Zeke

Your local environment files, automatically available in every new Git worktree.

Zeke installs a Git post-checkout hook that copies missing, ignored .env and .env.* files from your main checkout into new worktrees. It preserves directory structure, excludes .env.example, and never overwrites existing files.

Getting started

You need Git with worktree support and either Node.js 22.20+ or Bun 1.4.4+. Zeke supports Linux and macOS; Windows / Git Bash has not been tested.

Install Zeke globally, then enable it in your project:

npm install -g @pruven/zeke
cd /path/to/your-project
zeke install
git worktree add ../my-feature -b my-feature

zeke install enables automatic copying and syncs the current worktree in one command. It stores its hook runtime in Git’s metadata directory without adding dependencies or creating a config file in your project. The new worktree receives your ignored environment files immediately, including nested files such as apps/api/.env.local. No dependency installation is needed in the new worktree.

Using Bun

bun add --global @pruven/zeke
bun "$(command -v zeke)" install
git worktree add ../my-feature -b my-feature

Use bun "$(command -v zeke)" for subsequent commands too (or bun --bun zeke with a local package). Hooks retain the runtime used during installation, so initializing with Bun makes automatic copying use Bun.

Optionally run zeke init to create and commit zeke.config.json to share rules with teammates, and keep environment files ignored. Each developer runs zeke install for Node or bun "$(command -v zeke)" install for Bun once in their own clone.

Commands

Command	Purpose
zeke init	Create config if missing, enable hooks, and sync this worktree
zeke install	Enable or refresh hooks and sync this worktree
zeke sync	Copy missing files into the current worktree
zeke sync --dry-run	Preview copies without writing files
zeke status	Show hook installation, runtime, project root, and config
zeke uninstall	Restore the previous hook configuration
zeke --version	Print the installed version

Use zeke sync for existing worktrees or after git worktree add --no-checkout and a later checkout. Ordinary branch switches do not trigger copying.

Configuration

zeke init creates zeke.config.json in your main worktree:

{
  "source": "main-worktree",
  "copy": ["**/.env", "**/.env.*"],
  "exclude": ["**/.env.example"]
}

Zeke reads this config on every sync, so changes take effect without reinstalling. Missing config uses these defaults. Patterns use forward slashes and Node's path.matchesGlob syntax; **/ also matches files at the repository root.

Custom copy and exclude arrays replace their defaults. For example, include an additional ignored local file while excluding production environment files:

{
  "copy": ["**/.env", "**/.env.*", "config/local.json"],
  "exclude": ["**/.env.example", "**/.env.production"]
}

source can also point to another worktree in the same repository, using an absolute path or a path relative to the main worktree.

Copy behavior

• Files must be ignored by Git in both the source and destination. Tracked files and untracked files that are not ignored are skipped.
• Existing destination files and symlinks are left alone. Zeke skips source symlinks, destination symlink directories, nested repositories, and common dependency and build directories.
• Files are independent copies. Editing an environment file in one worktree does not change another's.
• Zeke prints filenames and counts, never file contents.

Existing hooks

Zeke forwards Git hooks to your previous hook directory without editing its scripts. Install Zeke after other hook managers have completed setup.

If another tool later changes core.hooksPath, zeke status reports Zeke as inactive. Zeke refuses to replace a changed setting automatically. From inside your repository, restore Zeke's hook path (<git-common-dir>/zeke/hooks) before uninstalling:

git config --local --replace-all core.hooksPath "$(git rev-parse --path-format=absolute --git-common-dir)/zeke/hooks"
zeke uninstall

For Bun, use bun --bun zeke status and bun --bun zeke uninstall.

Uninstalling restores the previous hook configuration and removes Zeke's installed runtime. Copied files and zeke.config.json remain in place.