Split fetch from jobsearch into a separate fetcher command, and renamed fetch once to fts-once

job-search no longer has a fetch command. Its subcommands are now in
cmd/fetcher, which reads the same configuration: "fetcher service" runs
every enabled source's fetcher on its interval until stopped, and
"fetcher fts-once" (was "fetch once") fetches from Find a Tender once and
prints the releases as JSON. The new namea say what the commands do,
because service runs every source while fts-once fetches only from Find a
Tender.

The code stays in internal/cli/fetch, where NewCommands replaces the fetch
parent command. once.go is now fts_once.go and commandOnce is
commandFTSOnce. The README's usage, the config README and the find_a_tender
api_root comment now give the new command names.

README.md

@@ -57,8 +57,6 @@ Global flags: `--config`/`-c` (config file), `--debug`/`-d` and
 
 | Command | Purpose |
 |---|---|
-| `job-search fetch service` | Poll every enabled source on its interval until stopped (Ctrl+C or SIGTERM) |
-| `job-search fetch once` | Fetch from Find a Tender once and print the releases as JSON |
 | `job-search config init [path]` | Create a config file |
 | `job-search config show` | Print the configuration (`--json` or `--yaml` for those formats) |
 | `job-search config get <key>` | Print one value, e.g. `logging.level` |
@@ -70,17 +68,28 @@ Global flags: `--config`/`-c` (config file), `--debug`/`-d` and
 | `job-search migrate status` | Show the database version and which migrations are applied or pending |
 | `job-search version` | Print version information |
 
-`fetch service` logs to `logging.file` if it's set, or to the terminal with
-`--foreground`. Both fetch commands take `--since "YYYY-MM-DD[ hh:mm:ss]"`.
-`fetch once` can be limited with `--planning`, `--opportunities` or
-`--awards`, and with `--ignore-rate-limit` it fails on a rate limit instead
-of waiting.
-
 The `migrate` commands work on the database in `database.file`. The store
 refuses to open a database that isn't at this build's schema version, so run
 `job-search migrate` after installing a new version.
 
 
+## Fetch tool
+`fetcher` reads the same configuration as `job-search`:
+
+| Command | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| `fetcher service` | Poll every enabled source on its interval until stopped (Ctrl+C or SIGTERM) |
+| `fetcher fts-once` | Fetch from Find a Tender once and print the releases as JSON |
+
+`service` logs to `logging.file` if it's set, or to the terminal with
+`--foreground`. Both commands take `--since "YYYY-MM-DD[ hh:mm:ss]"`.
+`fts-once` can be limited with `--planning`, `--opportunities` or
+`--awards`, and with `--ignore-rate-limit` it fails on a rate limit instead
+of waiting.
+
+During development, `go run ./cmd/fetcher` works as well.
+
+
 ## Mock Find a Tender server
 To develop without using the real API, run the mock and enable the `fts_mock`
 source:
@@ -115,6 +124,7 @@ check), `--url` and `--timeout`; see `ws-test dial --help`.
 | Path | Contents |
 |---|---|
 | `cmd/jobsearch` | The `job-search` command |
+| `cmd/fetcher` | The `fetcher` command (Find a Tender fetch, the polling service) |
 | `cmd/mock-fts` | The mock FTS server |
 | `cmd/ws-test` | The `ws-test` WebSocket test tool |
 | `internal/cli` | Cobra commands and shared CLI setup |

cmd/fetcher/main.go

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+/*
+Copyright © 2026 Craig Williams <craig@avsdev.uk>
+
+This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
+the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+(at your option) any later version.
+
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+
+You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+*/
+// Command fetcher, for fetching opportunities from JobSearch's sources. Run
+// `fetcher --help` for usage.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
+	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli"
+	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli/fetch"
+)
+
+// newRootCmd builds the command tree. It returns a fresh tree on each call so
+// tests can run commands in isolation.
+func newRootCmd() *cobra.Command {
+	opts := &cli.Options{}
+
+	root := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "fetcher",
+		Short: "Fetch tools for JobSearch",
+		Long: `fetcher fetches from Find a Tender once and prints the releases as
+JSON (fts-once), or polls every enabled source on its interval until stopped
+(service). It reads the JobSearch configuration.
+	`,
+		SilenceUsage:  true, // don't print usage on runtime errors
+		SilenceErrors: true, // main prints the error once
+		CompletionOptions: cobra.CompletionOptions{
+			HiddenDefaultCmd: true,
+		},
+		PersistentPreRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			cli.SetupInitialLogging(cmd)
+
+			slog.Debug("command persistent pre-run", "command", "root")
+			slog.Debug(
+				"command",
+				"path", strings.Join(strings.Split(cmd.CommandPath(), " ")[1:], " "),
+			)
+
+			return nil
+		},
+		PersistentPostRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			slog.Debug("command persistent post-run", "command", "root")
+
+			return opts.Finish()
+		},
+	}
+
+	cobra.EnableTraverseRunHooks = true
+
+	opts.Bind(root)
+
+	root.AddCommand(fetch.NewCommands(opts)...)
+
+	return root
+}
+
+func main() {
+	if err := newRootCmd().Execute(); err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "fetcher:", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+}

cmd/fetcher/main_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"slices"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// The commands are tested in internal/cli/fetch. This test checks newRootCmd
+// puts them together.
+
+func TestCommandTree(t *testing.T) {
+	root := newRootCmd()
+
+	var names []string
+	for _, c := range root.Commands() {
+		names = append(names, c.Name())
+	}
+
+	for _, want := range []string{"fts-once", "service"} {
+		if !slices.Contains(names, want) {
+			t.Errorf("fetcher has no %q command; has %v", want, names)
+		}
+	}
+
+	for _, flag := range []string{"config", "debug", "quiet"} {
+		if root.PersistentFlags().Lookup(flag) == nil {
+			t.Errorf("fetcher has no --%s flag", flag)
+		}
+	}
+}

cmd/jobsearch/main.go

@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ import (
 
 	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli"
 	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli/config"
-	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli/fetch"
 	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli/migrate"
 	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli/serve"
 	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli/version"
@@ -74,7 +73,6 @@ opportunities.
 	root.AddCommand(
 		version.NewCommand(),
 		config.NewCommand(opts),
-		fetch.NewCommand(opts),
 		migrate.NewCommand(opts),
 		serve.NewCommand(opts),
 	)

cmd/jobsearch/main_test.go

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ func TestCommandTree(t *testing.T) {
 		names = append(names, c.Name())
 	}
 
-	commands := []string{"config", "fetch", "migrate", "serve", "version"}
+	commands := []string{"config", "migrate", "serve", "version"}
 	for _, want := range commands {
 		if !slices.Contains(names, want) {
 			t.Errorf("job-search has no %q command; has %v", want, names)

internal/cli/fetch/command.go

@@ -1,29 +1,18 @@
+// Package fetch holds the fetcher commands: "fts-once" fetches from Find a
+// Tender once and prints the releases, and "service" polls every enabled
+// source on its interval.
 package fetch
 
 import (
-	"log/slog"
-
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	"git.avsdev.uk/Go/job-search/internal/cli"
 )
 
-// NewCommand returns the "fetch" command, which fetches opportunities once or
+// NewCommands returns the fetcher commands, "fts-once" and "service".
-// as a service.
+func NewCommands(opts *cli.Options) []*cobra.Command {
-func NewCommand(opts *cli.Options) *cobra.Command {
+	return []*cobra.Command{
-	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+		commandFTSOnce(opts),
-		Use:   "fetch",
+		commandService(opts),
-		Short: "Fetch current opportunities",
-		PersistentPreRun: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			slog.Debug("command persistent pre-run", "command", "fetch")
-		},
-		PersistentPostRun: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			slog.Debug("command persistent post-run", "command", "fetch")
-		},
 	}
-
-	cmd.AddCommand(commandOnce(opts))
-	cmd.AddCommand(commandService(opts))
-
-	return cmd
 }

internal/cli/fetch/fts_once.go

@@ -51,18 +51,20 @@ func filter(
 	return matching
 }
 
-func commandOnce(opts *cli.Options) *cobra.Command {
+// commandFTSOnce returns the "fts-once" command, which fetches from Find a
+// Tender once and prints the releases as JSON.
+func commandFTSOnce(opts *cli.Options) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   "once",
+		Use:   "fts-once",
-		Short: "Fetch current opportunities - single shot",
+		Short: "Fetch from Find a Tender once and print the releases as JSON",
 		PersistentPreRun: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			slog.Debug("command persistent pre-run", "command", "fetch.once")
+			slog.Debug("command persistent pre-run", "command", "fts-once")
 		},
 		PersistentPostRun: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			slog.Debug("command persistent post-run", "command", "fetch.once")
+			slog.Debug("command persistent post-run", "command", "fts-once")
 		},
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			slog.Debug("command run", "command", "fetch.once")
+			slog.Debug("command run", "command", "fts-once")
 
 			conf, err := opts.RunSetup(cmd, true, true)
 			if err != nil {

internal/cli/fetch/fts_once_test.go

@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func TestFilter(t *testing.T) {
 
 // Conflicting filters are rejected by cobra before anything is fetched.
 func TestOnceFiltersExclusive(t *testing.T) {
-	cmd := commandOnce(&cli.Options{})
+	cmd := commandFTSOnce(&cli.Options{})
 	cmd.SetArgs([]string{"--planning", "--awards"})
 	cmd.SetOut(io.Discard)
 	cmd.SetErr(io.Discard)

internal/cli/fetch/service.go

@@ -18,15 +18,15 @@ import (
 func commandService(opts *cli.Options) *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "service",
-		Short: "Fetch current opportunities - background service",
+		Short: "Run every enabled source's fetcher on its interval until stopped",
 		PersistentPreRun: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			slog.Debug("command persistent pre-run", "command", "fetch.service")
+			slog.Debug("command persistent pre-run", "command", "service")
 		},
 		PersistentPostRun: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
-			slog.Debug("command persistent post-run", "command", "fetch.service")
+			slog.Debug("command persistent post-run", "command", "service")
 		},
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			slog.Debug("command run", "command", "fetch.service")
+			slog.Debug("command run", "command", "service")
 
 			foreground, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("foreground")
 

internal/config/README.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Configuration is managed in sections:
 | Key | Type | Default | Notes |
 |---|---|---|---|
 | `logging.level` | string | `warn` | One of `debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error` |
-| `logging.file` | string | | Log file (JSON lines) for long-running commands such as `fetch service`. Empty: log to the terminal |
+| `logging.file` | string | | Log file (JSON lines) for long-running commands such as `fetcher service`. Empty: log to the terminal |
 
 Logging always starts on the terminal. Long-running commands switch to the file
 in `logging.file` once the configuration is loaded, unless it is empty (they
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ supported.
 |---|---|---|---|
 | `sources.<source>.enabled` | bool | `false` | For every source |
 | `sources.<source>.interval` | duration | `10m` | For every source; e.g. `30s`, `1h`. Must be greater than 0; turn a source off with `enabled` |
-| `sources.find_a_tender.api_root` | string | `https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0` | URL of the Find a Tender API. Empty: the source fails to start if enabled, and `fetch once` fails |
+| `sources.find_a_tender.api_root` | string | `https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0` | URL of the Find a Tender API. Empty: the source fails to start if enabled, and `fetcher fts-once` fails |
 | `sources.fts_mock.api_root` | string | | URL of the mock FTS server (see `internal/mock`). Empty: the source fails to start if enabled |
 | `sources.sleeper.block_shutdown` | bool | `false` | Test source: if true, its sleep ignores shutdown |
 

internal/config/conf_source_findatender.go

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ const JSCKSourceFindATender string = "find_a_tender"
 
 // JSCSourceFindATender configures fetching from the Find a Tender
 // OCDS API at APIRoot. Empty: the source fails to start if it is enabled,
-// and `fetch once` fails.
+// and `fetcher fts-once` fails.
 type JSCSourceFindATender struct {
 	JSCSourcesSource
 	APIRoot string `cfg:"api_root" default:"https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0"`