xet

xet is a powerful command-line tool for easily managing and updating values across multiple files using a single configuration file (.xet). Whether you need to update versions, secrets, or any arbitrary values in your codebase or configuration files, xet provides a flexible, scriptable, and reproducible workflow.

Key Features

• Batch Value Management: Modify values in many files (supports path name expansion) simultaneously with simple commands.
• Multiple Targeting Modes: Identify values to change by tag, line/column, or regex — works with any text file.
• Presets & Profiles: Define named presets and instantly switch between configurations for different environments (dev, prod, staging, etc.).
• Local & Global Modes: Use configuration locally in your project, or globally across your system.
• History & Undo/Redo: Mistake? xet tracks changes and supports undo/redo for safe editing.
• SSH Support: Update files on remote systems using SSH integration (via your OpenSSH config).
• Script-Friendly: Works seamlessly in CI/CD pipelines or as part of your automation scripts.

Typical Use Cases

• Bumping version numbers or API keys in many files at once
• Managing configuration across multiple environments
• Keeping secrets or tokens in sync
• Automated updates in build and deploy pipelines

Quick Start

Install with pipx or pip:

pipx install xet
# or
pip install xet

Documentation

Configuration

Initialize Configuration

xet init

• Options:
  • -g, --global: Global Mode. Creates a .xet file in the XDG_CONFIG_HOME folder instead of locally.

Creates an empty .xet if it does not already exist.

Any xet command will use the .xet file in the immediate directory, if there is no local .xet the global .xet file will be used instead. You can force the usage of the global .xet using the -g, --global flag.

Open .xet in editor

xet edit

• Options:
  • -g, --global: Edit the global .xet instead of the local one.

Opens .xet in your standard editor or nano.

Clarify .xet directory

xet which

Shows the absolute path to the default .xet that will be used if any xet command is run.

Print .xet entries

xet show [options]

Options:

• -e, --except <flags>: Exclude entries with specified flags.
• -o, --only <flags>: Include only entries with specified flags.
• -n, --names <names>: Include only entries with specified names.
• -p, --path <path>: Include only entries with specified path.
• -g, --global: Use the global .xet.

Shows the .xet entries with the given optional filters applied.

Add Entries to Configuration

Add a Tag-Based Entry

xet add tag <name> <filepath> <tag> [options]

• <name>: Identifier for the entry in xet.cfg.
• <filepath>: Path to the target file.
• <tag>: The string identifying the line to modify.
• Options:
  • -f, --flags <flags>: Optional flags for filtering.
  • -w, --wrapper <char>: Wrap the value with a character (e.g., quotes), also gets stripped in get mode.
  • -o, --occurences <index or slice>: Specify which occurrences to modify (string formatted like a list index in python, can be slices).
  • -e, --end <str>: Will get appended in the line after value and wrappers, also gets stripped in get mode.
  • -p, --preset <str> <str>: Name and value of preset, option can be repeated to add multiple presets.
  • -s, --ssh <str>: Hostname of ssh-host the file is found at, as found in openSSH config file.
  • -g, --global: Add the entry to the global .xet.

Add a Line/Column-Based Entry

xet add lc <name> <filepath> <line> <column> [options]

• <line>: Line number
• <column>: Column position after which the value is placed.
• Options:
  • -f, --flags <flags>: Optional flags for filtering.
  • -w, --wrapper <char>: Wrap the value with a character (e.g., quotes), also gets stripped in get mode.
  • -e, --end <str>: Will get appended in the line after value and wrappers, also gets stripped in get mode.
  • -p, --preset <str> <str>: Name and value of preset, option can be repeated to add multiple presets.
  • -s, --ssh <str>: Hostname of ssh-host the file is found at, as found in openSSH config file.
  • -g, --global: Add the entry to the global .xet.

Add a Regex-Based Entry

xet add regex <name> <filepath> <regex> [options]

• <regex>: Regular expression to match values.
• Options:
  • -f, --flags <flags>: Optional flags for filtering.
  • -c, --capture-group <int>: Capture group number to update.
  • -o, --occurences <index or slice>: Specify which occurrences to modify (string formatted like a list index in python, can be slices).
  • -w, --wrapper <char>: Wrap the value with a character (e.g., quotes), also gets stripped in get mode.
  • -p, --preset <str> <str>: Name and value of preset, option can be repeated to add multiple presets.
  • -s, --ssh <str>: Hostname of ssh-host the file is found at, as found in openSSH config file.
  • -g, --global: Add the entry to the global .xet.

Update Entries

xet update <key> <value> [options]

• <key>: The key of the property to update ('name' will update the key of the entry).
• <value>: The new value for the property. Options:
  • -e, --except <flags>: Exclude entries with specified flags.
  • -o, --only <flags>: Include only entries with specified flags.
  • -n, --names <names>: Include only entries with specified names.
  • -p, --path <path>: Include only entries with specified path.
  • -g, --global: Use the global .xet.

Updates the value of a property across filtered entries in the .xet.

Remove Entries

xet remove [options]

Options:

• -e, --except <flags>: Exclude entries with specified flags.
• -o, --only <flags>: Include only entries with specified flags.
• -n, --names <names>: Include only entries with specified names.
• -p, --path <path>: Include only entries with specified path.
• -g, --global: Use the global .xet.

Removes the specified entries from the .xet.

Snapshot

xet snapshot <preset> [options]

• <preset>: The name of the new preset. Options:
  • --first: When there is divergent values in seperate occurences in an entry, use the first value for the preset.
  • -e, --except <flags>: Exclude entries with specified flags.
  • -o, --only <flags>: Include only entries with specified flags.
  • -n, --names <names>: Include only entries with specified names.
  • -p, --path <path>: Include only entries with specified path.
  • -g, --global: Use the global .xet.

Adds a preset to the filtered entries using their current values.

Values

Get Values from Configured Files

xet get [options]

Options:

• -e, --except <flags>: Exclude entries with specified flags.
• -o, --only <flags>: Include only entries with specified flags.
• -n, --names <names>: Include only entries with specified names.
• -p, --path <path>: Include only entries with specified path.
• -g, --global: Use the global .xet.

Set Values in Configured Files

xet set <value> [options]

• <value>: The new value to be set. Options:
  • -e, --except <flags>: Exclude entries with specified flags.
  • -o, --only <flags>: Include only entries with specified flags.
  • -n, --names <names>: Include only entries with specified names.
  • -p, --path <path>: Include only entries with specified path.
  • -g, --global: Use the global .xet.

Set Values to Preset

xet preset <preset>

• <preset>: Name of the preset to be set.
• Options:
  • -g, --global: Use the global .xet.

History

Undo

xet undo

Undoes the changes of the last command.

Redo

xet redo

Redoes the last undone changes.

Forget

xet forget

Reset history file.

Example Usage

1. Initialize Configuration:

   xet init

2. Add a Tag-Based Entry:

   xet add tag version ./config.txt VERSION= -w '"'

3. Get Values:

   xet get

4. Set a New Value:

   xet set "2.0.1"

5. Remove an Entry:

   xet remove version