Local Configuration (Bender.local)

Bender.local is an optional, user-specific configuration file used to override the project’s default settings. Its primary purpose is to allow local development of dependencies without modifying the shared Bender.yml or Bender.lock.

Bender.local is one entry in Bender’s configuration file chain. See Configuration for the full precedence order, the list of available fields, and the equivalent environment variables and CLI flags.

Overriding Dependencies

The most common use for Bender.local is the overrides section. This forces Bender to use a specific version or a local path for a dependency, regardless of what the manifest requires.

Entries in overrides use the same syntax as entries in the dependencies section of Bender.yml (see Dependencies), with the exception that target expressions are not supported.

overrides:
  # Force a local path for 'common_cells'
  common_cells: { path: "../local_development/common_cells" }
  
  # Force a specific git URL/revision
  axi: { git: "https://github.com/my_fork/axi.git", rev: "experimental_branch" }

When an override is present, Bender will prioritize it over any other version resolution and emit warning W18 listing the package and the override target, so you can spot accidental overrides in Bender.local.

Note: overrides only replace dependencies that already exist somewhere in the resolved dependency tree. They cannot be used to introduce new dependencies that are not pulled in by any package’s Bender.yml.

Management

Bender.local can be managed both manually and automatically. Several Bender commands manage it for you during the development process:

• bender clone: Automates moving a dependency to a local working directory and adds a path override.
• bender snapshot: Updates Bender.local with the current Git hashes of your local checkouts.

For a detailed guide on using these commands for multi-package development, see the Package Development Workflow.

Other Configurations

Bender.local can also be used to configure tool-specific settings:

# Change the directory where dependencies are stored (default is .bender)
database: my_deps_cache

# Share only the bare git repos and lock files across projects, while
# keeping per-project checkouts under each project's own .bender/.
# Bender versions before 0.32 silently ignore this field.
db_dir: /var/cache/bender_shared

# Use a custom git binary or wrapper
git: /usr/local/bin/git-wrapper.sh

Best Practices

• Don’t Commit It: Bender.local should rarely be checked into version control. It can contain paths and settings specific to your local machine. Always add it to your .gitignore.
• Use for Development: Think of it as your “scratchpad” for multi-package development. Once your changes to a dependency are stable and released (tagged), remember to remove the override from Bender.local and update your Bender.yml with the new version.