Watch patterns

The default *.py pattern watches recursively from your current directory. Repeat --watch (-w) to include several patterns.

Select files

pyreload app.py -w '*.py' -w '*.yaml'
pyreload app.py -w 'src/*.py'

The directory before the first wildcard selects the observer's root. Pyreload watches that root recursively. Without a wildcard, the value is treated as a directory; use -w 'src/*.py' rather than passing a single filename.

Select directories

pyreload app.py -w src -w config

A directory argument matches all files beneath it. Missing directories are logged and skipped, so check startup output if a path is not being watched.

Avoid restart loops

Exclude generated files, logs, caches, and virtual environments with ignore patterns. Prefer explicit roots over watching an entire monorepo.