Just Command Runner

Overview

Expert guidance for Just, a command runner with syntax inspired by make. Use this skill for creating justfiles, writing recipes, configuring settings, and implementing task automation workflows.

Targets just v1.53.0 (latest stable, released 2026-06-16). Features are tagged with the version that introduced them (e.g. v1.51.0+); a tag newer than your installed just --version means you must upgrade to use it. List features (set lists) and other gated capabilities additionally require set unstable.

Key capabilities:

• Create and organize justfiles with proper structure
• Write recipes with attributes, dependencies, and parameters
• Configure settings for shell, modules, and imports
• Use built-in constants for terminal formatting
• Implement check/write patterns for code quality tools

Quick Reference

Essential Settings

set allow-duplicate-recipes       # Allow recipes to override imported ones
set allow-duplicate-variables     # Allow variables to override imported ones
set shell := ["bash", "-euo", "pipefail", "-c"]  # Strict bash with error handling
set unstable                      # Enable unstable features (user-defined functions, eager keyword)
set dotenv-load                   # Auto-load .env file
set positional-arguments          # Pass recipe args as $1, $2, etc.
set lazy                          # Defer evaluation of unused variables (v1.47.0; stable v1.48.0+)
set no-cd                         # Don't change to justfile directory for any recipe (v1.51.0+)
set default-list := true          # Bare `just` lists recipes instead of running default (v1.52.0+)
set default-script := true        # Make unannotated recipes script recipes; use sparingly (v1.52.0+)
set lists                         # Enable list-of-strings values; unstable, requires `set unstable` (v1.53.0+)

Common Attributes

Recipe Argument Flags (v1.46.0+)

The [arg()] attribute configures parameters as CLI-style options:

# Long option (--target)
[arg("target", long)]
build target:
    cargo build --target {{ target }}

# Short option (-v)
[arg("verbose", short="v")]
run verbose="false":
    echo "Verbose: {{ verbose }}"

# Combined long + short
[arg("output", long, short="o")]
compile output:
    gcc main.c -o {{ output }}

# Flag without value (presence sets the given value); under `set lists`, `flag` is the v1.53+ alternative
[arg("release", long, value="true")]
build release="false":
    cargo build {{ if release == "true" { "--release" } else { "" } }}

# Help string (shown in `just --usage`)
[arg("target", long, help="Build target architecture")]
build target:
    cargo build --target {{ target }}

Usage examples:

just build --target x86_64
just build --target=x86_64
just compile -o main
just build --release
just --usage build    # Show recipe argument help

Multiple attributes can be combined:

[no-cd, private]
[group("checks")]
recipe:
    echo "hello"

Built-in Constants

Terminal formatting constants are globally available (no definition needed):

Usage:

@status:
    echo -e '{{ GREEN }}Success!{{ NORMAL }}'
    echo -e '{{ BOLD + CYAN }}Building...{{ NORMAL }}'

Key Functions

# Require executable exists (fails recipe if not found)
jq := require("jq")

# Get environment variable with default
log_level := env("LOG_LEVEL", "info")

# Get justfile directory path
root := justfile_dir()

# Module location (useful inside `mod` files)
mod_path := module_path()            # Full submodule path, e.g. "foo::bar"
mod_file := module_file()            # Absolute path to module's justfile
mod_dir := module_directory()        # Directory containing the module justfile

# Runtime directory (v1.49.0; typically $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR, falls back to tempdir)
rt := runtime_directory()

# Name of the currently-running recipe (v1.53.0+)
self:
    echo "running {{ recipe_name() }}"

User-Defined Functions (v1.49.0+)

Define reusable named expressions with name(args) := expression. Requires set unstable. Functions can reference module-level assignments.

set unstable

base := "foo"
join(extension) := base + "." + extension

# Use f-strings for interpolation
hello(name) := f"Hello, {{ name }}!"

create:
    touch {{ join("c") }}
    touch {{ join("html") }}
    echo '{{ hello("World") }}'

Use these to dedupe expression logic that would otherwise repeat across recipes; prefer them over backtick-evaluated variables when the value depends on input.

Lists (unstable, v1.53.0+)

set lists (also requires set unstable) turns values into lists of strings — still unstable and subject to breaking changes. Highlights:

set unstable
set lists

targets := ["x86", "arm"]               # List literal (flattens; strings only)
all := targets ++ ["wasm"]              # `++` concatenates lists
files := split("a.ts b.ts")             # ["a.ts", "b.ts"] (whitespace by default)
root_ox_paths := [
    "package.json",
    ".lintstagedrc.mjs",
    ".mcp.json",
    "biome.jsonc",
    "knip.jsonc",
    "oxlint.config.ts",
    "oxfmt.config.ts",
    "tsconfig.base.json",
    "vitest.shared.ts",
]

# Map a dependency over a list: invoked once per element, parallelized
[parallel]
build *platform: *(compile *platform)
compile platform:
    echo "compiling for {{ platform }}"

Use list literals for file/path collections. Do not recommend parenthesized, space-joined string assembly for path sets.

Booleans are reformed under set lists: canonical true is "true", canonical false is the empty list [] (every other value, including '', is truthy). !expr negates, ==/!=/=~/!~ work in any expression, and an if without else evaluates to [] when false. Variadic params (*args) become lists. New functions: split(), bool(), show(), join_list(). Full behavior in references/settings.md.

Recipe Patterns

When designing recipes that use status reporting, check/write semantics, or alias conventions, see references/patterns.md.

Inline Scripts

When writing recipes that need shell scripts (script attribute or shebang style), see references/inline-scripts.md. On stock macOS, bash resolves to /bin/bash 3.2 — see that file's Bash Version Pitfalls section before using Bash-4+ features.

Modules & Imports

Import Pattern

Include recipes from another file:

import "./just/settings.just"
import "./just/base.just"
import? "./local.just"    # Optional (no error if missing)

Module Pattern

Load submodule (requires set unstable):

mod foo                   # Loads foo.just or foo/justfile
mod bar "path/to/bar"     # Custom path
mod? optional             # Optional module

# Call module recipes
just foo::build

Devkit Import Pattern

For projects using @sablier/devkit:

import "./node_modules/@sablier/devkit/just/base.just"
import "./node_modules/@sablier/devkit/just/npm.just"

Markdown Justfiles (v1.53.0+)

When --justfile points at a .md file, just extracts the contents of unindented ``` `just ``` fenced code blocks and runs them as a justfile. Useful for keeping runnable recipes inside documentation:

Build the project:

build: echo Building…

just --justfile README.md build

--fmt prints the formatted justfile to stdout (rather than rewriting) when the source is a markdown file or stdin.

Section Organization

Standard section header format:

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
#                                 DEPENDENCIES                                 #
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #

Common sections (in order):

1. DEPENDENCIES - Required tools with URLs
2. CONSTANTS - Glob patterns, environment vars
3. RECIPES / COMMANDS - Main entry points
4. CHECKS - Code quality recipes
5. UTILITIES / INTERNAL HELPERS - Private helpers

Default Recipe

Define a curated default recipe when one action should be the entrypoint:

# Run all checks by default
default: full-check

If no single default makes sense, prefer set default-list := true (v1.52.0+) over a default recipe that shells out to just --list:

set default-list := true

# Optional: still define recipes normally; bare `just` now lists them.
build:
    cargo build

The setting is per-module. It can also be forced at runtime with JUST_DEFAULT_LIST=true or just --default-list.

For compatibility with older just versions, keep the explicit listing recipe:

default:
    @just --list

Dependencies Declaration

Document required tools at the top:

# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
#                                 DEPENDENCIES                                 #
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- #

# Bun: https://bun.sh
bun := require("bun")

# Ni: https://github.com/antfu-collective/ni
na := require("na")
ni := require("ni")
nlx := require("nlx")

# Usage: invoke directly in recipes (not with interpolation)
build:
    bun next build

Note: require() validates the tool exists at recipe evaluation time. Use the variable name directly (e.g., bun), not with interpolation ({{ bun }}).

Context7 Fallback

For Just features not covered in this skill (new attributes, advanced functions, edge cases), fetch the latest documentation:

Use context7 MCP with library ID `/websites/just_systems_man_en` to get up-to-date Just documentation.

Example topics to search:

• modules import mod - Module system details
• settings - All available settings
• attributes - Recipe attributes
• functions - Built-in functions
• script recipes - Script block syntax

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed patterns and comprehensive coverage, consult:

• [`references/settings.md`](references/settings.md) - Settings configuration and module system
• [`references/recipes.md`](references/recipes.md) - Recipe attributes, parameters, dependencies, and prefixes
• [`references/syntax.md`](references/syntax.md) - Constants, functions, variables, and CLI options
• [`references/patterns.md`](references/patterns.md) - Established conventions, section organization, helper patterns

Example Templates

Working justfile templates in examples/:

• [`devkit.just`](examples/devkit.just) - Minimal template importing @sablier/devkit
• [`standalone.just`](examples/standalone.just) - Full standalone template with all patterns

External Documentation

• Official Manual: https://just.systems/man/en/
• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/casey/just
• Context7 Library ID: /websites/just_systems_man_en

No Justfile Formatter

Do not use just --fmt or just --dump. The user has bespoke formatting preferences that the built-in formatter does not respect. Preserve existing formatting as-is.

Tips

1. Use @ prefix to suppress command echo: @echo "quiet"
2. Use + for variadic parameters: test +args
3. Use * for optional variadic: build *flags
4. Quote glob patterns in variables: GLOBS := "\"**/*.json\""
5. Use [no-cd] in monorepos to stay in current directory
6. Private recipes start with _ or use [private]
7. Always define aliases after recipe names for discoverability