Shell Hook (Auto Start/Stop)

Connect your shell to pitchfork so selected daemons start when you enter a project and stop after its last tracked session leaves.

Install the Shell Hook

Add the matching line to your shell configuration once:

Bash

# ~/.bashrc
eval "$(pitchfork activate bash)"

Zsh

# ~/.zshrc
eval "$(pitchfork activate zsh)"

Fish

# ~/.config/fish/config.fish
pitchfork activate fish | source

Restart your shell or source your config file for changes to take effect.

Configure Daemons

In your project's pitchfork.toml, add the auto option:

[daemons.api]
run = "npm run server:api"
auto = ["start", "stop"]  # Auto-start and auto-stop

[daemons.database]
run = "postgres -D /var/lib/pgsql/data"
auto = ["start"]  # Auto-start only, stays running when you leave

[daemons.worker]
run = "npm run worker"
auto = ["stop"]  # Manually start, auto-stops when you leave

Auto Options

Value	Behavior
["start"]	Daemon starts automatically when entering the directory
["stop"]	Daemon stops automatically when leaving the directory
["start", "stop"]	Both auto-start and auto-stop

How It Works

1. When you cd into a directory containing pitchfork.toml, daemons with auto = ["start", ...] are started
2. When you cd out of the directory, daemons with auto = [..., "stop"] are marked for stopping
3. Pitchfork waits for general.autostop_delay (one minute by default), in case you return
4. If no terminal sessions are still in the directory, the daemons stop

TIP

You can manually start daemons with pitchfork start and they will still auto-stop when you leave if configured with auto = ["stop"].

Set the stop delay

[settings.general]
autostop_delay = "30s"

Restart the supervisor after changing this setting. Stops are evaluated by the background watcher, so allow for its interval too. Use pitchfork project list to see which sessions are keeping a project active.

Example Workflow

# Enter your project directory
cd ~/projects/myapp
# api daemon starts automatically

# Work on your code...

# Leave the project
cd ~
# After a delay, api daemon stops (if no other terminals are in ~/projects/myapp)

IDE / Project Session Integration

IDEs and other long-running project tools can opt into the same auto-start and auto-stop behavior without relying on the shell hook. A single host process can manage multiple workspaces by calling enter once per directory with the same --pid.

pitchfork project enter

Mark a directory session as active for the given host process. Pitchfork resolves the project from the directory, then starts daemons with auto = ["start", ...] just as the shell hook does.

pitchfork project enter --pid 12345

Option	Description
--pid PID	Required. PID of the host process (IDE or shell). Used as a crash-cleanup anchor.
--directory DIR	Optional. Project directory. Defaults to the current working directory.

pitchfork project leave

Mark a directory session as inactive for the given host process. Daemons with auto = [..., "stop"] become eligible for auto-stop, subject to the same delay and multi-session checks as the shell hook.

pitchfork project leave --pid 12345

pitchfork project list

List currently active project sessions. Each row shows the host PID, directory, and liveness state (alive while the host process is running, dead once it has exited but before cleanup completes).

pitchfork project list

Pass --json for machine-readable output suitable for IDE integrations and scripting:

pitchfork project list --json

Example output:

$ pitchfork project list
PID     DIRECTORY          STATUS   TITLE
12345   ~/projects/app     alive    code
12345   ~/projects/lib     alive    code
54321   ~/projects/app     alive    fish

Example

An IDE managing multiple folders in one window uses the same --pid with different --directory values:

# Open first folder
pitchfork project enter --pid 12345 --directory ~/projects/app

# Open second folder in the same IDE
pitchfork project enter --pid 12345 --directory ~/projects/lib

# Close first folder
pitchfork project leave --pid 12345 --directory ~/projects/app

# Close IDE entirely
pitchfork project leave --pid 12345 --directory ~/projects/lib

Multiple terminals in the same project use distinct --pid values, so each can leave independently:

# Terminal A (bash/zsh)
pitchfork project enter --pid $$
pitchfork project leave --pid $$

# Terminal B in the same directory
pitchfork project enter --pid $$
pitchfork project leave --pid $$

TIP

The shell variable for the current PID differs by shell: $$ in bash/zsh, $fish_pid in fish, $SHELL_PID in nushell.

If the host process crashes, the supervisor notices the PID is gone and treats the session as left, triggering the same auto-stop evaluation. This automatic crash cleanup relies on the host PID being visible to the process table, so it only applies on Unix. On Windows (where Git Bash $$ is a Cygwin-internal PID invisible to the process table), sessions are not revoked automatically and must be ended with an explicit project leave.