cache.md

Bonsai cache

Bonsai keeps parse results outside the repository. The location is:

${temporary-directory}/bonsai-parse-cache/<repository-hash>.cache

The temporary directory comes from the operating system. On macOS it is usually under /var/folders/.../T; on Linux it is usually /tmp. Get the exact path, size, entry count, and stale-entry count with:

bonsai doctor

Local incremental context

Build or refresh the baseline with one normal run, then select added and changed files from that cache:

bonsai .
bonsai . --incremental --incremental-summary

The cache stores file size and modification time for each parsed file. Bonsai re-parses files when either changes. It also stores file-selection settings. A change to --include, --exclude, --exclude-generated, --max-file-bytes, or Git-ignore handling causes the next incremental run to refresh the selected baseline instead of trusting the old selection.

Clear one repository's cache when you want a clean baseline or doctor reports stale entries:

bonsai cache clear

Compare with another base

Use a repository directory or a saved Bonsai cache file as the baseline:

bonsai . --incremental-base ../old-checkout
bonsai . --incremental-base /path/to/base.cache

This does not use the current repository's local cache as the comparison base.

Compare with Git

Use a Git ref when the question is about a branch or commit:

bonsai . --changed-since main --incremental-summary

This includes tracked changes, untracked supported files, and deletions. Do not combine --changed-since with --incremental or --incremental-base.