# contextzip > Package exactly the right parts of your codebase and paste it into any AI tool — in one command. ```bash pip install contextzip ``` --- ## 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. 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. --- ## 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 - **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/config.json` - **Persistent workspace** — all generated ZIPs land in `.contextzip/output/`, 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 - **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 ``` --- ## Quick start Navigate to any project and run: ```bash cd ~/projects/my-app contextzip ``` contextzip will: 1. Detect your framework (e.g. `Next.js + Node.js`) 2. Apply the appropriate exclusion rules 3. Create a compressed ZIP in `.contextzip/output/` at your project root 4. Open your file manager with the ZIP selected and ready to copy --- ## Usage ``` contextzip [OPTIONS] ``` > `cz` is a shorthand alias for `contextzip` — both commands are identical and support every option and subcommand shown below (e.g. `cz --git-changes`, `cz exclude node_modules`). | Option | Description | |---|---| | `-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` | **Subcommands:** `exclude`, `include`, `watch`, `config` — run `contextzip --help` for full details. --- ## 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 ``` --- ## 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`. ```python from contextzip import get_git_changes, get_files, 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") ``` | 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 | | `detect_ecosystem(path?)` | Detect framework and confidence level | All functions default `path` to `Path.cwd()`. Errors raise typed exceptions (`NotARepositoryError`, `GitNotFoundError`, `NoFilesError`, etc.) rather than exiting. --- ## 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 ``` --- ## 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/output/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, and contextzip's own `.contextzip/` working folder. **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/config.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/config.json` instead if you'd rather each subproject keep its own. --- ## Project configuration Every project gets a `.contextzip/` workspace at the project root: ``` .contextzip/ ├── config.json # project preferences — commit this ├── .gitignore # keeps output/ untracked, config.json trackable └── output/ # generated ZIPs — never committed ├── codebase.zip ├── changes.zip (--git-changes) └── debug-context.zip (contextzip watch) ``` `.contextzip/` is **not** committed to Git by default — `.contextzip/.gitignore` is written automatically the first time you run contextzip in a repo, and it ignores everything in the folder *except* `config.json` and itself. That's deliberate: `output/` is per-machine, disposable scratch space, while `config.json` holds team-shared preferences you'll usually want everyone on the same page about. `config.json` currently supports: ```json { "workspace_location": "git-root", "scan_depth": null, "always_include": [], "always_exclude": [], "ai": { "enabled": true, "provider": "gemini", "max_files": 10 } } ``` All keys are optional — start with just the ones you need. | Key | What it does | | --- | --- | | `workspace_location` | Same as `contextzip config --set-workspace`, but team-shared. See [Workspace location](#workspace-location). | | `scan_depth` | Reserved for a future bounded-depth scan mode. | | `always_include` | A standing "force include" list (gitwildmatch patterns). Files matching it are packaged even if an auto-rule or `.gitignore` would otherwise exclude them — e.g. `["docs/architecture.md"]` to always pull in a doc that lives in an otherwise-excluded folder. | | `always_exclude` | A standing exclusion list, applied on every run without retyping `-e`/`--exclude`. | | `ai.enabled` | Set to `false` to disable `--prompt` entirely for this project; contextzip will refuse with a clear message instead of silently ignoring it. | | `ai.provider` | Reserved for future AI providers. Only `"gemini"` is currently supported. | | `ai.max_files` | Caps how many files `--prompt` mode may return, for both the Gemini and keyword-heuristic paths. | `always_include`/`always_exclude` are additive on top of `--include`/`--exclude` for that run — an explicit `contextzip include PATH` still has the final say over what's actually packaged. Persistent preferences belong in `config.json` rather than an ever-growing list of CLI flags; CLI flags stay for one-off, explicit actions (`--dry-run`, `--prompt "…"`, `--output FILE`, etc.). A **web-based configuration UI** that generates `config.json` for you is on the roadmap — the schema above is designed to grow additively, so future preferences (including ones set visually) won't require another migration. ### Deprecation: `.contextzip.json` Earlier versions of contextzip read a `.contextzip.json` file at the project root for `workspace_location`/`scan_depth`. That file is now **deprecated** in favor of `.contextzip/config.json` — contextzip still reads it automatically if `.contextzip/config.json` doesn't exist yet (so nothing breaks), and prints a one-time reminder to migrate. To migrate, just move its contents into the `"workspace_location"`/`"scan_depth"` keys of a new `.contextzip/config.json` and delete the old file. `~/.config/contextzip/config.json` (your personal, per-machine config — API key, personal workspace override) is unrelated and unaffected by any of this. --- ## 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. --- ## License MIT — see [LICENSE](https://github.com/akadeepesh/contextzip/blob/main/LICENSE) for details.