Just Recipes Reference
Read for recipe shape, dependencies, parameters, attributes, or command echoing. Discover version-sensitive syntax from the installed
just --help,just --man, or current manual before writing it.
Keep recipes explicit and short. Use parameters and dependencies only when they make the invocation clearer; make a helper private when it is not an intended entrypoint. Scope environment variables, working directories, OS restrictions, confirmations, grouping, and parallelism to the recipe that needs them.
Native executable checks
Use Just-native checks instead of shell command -v or backtick which. When the justfile already enables the needed
set unstable and set lists, which() with assert() can give an actionable install message. Otherwise use
require() when its standard missing-executable error is enough. Put the assertion at top level only if every recipe
needs the tool; otherwise put it in a private prerequisite of affected recipes.
Quiet recipes and command prefixes
Make ordinary recipes quiet with @recipe: when echoed commands add no value. In a quiet recipe, a line-level @
inverts that choice and deliberately echoes that line, so leave lines unprefixed by default. In a non-quiet recipe,
line-level @ suppresses one command; - ignores one command error. See inline-scripts.md for
script echoing.
@check:
cargo test
@echo "this command is deliberately echoed"