Interactive Commands¶

Control Pyreload while it's running using interactive keyboard commands.

Available Commands¶

While Pyreload is monitoring your application, press:

r - Manually restart your application
q - Quit Pyreload
h - Show help with available commands
c - Clear the console output

Usage Examples¶

Manual Restart¶

Press r to force a restart without waiting for file changes:

[pyreload] watching: src/**/*.py
[pyreload] starting: python app.py
Application started on port 8000

r  <-- Press 'r'

[pyreload] restarting due to manual trigger
[pyreload] stopping: python app.py
[pyreload] starting: python app.py
Application started on port 8000

Clean Exit¶

Press q to stop both Pyreload and your application:

[pyreload] watching: src/**/*.py
[pyreload] starting: python app.py
Application started on port 8000

q  <-- Press 'q'

[pyreload] received quit signal
[pyreload] stopping: python app.py
[pyreload] exiting

Clear Screen¶

Press c to clear console output:

[pyreload] watching: src/**/*.py
[lots of output...]

c  <-- Press 'c'

[screen cleared]
[pyreload] watching: src/**/*.py

Non-Interactive Mode¶

To disable interactive commands (useful in CI/CD or containers):

pyreload --no-interactive app.py

Signal Handling¶

Pyreload responds to system signals:

SIGINT (Ctrl+C)¶

Gracefully stops the application and exits:

^C
[pyreload] received interrupt signal
[pyreload] stopping: python app.py
[pyreload] exiting

SIGTERM¶

Gracefully stops the application and exits (sent by system shutdown):

[pyreload] received termination signal
[pyreload] stopping: python app.py
[pyreload] exiting

SIGHUP¶

Restarts the application without exiting Pyreload:

kill -HUP <pyreload_pid>
[pyreload] received hangup signal
[pyreload] restarting due to signal

Programmatic Control¶

Using Process Signals¶

Send signals to control Pyreload programmatically:

# Find Pyreload process
ps aux | grep pyreload

# Send restart signal
kill -HUP <pid>

# Send stop signal
kill -TERM <pid>

Example Script¶

#!/bin/bash
# restart-app.sh

PYRELOAD_PID=$(pgrep -f "pyreload app.py")
if [ -n "$PYRELOAD_PID" ]; then
    kill -HUP $PYRELOAD_PID
    echo "Sent restart signal to Pyreload (PID: $PYRELOAD_PID)"
else
    echo "Pyreload is not running"
fi

Best Practices¶

Use r for testing: Quickly test changes without modifying files
Use q for clean shutdown: Ensures proper cleanup
Use c for readability: Clear cluttered output during development
Disable interactive in CI: Use --no-interactive in automated environments

Troubleshooting¶

Commands Not Responding¶

If interactive commands don't work:

Check if stdin is available:

pyreload app.py < /dev/null  # This disables interactive mode

Ensure terminal is in interactive mode:

# Good - terminal is attached
pyreload app.py

# Bad - no terminal
nohup pyreload app.py &

Use verbose mode to debug:
```
pyreload -v app.py
```

Signal Not Received¶

If signals don't work:

Verify Pyreload is running:
```
ps aux | grep pyreload
```

Check process permissions:

kill -0 <pid>  # Test if you can send signals

Use correct signal names:
```
kill -SIGHUP <pid>  # Not just 'HUP'
```