FlutterWatch

Extremely fast automatic Flutter hot reload and hot restart watcher written in Python.

I created it when i wanted to use Zed Editor and realizing there was no Flutter extension that could automatically trigger hot reloads like VS Code.

So instead of depending on editor extensions, FlutterWatch works directly with Flutter itself using Unix signals.

Because it is written in Python, it works anywhere Python works — independent of your editor.

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Features

• Automatic Flutter hot reload
• Automatic Flutter hot restart
• Extremely fast file watching
• Editor independent
• Lightweight
• Works with Zed
• Works with VS Code
• Works with terminals directly
• Pure Python
• Uses native Flutter reload signals
• No plugins required

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How It Works

Flutter already supports hot reload and hot restart through Unix signals:

• SIGUSR1 → Hot Reload
• SIGUSR2 → Hot Restart

FlutterWatch watches your project files and automatically sends these signals to the running Flutter process.

• Changes in .dart files trigger hot reload
• Changes in pubspec.yaml trigger hot restart

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Installation

git clone https://github.com/Mister-Ritom/flutter-watch.git
cd flutter-watch
uv tool install .

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Usage

Run inside your Flutter project:

flutterwatch

FlutterWatch will automatically:

1. Start flutter run
2. Watch your files
3. Trigger reloads instantly

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Why?

Most Flutter auto-reload workflows depend heavily on editor extensions.

FlutterWatch removes that dependency completely.

This means you can use:

• Zed
• Neovim
• Helix
• Emacs
• VS Code
• Any terminal setup

while still getting an excellent Flutter development experience.

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Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Flutter SDK
• Unix-based system (macOS/Linux)

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License

MIT