Commands

Command	Description
obtain file <key>...	Fetch one or more files by key
obtain pack <name>...	Fetch every file in one or more packs, in order
obtain list (ls)	Show configured files and packs
obtain read	Show the config file in $PAGER
obtain edit	Open the config file in $VISUAL / $EDITOR
obtain doctor	Check the config and report every problem

Running obtain on its own shows help. obtain <key> is not supported; use obtain file <key>.

Global flags

Flag	Description
--config, -c	Path to the config file (env: OBTAIN_CONFIG)
--dir, -d	Directory to save files into (default: .)
--var, -v	Set a variable, NAME=value (repeatable)
--force, -f	Overwrite existing files (by default an existing file is an error)

Global flags go before the subcommand:

obtain -d ./out --force pack go-project

file

obtain file <key>...

Fetches one or more files by the keys under files in your config, in the order given. Each saved file is reported as key -> path.

obtain file editorconfig license
obtain -d ./my-project file license

• It stops at the first failure: a download error, a missing variable, an unknown key or a file that already exists (unless you pass --force). Files fetched before that stay in place.
• Keys are looked up as it goes, so a typo in the second key is only reported after the first file has been fetched. Run obtain doctor or obtain list if you're unsure.
• With no arguments it shows help.

pack

obtain pack <name>...

Fetches every file in each named pack, in the order the pack lists them. It works like file for each key.

obtain pack go-project
obtain pack go-project docs-project

• Pack names are checked before anything is downloaded, so an unknown pack fails without writing any files.
• It stops at the first failed download. Files already fetched stay in place.
• Nothing is de-duplicated across packs. If two packs share a key, that file is fetched twice, and the second attempt fails on the existing file unless you pass --force.
• With no arguments it shows help.

list

Prints a table of files and packs. If nothing is configured, it prints a hint instead.

read

Shows the config in $PAGER (which may include arguments). Falls back to less, then to plain stdout if the pager isn't installed.

edit

Opens the config in $VISUAL, then $EDITOR, then vi. If the file is missing, it is created (along with its parent directory) from a commented starter template. An existing file is never touched. edit does not validate afterwards, so run obtain doctor.

doctor

Reports every problem in the config with line numbers and exits 1 if there are any. See Configuration.