repo2text

repo2text is a Rust CLI tool designed to transform the contents of a Git repository into a structured text file. This is particularly useful for uploading repository data into AI systems (like ChatGPT) for analysis, summarization, or debugging purposes.

Features

• Recursively traverses a Git repository to extract file contents.
• Appends the file paths and contents into a single .txt file.
• Formats the output with clear delimiters for AI compatibility.
• Skips binary files and handles missing files gracefully.

Installation

Install the tool using cargo:

cargo install repo2text

Or clone the repository and build from source:

git clone https://github.com/vicentedpsantos/repo2text.git
cd repo2text
cargo build --release

Usage

Run repo2text with the following options:

repo2text --repo <REPO_PATH> --output <OUTPUT_FILE> --excluding <EXCLUDED_DIR>

Arguments:

• --repo: required. Path to the root of the Git repository.
• --output: required. Path to the output .txt file where the repository contents will be saved.
• --excluding: optional. Directory to exclude from the traversal. Can be used multiple times.

Example

repo2text --repo ~/projects/faktur --output faktur.txt

repo2text --repo ~/projects/faktur \
          --output ~/temp/faktur.txt \
          --excluding ~/projects/faktur/spec/ \
          --excluding ~/projects/faktur/.git/

This command will:

1. Traverse the repository at ~/projects/faktur.
2. Read the contents of committed files while excluding the specified directories.
3. Save the structured data to faktur.txt.

Output Format

The tool generates a .txt file where:

• Each file begins with a FILE_PATH line indicating its location in the repository.
• File contents are enclosed within a code block ( ```<language> ... ```).
• Sections are separated by --- for easy parsing.

Use Case: Uploading to AI Systems

The structured format makes it easy to share your repository with AI systems for:

• Code analysis or debugging.
• Generating documentation or summaries.
• Discussing code architecture or functionality.

Simply copy and paste sections of the output .txt file into your AI chat or upload the entire file if supported.

Limitations

• Excludes uncommitted changes or ignored files.
• Binary files are skipped to prevent unreadable output.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.