inputs.md

Task Inputs Configuration

The inputs field controls which files are tracked for cache invalidation. When any tracked input file changes, the task's cache is invalidated and the task will re-run.

Default Behavior

When inputs is omitted, vite-task automatically tracks files that the command reads during execution using fspy (file system spy):

{
  "tasks": {
    "build": {
      "command": "tsc"
    }
  }
}

Files read by tsc are automatically tracked. In most cases, you don't need to configure inputs at all.

Input Types

Glob Patterns

Specify files using glob patterns relative to the package directory:

{
  "inputs": ["src/**/*.ts", "package.json"]
}

Supported glob syntax:

• * - matches any characters except /
• ** - matches any characters including /
• ? - matches a single character
• [abc] - matches any character in the brackets
• [!abc] - matches any character not in the brackets

Auto-Inference

Enable automatic input detection using fspy (file system spy):

{
  "inputs": [{ "auto": true }]
}

When enabled, vite-task automatically tracks files that the command actually reads during execution. This is the default behavior when inputs is omitted.

Negative Patterns

Exclude files from tracking using ! prefix:

{
  "inputs": ["src/**", "!src/**/*.test.ts"]
}

Negative patterns filter out files that would otherwise be matched by positive patterns or auto-inference.

Configuration Examples

Explicit Globs Only

Specify exact files to track, disabling auto-inference:

{
  "tasks": {
    "build": {
      "command": "tsc",
      "inputs": ["src/**/*.ts", "tsconfig.json"]
    }
  }
}

Only files matching the globs are tracked. Files read by the command but not matching the globs are ignored.

Auto-Inference with Exclusions

Track inferred files but exclude certain patterns:

{
  "tasks": {
    "build": {
      "command": "tsc",
      "inputs": [{ "auto": true }, "!dist/**", "!node_modules/**"]
    }
  }
}

Files in dist/ and node_modules/ won't trigger cache invalidation even if the command reads them.

Mixed Mode

Combine explicit globs with auto-inference:

{
  "tasks": {
    "build": {
      "command": "tsc",
      "inputs": ["package.json", { "auto": true }, "!**/*.test.ts"]
    }
  }
}

• package.json is always tracked (explicit)
• Files read by the command are tracked (auto)
• Test files are excluded from both (negative pattern)

No File Inputs

Disable all file tracking (cache only on command/env changes):

{
  "tasks": {
    "echo": {
      "command": "echo hello",
      "inputs": []
    }
  }
}

The cache will only invalidate when the command itself or environment variables change.

Behavior Summary

Configuration	Auto-Inference	File Tracking
inputs omitted	Enabled	Inferred files
inputs: [{ "auto": true }]	Enabled	Inferred files
inputs: ["src/**"]	Disabled	Matched files only
inputs: [{ "auto": true }, "!dist/**"]	Enabled	Inferred files except dist/
inputs: ["pkg.json", { "auto": true }]	Enabled	pkg.json + inferred files
inputs: []	Disabled	No files tracked

Important Notes

Glob Base Directory

Glob patterns are resolved relative to the package directory (where package.json is located), not the task's working directory (cwd).

{
  "tasks": {
    "build": {
      "command": "tsc",
      "cwd": "src",
      "inputs": ["src/**/*.ts"] // Still relative to package root
    }
  }
}

Negative Patterns Apply to Both Modes

When using mixed mode, negative patterns filter both explicit globs AND auto-inferred files:

{
  "inputs": ["src/**", { "auto": true }, "!**/*.generated.ts"]
}

Files matching *.generated.ts are excluded whether they come from the src/** glob or from auto-inference.

Auto-Inference Behavior

The auto-inference (fspy) is intentionally cautious - it tracks all files that a command reads, even auxiliary files. This means negative patterns are expected to be useful for filtering out files you don't want to trigger cache invalidation.

Common files you might want to exclude:

{
  "inputs": [
    { "auto": true },
    "!**/*.tsbuildinfo", // TypeScript incremental build info
    "!**/tsconfig.tsbuildinfo",
    "!dist/**" // Build outputs that get read during builds
  ]
}

When to use positive patterns vs negative patterns:

• Negative patterns (expected): Use these to exclude files that fspy correctly detected but you don't want tracked (like .tsbuildinfo, cache files, build outputs)
• Positive patterns (usually indicates a bug): If you find yourself adding explicit positive patterns because fspy missed files that your command actually reads, this likely indicates a bug in fspy

If you encounter a case where fspy fails to detect a file read, please report the issue with:

1. The command being run
2. The file(s) that weren't detected
3. Steps to reproduce

Cache Disabled

The inputs field cannot be used with cache: false:

// ERROR: inputs cannot be specified when cache is disabled
{
  "tasks": {
    "dev": {
      "command": "vite dev",
      "cache": false,
      "inputs": ["src/**"] // This will cause a parse error
    }
  }
}