fossil-init

Create a new repository in a named file

$ fossil init [path/to/file]

fossil init [-K|--keep] [-A|--admin-user NAME] [-t|--title TITLE] [REPOSITORY]

-A|--admin-user NAME
    Sets the name of the initial administrator user (default: creator's username).

-K|--keep
    Skip deletion of _FOSSIL_ checkout directory after init.

-t|--title TITLE
    Initial name of the project.

The fossil init command (often invoked as fossil-init in some contexts) creates a new, empty Fossil repository database file. Fossil is a distributed software configuration management system with built-in wiki, bug tracking, and forums.

This command initializes the repository with default settings, including an anonymous user and an admin user if specified. The resulting repository is ready for check-ins, clones, and other Fossil operations. By default, it creates a checkout directory alongside the repository file unless the -K option is used.

Key features include setting an initial project title, configuring the admin user, and optionally preserving checkout content. The repository file typically ends in .fossil. After initialization, use fossil open to work with it or fossil ui to launch the web interface.

This is the starting point for any Fossil project, ensuring a self-contained SCM setup without external dependencies.

Requires Fossil binary installed; repository file must not exist. Defaults to current directory basename for unnamed repos. Not suitable for upgrading old repos.

fossil init myproject.fossil
fossil init -A admin -t 'My Project' ~/repo.fossil

Run fossil open repo.fossil, then fossil add * and fossil commit.

Introduced with Fossil SCM in 2007 by D. Richard Hipp (SQLite author). Evolved to support modern DVCS features; stable since v1.0.

fossil(1), git-init(1), hg(1)