Keeper

A visual desktop application for managing and editing GitHub CODEOWNERS files.

Description

Keeper is an Electron-based GUI tool that makes it easy to work with CODEOWNERS files at scale. Instead of manually editing patterns and searching through directories, Keeper provides a three-pane interface that lets you visualize ownership, edit rules, and assign owners interactively.

Key Features

• Visual File Browser: Navigate your repository with ownership information displayed for every file and directory
• Integrated CODEOWNERS Editor: Edit your CODEOWNERS file directly with Monaco Editor (the editor that powers VS Code)
• Ownership Statistics: See at-a-glance charts showing code ownership distribution by percentage and file count
• Interactive Assignment: Right-click any file or folder to assign or remove owners
• Rule Highlighting: Click any file to automatically highlight the matching CODEOWNERS rule
• Smart Pattern Matching: Optimized with trie data structures for fast pattern matching on large repositories
• Gitignore Support: Automatically respects .gitignore patterns
• Background Processing: Worker threads ensure the UI stays responsive even on large codebases

Installation

Via npm (recommended)

npm install -g @wmarshall484/keeper

From GitHub Releases

Download the latest release for your platform:

https://github.com/wmarshall484/Keeper/releases

• macOS: Download the .dmg or .zip file
• Windows: Download the .exe installer or portable version
• Linux: Download the .AppImage or .deb package

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/wmarshall484/Keeper.git
cd Keeper
npm install
npm start

Usage

Command Line

Launch Keeper with a repository path:

keeper /path/to/your/repo

Or use a relative path:

keeper .
keeper ../another-repo

If no path is provided, Keeper will prompt you to select a directory.

Interface Overview

Keeper displays a three-pane interface:

1. Left Pane - CODEOWNERS Editor

   • Edit your CODEOWNERS file directly
   • Save changes with Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on macOS)
   • Syntax highlighting and line numbers

2. Middle Pane - File Browser

   • Navigate directories by double-clicking folders
   • See owner tags for every file and folder
   • Click any file to highlight its matching CODEOWNERS rule
   • Use the "Up" button to navigate to parent directories

3. Right Pane - Ownership Statistics

   • Bar chart showing ownership distribution
   • Percentages and file counts for each owner
   • Automatically updates as you navigate

Assigning Owners

Right-click any file or directory to:

• Select from existing owners
• Add a new owner (e.g., @username or @org/team)
• Remove ownership rules

Changes are automatically written to your CODEOWNERS file.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Cmd+O / Ctrl+O: Open a different repository
• Cmd+S / Ctrl+S: Save CODEOWNERS file (when editor is focused)
• Cmd+R / Ctrl+R: Reload the application

CODEOWNERS File Location

Keeper automatically searches for CODEOWNERS files in standard locations:

• /CODEOWNERS
• /.github/CODEOWNERS
• /docs/CODEOWNERS

How It Works

Keeper parses your CODEOWNERS file and builds an optimized data structure for fast lookups:

• Simple patterns (no wildcards) are stored in a trie for O(n) lookups
• Complex patterns (with wildcards like *.js or **/test/**) use minimatch
• Worker threads calculate ownership statistics in the background without blocking the UI
• Caching ensures responsive navigation even in large repositories

Repository

https://github.com/wmarshall484/Keeper

License

MIT

Author

Will Marshall (wmarshall484@gmail.com)