---
title: Real-time file watching in Sandboxes
description: sandbox.watch() returns an SSE stream of filesystem change events using native inotify, enabling real-time detection of file create, modify, delete, and move operations.
image: https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/changelog-preview.png
---

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## Real-time file watching in Sandboxes

Mar 03, 2026 

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[Sandboxes](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/sandbox/) now support real-time filesystem watching via `sandbox.watch()`. The method returns a [Server-Sent Events ↗](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Server-sent%5Fevents) stream backed by native inotify, so your Worker receives `create`, `modify`, `delete`, and `move` events as they happen inside the container.

#### `sandbox.watch(path, options)`

Pass a directory path and optional filters. The returned stream is a standard `ReadableStream` you can proxy directly to a browser client or consume server-side.

* [  JavaScript ](#tab-panel-2821)
* [  TypeScript ](#tab-panel-2822)

**JavaScript**

```js
// Stream events to a browser client
const stream = await sandbox.watch("/workspace/src", {
  recursive: true,
  include: ["*.ts", "*.js"],
});


return new Response(stream, {
  headers: { "Content-Type": "text/event-stream" },
});
```

**TypeScript**

```ts
// Stream events to a browser client
const stream = await sandbox.watch("/workspace/src", {
  recursive: true,
  include: ["*.ts", "*.js"],
});


return new Response(stream, {
  headers: { "Content-Type": "text/event-stream" },
});
```

#### Server-side consumption with `parseSSEStream`

Use `parseSSEStream` to iterate over events inside a Worker without forwarding them to a client.

* [  JavaScript ](#tab-panel-2823)
* [  TypeScript ](#tab-panel-2824)

**JavaScript**

```js
import { parseSSEStream } from "@cloudflare/sandbox";


const stream = await sandbox.watch("/workspace/src", { recursive: true });


for await (const event of parseSSEStream(stream)) {
  console.log(event.type, event.path);
}
```

**TypeScript**

```ts
import { parseSSEStream } from "@cloudflare/sandbox";
import type { FileWatchSSEEvent } from "@cloudflare/sandbox";


const stream = await sandbox.watch("/workspace/src", { recursive: true });


for await (const event of parseSSEStream<FileWatchSSEEvent>(stream)) {
  console.log(event.type, event.path);
}
```

Each event includes a `type` field (`create`, `modify`, `delete`, or `move`) and the affected `path`. Move events also include a `from` field with the original path.

#### Options

| Option    | Type       | Description                                                 |
| --------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| recursive | boolean    | Watch subdirectories. Defaults to false.                    |
| include   | string\[\] | Glob patterns to filter events. Omit to receive all events. |

#### Upgrade

To update to the latest version:

```sh
npm i @cloudflare/sandbox@latest
```

For full API details, refer to the [Sandbox file watching reference](https://edgetunnel-b2h.pages.dev/sandbox/api/file-watching/).

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