Lash (Labeled Bash)

Lash is a lightweight, dependency-free alternative to tools like make or just. Written in Zig, it offers a small binary and a simple workflow for running named bash command blocks defined in a lashfile. Overview

Lash reads a file named lashfile, parses labeled sections (similar to Makefile targets or Justfile recipes), and executes the shell commands associated with the requested label. Why Lash?

• Small binary: implemented in Zig for minimal footprint
• Simple syntax: just write Bash under a label
• No dependencies: runs on any POSIX system with /bin/sh

Example

Your lashfile might look like this:

build:
    echo "Compiling..."
    zig build

clean:
    rm -rf zig-cache
    echo "Cleaned."

Then run:

lash build

This executes the build section in a temporary shell script.

Usage

lash <section>

• section is the label of the command block you want to run.
• lashfile must be present in the current working directory.
• Commands must be indented (with spaces or tabs) beneath a label ending in ':'.

Notes

• The contents of each section are wrapped in a temporary bash script and executed.
• Errors during command execution are printed to stderr.
• File permissions are handled automatically for the temporary script.
• Output is streamed to stdout.

Building

To build Lash from source (requires Zig):

zig build --release=small # for the main benefit over just

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.