# working_directory

The `working_directory` field controls where a custom command's steps execute, regardless of where `atmos` was invoked. This is useful when commands need to run from a specific location.

## Path Resolution

- **Absolute paths** are used as-is (e.g., `/tmp`, `/home/user/scripts`)
- **Relative paths** are resolved against the Atmos `base_path`
- The `!repo-root` YAML function can be used to reference the git repository root

## Example: Run from Repository Root

```yaml
commands:
  - name: build
    description: Build the project from repository root
    working_directory: !repo-root .
    steps:
      - make build
      - make test
```

This ensures the build commands run from the repository root, even if you invoke `atmos build` from a subdirectory.

## Example: Run in Temp Directory

```yaml
commands:
  - name: download-tools
    description: Download and extract tools in /tmp
    working_directory: /tmp
    steps:
      - wget https://example.com/tools.tar.gz
      - tar -xzf tools.tar.gz
```

## Example: Run in Component Directory

```yaml
commands:
  - name: component-init
    description: Initialize a component
    working_directory: components/terraform/vpc
    steps:
      - terraform init
      - terraform validate
```

Since `components/terraform/vpc` is a relative path, it will be resolved against `base_path`.

:::tip
Use `working_directory: !repo-root .` when defining commands in `.atmos.d/` at the repository root. This ensures commands work correctly when invoked from any subdirectory in your project.
:::