📦 Repopack

Repopack is a powerful tool that packs your entire repository into a single, AI-friendly file.
Perfect for when you need to feed your codebase to Large Language Models (LLMs) or other AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini.

🌟 Features

• AI-Optimized: Formats your codebase in a way that's easy for AI to understand and process.
• Token Counting: Provides token counts for each file and the entire repository, useful for LLM context limits.
• Simple to Use: Just one command to pack your entire repository.
• Customizable: Easily configure what to include or exclude.
• Git-Aware: Automatically respects your .gitignore files.
• Security-Focused: Incorporates Secretlint for robust security checks to detect and prevent inclusion of sensitive information.

🚀 Quick Start

Try Repopack instantly in your project directory without installation:

npx repopack

Or install globally for repeated use:

# Install using npm
npm install -g repopack

# Or using yarn
yarn global add repopack

# Then run in any project directory
repopack

That's it! Repopack will generate an repopack-output.txt file in your current directory, containing your entire repository in an AI-friendly format.

📊 Usage

To pack your entire repository:

repopack

To pack a specific directory:

repopack path/to/directory

To pack specific files or directories using glob patterns:

repopack --include "src/**/*.ts,**/*.md"

To exclude specific files or directories:

repopack --ignore "**/*.log,tmp/"

To pack a remote repository:

repopack --remote https://github.com/yamadashy/repopack

# You can also use GitHub shorthand:
repopack --remote yamadashy/repopack

To initialize a new configuration file (repopack.config.json):

repopack --init

Once you have generated the packed file, you can use it with Generative AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini.

Prompt Examples

Once you have generated the packed file with Repopack, you can use it with AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. Here are some example prompts to get you started:

Code Review and Refactoring

For a comprehensive code review and refactoring suggestions:

This file contains my entire codebase. Please review the overall structure and suggest any improvements or refactoring opportunities, focusing on maintainability and scalability.

Documentation Generation

To generate project documentation:

Based on the codebase in this file, please generate a detailed README.md that includes an overview of the project, its main features, setup instructions, and usage examples.

Test Case Generation

For generating test cases:

Analyze the code in this file and suggest a comprehensive set of unit tests for the main functions and classes. Include edge cases and potential error scenarios.

Code Quality Assessment

Evaluate code quality and adherence to best practices:

Review the codebase for adherence to coding best practices and industry standards. Identify areas where the code could be improved in terms of readability, maintainability, and efficiency. Suggest specific changes to align the code with best practices.

Library Overview

Get a high-level understanding of the library

This file contains the entire codebase of library. Please provide a comprehensive overview of the library, including its main purpose, key features, and overall architecture.

Feel free to modify these prompts based on your specific needs and the capabilities of the AI tool you're using.

Output File Format

Repopack generates a single file with clear separators between different parts of your codebase.
To enhance AI comprehension, the output file begins with an AI-oriented explanation, making it easier for AI models to understand the context and structure of the packed repository.

Plain Text Format (default)

This file is a merged representation of the entire codebase, combining all repository files into a single document.

================================================================
File Summary
================================================================
(Metadata and usage AI instructions)

================================================================
Repository Structure
================================================================
src/
  cli/
    cliOutput.ts
    index.ts
  config/
    configLoader.ts

(...remaining directories)

================================================================
Repository Files
================================================================

================
File: src/index.js
================
// File contents here

================
File: src/utils.js
================
// File contents here

(...remaining files)

================================================================
Instruction
================================================================
(Custom instructions from `output.instructionFilePath`)

XML Format

To generate output in XML format, use the --style xml option:

repopack --style xml

The XML format structures the content in a hierarchical manner:

This file is a merged representation of the entire codebase, combining all repository files into a single document.

<file_summary>
(Metadata and usage AI instructions)
</file_summary>

<repository_structure>
src/
  cli/
    cliOutput.ts
    index.ts

(...remaining directories)
</repository_structure>

<repository_files>
<file path="src/index.js">
// File contents here
</file>

(...remaining files)
</repository_files>

<instruction>
(Custom instructions from `output.instructionFilePath`)
</instruction>

For those interested in the potential of XML tags in AI contexts:
https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/use-xml-tags

When your prompts involve multiple components like context, instructions, and examples, XML tags can be a game-changer. They help Claude parse your prompts more accurately, leading to higher-quality outputs.

This means that the XML output from Repopack is not just a different format, but potentially a more effective way to feed your codebase into AI systems for analysis, code review, or other tasks.

Markdown Format

To generate output in Markdown format, use the --style markdown option:

repopack --style markdown

The Markdown format structures the content in a hierarchical manner:

This file is a merged representation of the entire codebase, combining all repository files into a single document.

# File Summary
(Metadata and usage AI instructions)

# Repository Structure
```
src/
  cli/
    cliOutput.ts
    index.ts
```
(...remaining directories)

# Repository Files

## File: src/index.js
```
// File contents here
```

(...remaining files)

# Instruction
(Custom instructions from `output.instructionFilePath`)

This format provides a clean, readable structure that is both human-friendly and easily parseable by AI systems.

Command Line Options

• -v, --version: Show tool version
• -o, --output <file>: Specify the output file name
• --include <patterns>: List of include patterns (comma-separated)
• -i, --ignore <patterns>: Additional ignore patterns (comma-separated)
• -c, --config <path>: Path to a custom config file
• --style <style>: Specify the output style (plain, xml, markdown)
• --top-files-len <number>: Number of top files to display in the summary
• --output-show-line-numbers: Show line numbers in the output
• --remote <url>: Process a remote Git repository
• --verbose: Enable verbose logging

Examples:

repopack -o custom-output.txt
repopack -i "*.log,tmp" -v
repopack -c ./custom-config.json
repopack --style xml
repopack --remote https://github.com/user/repo.git
npx repopack src

Updating Repopack

To update a globally installed Repopack:

# Using npm
npm update -g repopack

# Using yarn
yarn global upgrade repopack

Using npx repopack is generally more convenient as it always uses the latest version.

Remote Repository Processing

Repopack supports processing remote Git repositories without the need for manual cloning. This feature allows you to quickly analyze any public Git repository with a single command.

To process a remote repository, use the --remote option followed by the repository URL:

repopack --remote https://github.com/user/repo.git

You can also use GitHub's shorthand format:

repopack --remote user/repo

⚙️ Configuration

Create a repopack.config.json file in your project root for custom configurations.

repopack --init

Here's an explanation of the configuration options:

Option	Description	Default
output.filePath	The name of the output file	"repopack-output.txt"
output.style	The style of the output (plain, xml, markdown)	"plain"
output.headerText	Custom text to include in the file header	null
output.instructionFilePath	Path to a file containing detailed custom instructions	null
output.removeComments	Whether to remove comments from supported file types	false
output.removeEmptyLines	Whether to remove empty lines from the output	false
output.showLineNumbers	Whether to add line numbers to each line in the output	false
output.topFilesLength	Number of top files to display in the summary. If set to 0, no summary will be displayed	5
include	Patterns of files to include (using glob syntax)	[]
ignore.useGitignore	Whether to use patterns from the project's .gitignore file	true
ignore.useDefaultPatterns	Whether to use default ignore patterns	true
ignore.customPatterns	Additional patterns to ignore (using glob patterns)	[]
security.enableSecurityCheck	Whether to perform security checks on files	true

Example configuration:

{
  "output": {
    "filePath": "repopack-output.xml",
    "style": "xml",
    "headerText": "Custom header information for the packed file.",
    "removeComments": false,
    "removeEmptyLines": false,
    "showLineNumbers": false,
    "topFilesLength": 5
  },
  "include": ["**/*"],
  "ignore": {
    "useGitignore": true,
    "useDefaultPatterns": true,
    "customPatterns": ["additional-folder", "**/*.log"]
  },
  "security": {
    "enableSecurityCheck": true
  }
}

Global Configuration

To create a global configuration file:

repopack --init --global

The global configuration file will be created in:

• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Repopack\repopack.config.json
• macOS/Linux: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/repopack/repopack.config.json or ~/.config/repopack/repopack.config.json

Note: Local configuration (if present) takes precedence over global configuration.

Include and Ignore

Include Patterns

Repopack now supports specifying files to include using glob patterns. This allows for more flexible and powerful file selection:

• Use **/*.js to include all JavaScript files in any directory
• Use src/**/* to include all files within the src directory and its subdirectories
• Combine multiple patterns like ["src/**/*.js", "**/*.md"] to include JavaScript files in src and all Markdown files

Ignore Patterns

Repopack offers multiple methods to set ignore patterns for excluding specific files or directories during the packing process:

• .gitignore: By default, patterns listed in your project's .gitignore file are used. This behavior can be controlled with the ignore.useGitignore setting.
• Default patterns: Repopack includes a default list of commonly excluded files and directories (e.g., node_modules, .git, binary files). This feature can be controlled with the ignore.useDefaultPatterns setting. Please see defaultIgnore.ts for more details.
• .repopackignore: You can create a .repopackignore file in your project root to define Repopack-specific ignore patterns. This file follows the same format as .gitignore.
• Custom patterns: Additional ignore patterns can be specified using the ignore.customPatterns option in the configuration file. You can overwrite this setting with the -i, --ignore command line option.

Priority Order (from highest to lowest):

1. Custom patterns ignore.customPatterns
2. .repopackignore
3. .gitignore (if ignore.useGitignore is true)
4. Default patterns (if ignore.useDefaultPatterns is true)

This approach allows for flexible file exclusion configuration based on your project's needs. It helps optimize the size of the generated pack file by ensuring the exclusion of security-sensitive files and large binary files, while preventing the leakage of confidential information.

Note: Binary files are not included in the packed output by default, but their paths are listed in the "Repository Structure" section of the output file. This provides a complete overview of the repository structure while keeping the packed file efficient and text-based.

Custom Instruction

The output.instructionFilePath option allows you to specify a separate file containing detailed instructions or context about your project. This allows AI systems to understand the specific context and requirements of your project, potentially leading to more relevant and tailored analysis or suggestions.

Here's an example of how you might use this feature:

1. Create a file named repopack-instruction.md in your project root:

# Coding Guidelines
- Follow the Airbnb JavaScript Style Guide
- Suggest splitting files into smaller, focused units when appropriate
- Add comments for non-obvious logic. Keep all text in English
- All new features should have corresponding unit tests

# Generate Comprehensive Output
- Include all content without abbreviation, unless specified otherwise
- Optimize for handling large codebases while maintaining output quality

2. In your repopack.config.json, add the instructionFilePath option:

{
  "output": {
    "instructionFilePath": "repopack-instruction.md",
    // other options...
  }
}

When Repopack generates the output, it will include the contents of repopack-instruction.md in a dedicated section.

Note: The instruction content is appended at the end of the output file. This placement can be particularly effective for AI systems. For those interested in understanding why this might be beneficial, Anthropic provides some insights in their documentation:
https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/prompt-engineering/long-context-tips

Put longform data at the top: Place your long documents and inputs (~20K+ tokens) near the top of your prompt, above your query, instructions, and examples. This can significantly improve Claude's performance across all models. Queries at the end can improve response quality by up to 30% in tests, especially with complex, multi-document inputs.

Comment Removal

When output.removeComments is set to true, Repopack will attempt to remove comments from supported file types. This feature can help reduce the size of the output file and focus on the essential code content.

Supported languages include:
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, Vue, Svelte, Python, PHP, Ruby, C, C#, Java, Go, Rust, Swift, Kotlin, Dart, Shell, and YAML.

Note: The comment removal process is conservative to avoid accidentally removing code. In complex cases, some comments might be retained.

🔍 Security Check

Repopack includes a security check feature that uses Secretlint to detect potentially sensitive information in your files. This feature helps you identify possible security risks before sharing your packed repository.

The security check results will be displayed in the CLI output after the packing process is complete. If any suspicious files are detected, you'll see a list of these files along with a warning message.

Example output:

🔍 Security Check:
──────────────────
2 suspicious file(s) detected:
1. src/utils/test.txt
2. tests/utils/secretLintUtils.test.ts

Please review these files for potential sensitive information.

By default, the security check is enabled. You can disable it by setting security.enableSecurityCheck to false in your configuration file:

{
  "security": {
    "enableSecurityCheck": false
  }
}

📜 License

MIT