Shell Refresh Handling

Some setup steps modify PATH or environment in ways that require a shell reload to take effect. Bivvy detects and handles these situations automatically.

When Shell Refresh is Needed

Common scenarios that require shell refresh:

• Installing version managers (nvm, rbenv, pyenv)
• Installing package managers (Homebrew on new systems)
• Modifying shell configuration files (.bashrc, .zshrc)

How Bivvy Handles It

When a step requires shell refresh:

1. Detection: Bivvy tracks expected PATH changes and detects when the current shell doesn’t have them yet

2. Save State: Current progress is saved to disk including:

   • Which workflow was running
   • Which steps have completed
   • Which step triggered the reload

3. Prompt: User is asked how to proceed:

   • Reload shell and continue (recommended)
   • Exit and reload manually
   • Skip the step

4. Resume: After shell reload, Bivvy can resume from where it left off

Example Flow

$ bivvy run

✓ Installing Homebrew
→ Installing rbenv (requires shell refresh)

Shell refresh required to add rbenv to PATH.
How would you like to proceed?

  > Reload shell and continue (recommended)
    Exit and reload manually
    Skip this step

Saving progress... done
Please run: exec bash

$ exec bash
$ bivvy run

Resuming from previous run...
✓ Installing Homebrew (already complete)
→ Installing rbenv

Manual Resume

If you close the terminal or the process is interrupted, you can resume manually:

$ bivvy run --resume

Bivvy will detect the saved state and offer to continue from the last step.

Clearing Resume State

To clear any saved resume state and start fresh:

$ bivvy run --no-resume