elaborate cron/make rules for periodically, automatically, cleanly git-committing (hledger) files, with logs for troubleshooting

crontab

# autocommit financial files
# once a night, at 04:02
02 04 * * *  make -C/Users/simon/finance -s autocommit

# or check every minute, doing nothing if files are unchanged
#* * * * *  cd /Users/simon/finance; git diff --quiet || make -s autocommit

Makefile

# Perform any auto-commits that are due, in the proper order.
autocommit: \
	autocommit-time \
	autocommit-txns \
	autocommit-misc

# Auto-commit any timelog changes.
autocommit-time:
	@echo `date` $@ >>[email protected]
	@( git commit -qm 'time (auto)' $(TIMEDOT) | grep -E '(^\[|file changed)' ) >>[email protected] \
		|| true

# Auto-commit any transaction journal changes.
autocommit-txns:
	@echo `date` $@ >>[email protected]
	@( git commit -qm 'txns (auto)' $(JOURNAL) | grep -E '(^\[|file changed)' ) >>[email protected] \
		|| true

# Auto-commit any remaining dirty files if nothing much has changed in the last hour
# (excluding journal, timelog, log files, git files..)
# Run this after the more specific autocommits above.
autocommit-misc:
	@echo `date` $@ >>[email protected]
	@[[ -z $$(find . -newermt '60 minutes ago' \! -regex '\./\.git.*' \! -name "*.log" \! -name $(TIMEDOT) \! -name $(JOURNAL) ) ]] \
		&& ( git commit -am '(auto)' | grep -E '(^\[|file changed)' ) >>autocommit.log \
		|| true