# rexe

**Repository Path**: mirrors_ndmitchell/rexe

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: rexe
- **Description**: .exe forwarder, to allow replacing binaries on PATH
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: Not specified
- **Default Branch**: master
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2020-09-25
- **Last Updated**: 2026-04-05

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

# rexe - Executable forwarder for Windows

On Windows, you can't overwrite a running binary. That means if you are writing a long running developer tool (e.g. [`ghcid`](https://github.com/ndmitchell/ghcid) in my case), it's hard to use that tool to develop itself. The `rexe` program solves that.

## Using `rexe`

If you want to use `rexe` to allow overwriting a binary (we'll use `ghcid` as an example):

1. Get a copy of `rexe` from [here](https://github.com/ndmitchell/rexe/releases/download/v1/rexe.exe).
2. put that copy of `rexe.exe` on your `%PATH%`, before the real `ghcid.exe`.
3. Rename that copy fo `rexe.exe` to `ghcid.exe`.

Now running `ghcid` will run the `ghcid.exe` which is really `rexe.exe`. What `rexe` does is find the next similarly named binary, copy it to a temporary location, and run it. As a consequence, you can now overwrite the real `ghcid.exe`, since it's not actually running.

To compile the code run `ghc rexe.hs`, but unless you are changing `rexe`, it's easier to [use a precompiled binary](https://github.com/ndmitchell/rexe/releases/download/v1/rexe.exe).