> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://errand.nuvrel.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# pathexpand

> Expand the ~ home directory shorthand in a path.

`pathexpand(path)` replaces a leading `~` with the current user's home directory. If `path` does not start with `~`, it is returned unchanged.

## Signature

```
pathexpand(path string) string
```

## Example

Allow users to provide a path using `~` notation for their personal configuration or credential files:

```hcl theme={null}
variable "kubeconfig" {
  description = "Path to the kubeconfig file"
  type        = string
  default     = "~/.kube/config"
}

computed "kubeconfig_abs" {
  description = "Expanded kubeconfig path"
  expression  = pathexpand(var.kubeconfig)
}

task "deploy" {
  description = "Deploy to the cluster"
  commands    = ["kubectl --kubeconfig ${computed.kubeconfig_abs} apply -f k8s/"]
}
```

`~/.kube/config` becomes `/home/user/.kube/config` (or the platform equivalent).

## Notes

* Only a leading `~` is expanded. `~/some/path` is supported. `some~/path` and `~user/path` are not.
* `pathexpand` reads the user's home directory from the environment. On most systems this is `$HOME` on Linux and macOS, and `%USERPROFILE%` on Windows.