gitdropbox

gitdropbox is a Bash CLI that creates a local project and a matching bare Git repository in Dropbox, then connects and pushes your initial branch.

Why Use It

• Start a new project and Dropbox-backed remote in one command.
• Keep data local and simple (no extra service required).
• Avoid common setup mistakes with strict validation and safer defaults.

Features

• Strict Bash mode (set -euo pipefail) with actionable errors
• Configurable dev folder, Dropbox folder, branch, and remote name
• CLI flags + git config defaults + environment variable overrides
• Bare-repository integrity checks before use
• Safe remote handling (--update-remote required to repoint existing remotes)
• Linux, macOS, and Git Bash (Windows) support

Requirements

• Git available on PATH
• Bash shell (bash / Git Bash on Windows)

Quick Start

gitdropbox my-project

This will:

1. Create ~/dev/my-project (by default)
2. Create ~/Dropbox/Git/my-project.git (bare repo)
3. Initialize local Git, add origin, commit, and push

Installation

Linux / macOS

git clone https://github.com/eddinho/gitdropbox.git
sudo cp gitdropbox/gitdropbox /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/gitdropbox
gitdropbox --version

Windows (Git Bash)

git clone https://github.com/eddinho/gitdropbox.git
mkdir -p ~/bin
cp gitdropbox/gitdropbox ~/bin/
chmod +x ~/bin/gitdropbox
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
gitdropbox --version

Usage

gitdropbox [OPTIONS] <project-name>

Options

Option	Description
-h, --help	Show help
-V, --version	Show version
-n, --name NAME	Project name (prompts if missing)
-d, --dev-dir PATH	Local projects folder (default: ~/dev)
-D, --dropbox-dir PATH	Dropbox Git folder (default: ~/Dropbox/Git)
-b, --branch NAME	Branch name (default: main)
-r, --remote NAME	Remote name (default: origin)
-m, --message TEXT	Commit message (default: Initial commit)
-f, --force	Allow existing non-empty project folder
--update-remote	Update remote URL if it points elsewhere
--no-color	Disable colored output
--no-readme	Skip creating README.md
--no-commit	Skip commit and push

Examples

gitdropbox my-project
gitdropbox -d ~/work -D ~/Dropbox/Git -b main my-project
gitdropbox --name=my-project --message="Bootstrap repo"
gitdropbox --no-commit my-project
gitdropbox --update-remote my-project

Configuration

Set defaults with Git config:

git config --global gitdropbox.devdir ~/dev
git config --global gitdropbox.dropboxdir ~/Dropbox/Git
git config --global gitdropbox.branch main
git config --global gitdropbox.remote origin

Override via environment variables:

export GITDROPBOX_DEV_DIR=~/dev
export GITDROPBOX_DROPBOX_DIR=~/Dropbox/Git
export GITDROPBOX_BRANCH=main
export GITDROPBOX_REMOTE=origin

Precedence is: CLI options > environment variables > Git config > built-in defaults.

Development

bash -n gitdropbox
shellcheck gitdropbox tests/smoke.sh
bash tests/smoke.sh

Troubleshooting

• Existing non-empty project directory: Use --force or choose another name.
• Existing Dropbox path is not a bare repository: Move or rename the path, then rerun.
• Commit fails due missing identity:
  • git config --global user.name "Your Name"
  • git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
• Windows line endings: Keep LF line endings (enforced via .gitattributes).

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

Release Process

See RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md.

License

MIT