# joerdav/xc

Markdown defined task runner.

Repository: https://github.com/joerdav/xc
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/xc
Homepage: https://xcfile.dev/
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: build-tool, documentation, go, golang, task-runner
Last push: 2026-07-17T09:54:30+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 73/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 93, release rhythm 32, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1783, "days_push": 47, "days_rel": 240, "gap_med": 184.5, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1402, forks 35 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:37.753859+00:00)

## What it is
xc is a task runner similar to Make or npm run that defines tasks as shell code blocks inside Markdown or org-mode documentation files, keeping scripts and docs in sync. It is written in Go and offers editor integrations for VSCode, Vim, and Emacs.

## Use cases
- run project tasks defined in my readme
- alternative to makefile that lives in documentation
- keep shell scripts in sync with docs
- define build commands as markdown code blocks
- list and run tasks from README.md
- org-mode based task runner
- share project commands with contributors without extra tooling

## When to choose
- you want task definitions and documentation in a single Markdown or org-mode file
- your team already documents commands in a README and wants them executable
- you prefer a simple, low-complexity task runner over Make
- contributors without xc installed can still read the commands

## When to avoid
- you need complex build dependency graphs or incremental builds
- your tasks require advanced Make features like file targets or pattern rules
- you prefer task definitions in dedicated config files like package.json or Taskfile

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: build-tool, cli, documentation, markdown, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, documentation
- platform: windows, cli, cross-platform
- tags: task-runner, literate-programming, org-mode, makefile-alternative, readme-driven, command-line, automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- joerdav/xc (main) score 73

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:37.753859+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:38:59.114158+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/joerdav/xc (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:37.753859+00:00, sha c0370d262cd3)
  - homepage: https://xcfile.dev/ (fetched 2026-08-29T11:53:02.390290+00:00, sha 6346a1c3caf0)
  - site_page: https://xcfile.dev/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T11:53:02.392848+00:00, sha d4106558ea7b)
  - site_page: https://xcfile.dev/org-mode-features (fetched 2026-08-29T11:53:02.394746+00:00, sha ff571d2df53f)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.