boxxy

Redirect application file paths using Linux namespaces.

TLDR

Run application with file redirection rules

$ boxxy [application]

Use custom configuration file

$ boxxy --config [boxxy.yaml] [application]

Add rule at command line

$ boxxy --rule "[rule_name]:~/.config/app:~/.local/share/app" [application]

Scan homedir for rule suggestions

$ boxxy --scan

Run without loading config files

$ boxxy --no-config [application]

SYNOPSIS

boxxy [options] [application] [arguments]

boxxy puts misbehaving Linux applications in a box, forcing them to put their files and directories in the right place without symlinks. It uses Linux namespaces to redirect file operations transparently.
The tool is designed to manage applications that create dotfiles or directories in unwanted locations, redirecting them to XDG-compliant paths or other preferred locations.

PARAMETERS

--config file

Use specified configuration file

--rule rule

Add rule at command line (format: name:target:rewrite)

--no-config

Disable loading configuration files

--scan

Scan home directory and suggest rules

--context path

Set context directory for rule application

CONFIGURATION

Rules in boxxy.yaml include:
name

User-friendly rule identifier

target

File or directory to shadow

rewrite

Replacement file or directory

mode

Either "directory" or "file" (default: directory)

commands

Optional list of commands the rule applies to

CAVEATS

Requires Linux namespaces support (Linux kernel). Rules must specify mode when the target is a file, especially if the target doesn't exist yet. Project-local boxxy.yaml files and .env files can be loaded automatically.