ecosystem(path?)` | Detect framework and confidence level |
Full function reference: [contextzip.vercel.app/cli#python-api](https://contextzip.vercel.app/cli#python-api)
All functions default `path` to `Path.cwd()`. Errors raise typed exceptions (`NotARepositoryError`, `GitNotFoundError`, `NoFilesError`, etc.) rather than exiting.
## Learn more
---
## AI-powered file selection
The `--prompt` flag lets you describe a task in plain English. contextzip scans your project, builds a lightweight file map, and asks Gemini to return the minimum set of files needed for that task — typically 2–5, never more than 10. The result is a tightly scoped ZIP with only what you'd actually open to make the change.
```bash
contextzip --prompt "Change toast color on failed login"
# → components/ui/toast.tsx, app/login/page.tsx, lib/auth.ts
```
The ZIP also includes a `prompt.txt` describing the task, so when you drop it into Claude, ChatGPT, or any other AI tool, it immediately understands what you're trying to do.
**First-time setup:** `--prompt` requires a free Gemini API key from [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey) — no credit card needed. On first use, contextzip guides you through obtaining and saving one. You can also skip the setup entirely with an environment variable:
```bash
export GEMINI_API_KEY=AIza...
```
Manage your key at any time:
```bash
contextzip config # show current key status
contextzip config --reset-key # clear and re-run setup
```
Saved keys live in your OS user-config directory (e.g. `~/.config/contextzip/config.json` on Linux/macOS), and that file's permissions are locked down to your user only (`0600`) on every save.
---
## Terminal error watcher
The `watch` command wraps your dev server, buffers its output, and packages a debug-ready ZIP the moment you spot an error — no manual file hunting, no copy-pasting stack traces.
```bash
contextzip watch -- npm run dev
contextzip watch -- python manage.py runserver
```
contextzip starts your process normally. You see output exactly as you would without it. In the background, it watches the stream for errors. When one is detected, a prompt appears directly beneath the error output:
```
╭─ contextzip · error detected ─────────────────────╮
│ Press [D] to package debug context [S] to skip │
╰───────────────────────────────────────────────────╯
```
Press **D** and contextzip immediately writes `.contextzip/debug-context.zip`. Your server keeps running — no restart, no interruption.
**What's in the ZIP:**
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| `prompt.txt` | Auto-generated: detected framework, error type, and task description — ready to paste into any AI tool |
| `terminal-error.txt` | The cleaned, noise-stripped error block and stack trace |
| `source-files.zip` | Source files referenced in the stack trace, paths preserved |
**On Ctrl+C:** If no errors were packaged during the session, contextzip offers one final prompt to capture the full session output — useful when something looked wrong but didn't match a known error pattern.
**Supported frameworks:** Python, Django, FastAPI, Node.js, Next.js, React. Each has its own error detection patterns and noise filters so the output stays clean across stacks.
> **Note:** `watch` works best with dev servers that don't read stdin interactively (`npm run dev`, `manage.py runserver`, etc.). PTY emulation is not used — on Windows, color passthrough may be limited.
---
## What gets excluded
contextzip stacks exclusion rules based on your detected stack, on top of your `.gitignore`.
**Always excluded:** `.git/`, `.env` files, logs, caches, editor config (`.vscode/`, `.idea/`), OS files (`.DS_Store`, `Thumbs.db`), common binary formats, secrets and credential files (see below), and contextzip's own `.contextzip/` working folder.
**Secrets & credentials — always excluded, regardless of framework:**
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| SSH private keys | `id_rsa`, `id_dsa`, `id_ecdsa`, `id_ed25519` (public counterparts like `id_rsa.pub` are kept) |
| Keystores & certs | `*.p12`, `*.pfx`, `*.pkcs12`, `*.jks`, `*.keystore`, `*.ppk`, `*.key` |
| CLI / package manager credentials | `.npmrc`, `.netrc`, `.pypirc`, `.pgpass`, `.dockercfg`, Docker `config.json` |
| Cloud provider credentials | `.aws/credentials`, `.aws/config`, `*serviceaccount*.json`, `*credentials*.json`, `kubeconfig` |
| Infra-as-code state | `*.tfstate`, `*.tfstate.*`, `.terraform/` (Terraform state routinely contains plaintext secrets, even for "just infra" resources) |
These patterns are applied on top of your `.gitignore` and can't be re-included, so a stray credential file lying around your project never accidentally ends up in a ZIP you paste into an AI tool.
**By framework:**
| Stack | Additional exclusions |
|---|---|
| Node.js / Next.js | `node_modules/`, `.next/`, `dist/`, `build/`, lock files, `*.min.js`, `*.d.ts` |
| Python / Django / FastAPI | `__pycache__/`, `.venv/`, `*.pyc`, `migrations/`, `.pytest_cache/`, lock files |
| Rust | `target/`, `Cargo.lock`, `*.rlib` |
| Go | `vendor/`, `go.sum`, `bin/` |
Detection is additive — a monorepo with both `package.json` and `pyproject.toml` gets both rule sets applied. Marker files don't have to sit at the project root: contextzip also does a shallow, bounded scan of subdirectories (2 levels deep, skipping `node_modules/`, `.venv/`, `.git/`, and other dependency/build dirs it would never want to look inside anyway), so a layout like
```
root/
frontend/package.json
backend/requirements.txt
```
detects both Node.js and Python from `root/`, without either marker existing at the top level. Run with default output (not `--dry-run --verbose`) and you'll see which subdirectory each ecosystem came from, e.g. `Next.js (frontend/) + FastAPI (backend/)`.
---
## Workspace location
By default, `.contextzip/` is created at your git root — that's `_find_git_root()` walking up from the current directory until it finds a `.git` folder; outside a repo, it falls back to the current directory. This can be overridden two ways, in order of priority:
1. **`CONTEXTZIP_WORKSPACE_LOCATION` environment variable** — for a one-off override on a single run
2. **A committed `.contextzip.json` at the project root** — team-shared, applies to everyone who clones the repo:
```json
{ "workspace_location": "git-root" }
```
3. **Your personal config** — a per-machine default that doesn't get committed:
```bash
contextzip config --set-workspace cwd # always use ./.contextzip wherever you run it
contextzip config --set-workspace git-root # back to the default
contextzip config --set-workspace ~/zips # a fixed custom location, anywhere
contextzip config --reset-workspace # clear your personal override
```
Accepted values are `"git-root"`, `"cwd"`, or any path (absolute, or relative to the git root). Run `contextzip config` with no flags to see which value is currently active and where it came from.
This matters most for monorepos where you sometimes run contextzip from a subdirectory (`cd frontend && contextzip`) — with the default `git-root` setting, the workspace still lands at the repo root no matter where you ran it from, so you don't end up with scattered `.contextzip/` folders across `frontend/`, `backend/`, etc. Set `workspace_location: "cwd"` in a project's `.contextzip.json` instead if you'd rather each subproject keep its own.
**Workspace layout:**
```
.contextzip/
config.json # team-shared preferences (committed)
.gitignore # ignores everything below except itself + config.json
output/
codebase.zip # what you generate and send out
codebase.manifest.json # local-only — never uploaded, used by apply-zip
inbox/
<ai-returned>.zip # drop AI-returned zips here for apply-zip to pick up
applied/
<timestamp>-name.zip # archived after a successful apply-zip
backups/
<timestamp>/ # pre-overwrite copies, one folder per apply-zip run
```
---
- [Packaging & detection](https://contextzip.vercel.app/features) — frameworks, exclusion rules, safety
- [AI-powered file selection](https://contextzip.vercel.app/ai-selection) — `--prompt`, Gemini setup
- [Terminal error watcher](https://contextzip.vercel.app/watch) — `contextzip watch`
- [Applying changes back](https://contextzip.vercel.app/apply-zip) — `apply-zip`, backups, safety
- [Configuration](https://contextzip.vercel.app/configuration) — personal & project config, visual config UI
- [CLI & Python API reference](https://contextzip.vercel.app/cli)
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome — especially new framework rule sets, edge case fixes, and platform-specific clipboard improvements.
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/akadeepesh/contextzip/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for local setup, how to add a new framework, and PR guidelines. Please open an issue before starting a large PR so we can align on the approach first.
---
Contributions are welcome — especially new framework rule sets and edge-case fixes. See [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/akadeepesh/contextzip/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md). Please open an issue before starting a large PR.
## License