Dev Loop Workflow

Run the app via ./dev.sh in the background, monitor its logs, make code changes, and verify the expected behavior appears in the output. cargo-watch auto-rebuilds on file changes, so you just edit and check logs.

Quick Start

1. Spawn ./dev.sh in background using Bash tool (run_in_background: true)
2. Wait ~10s for initial build + app startup
3. Read the log output (tail the task output)
4. Make code changes
5. cargo-watch auto-rebuilds — wait ~15s, then check logs again
6. Repeat until expected output appears
7. Stop the background task when done

Step 1: Launch dev.sh

Use the Bash tool with run_in_background: true:

cd /Users/johnlindquist/dev/script-kit-gpui && ./dev.sh

This starts cargo-watch which auto-rebuilds on any src/ file change. Save the task_id from the result.

Step 2: Check Logs

Use TaskOutput with block: false to read current output without waiting:

TaskOutput(task_id=<id>, block=false, timeout=5000)

Or use Bash to tail the session log file:

tail -50 ~/.scriptkit/logs/latest-session.jsonl

The app uses compact AI log format by default (SS.mmm|L|C|message):

• SS.mmm = seconds.milliseconds since start
• L = level (i=info, d=debug, w=warn, e=error)
• C = component (EXEC, KEY, FOCUS, RENDER, etc.)

Step 3: Edit Code and Wait for Rebuild

After editing files in src/, cargo-watch detects the change and rebuilds automatically. Wait ~15 seconds for:

• File change detection (~1s)
• Incremental compile (~10-14s)
• App restart (~1-2s)

Then check logs again via TaskOutput or tail.

Step 4: Verify Expected Behavior

Look for specific log patterns that confirm the change worked. Examples:

Step 5: Interact with the Running App

Send stdin JSON commands to the app via its session log or interact directly. Common commands:

# Show the window (it starts hidden)
echo '{"type":"show"}' | socat - UNIX-CONNECT:/tmp/scriptkit.sock

# Or use the log to confirm manual interaction
# (click the app, press keys, watch logs)

Step 6: Stop When Done

Use TaskStop with the task_id to kill the background dev.sh process.

Iteration Patterns

"I changed X, did it work?"

1. Make the edit
2. Wait 15s for rebuild
3. TaskOutput(block=false) — scan for rebuild success (Compiling... → Finished)
4. Check for your specific log output
5. If not present, check for compile errors in the output

"The app crashes on startup"

1. TaskOutput(block=false) — look for panic/error in output
2. Fix the code
3. cargo-watch auto-rebuilds
4. Check output again

"I need to test a specific interaction"

1. Make sure app is running (check TaskOutput for Finished + startup logs)
2. Manually interact with the app window (or send stdin commands)
3. Check logs for the expected behavior

Log File Locations

Gotchas

• First build takes ~60s. Incremental rebuilds are ~10-15s.
• cargo-watch needs to be installed. cargo install cargo-watch if missing.
• App starts hidden. You need to trigger it via global hotkey or stdin commands.
• Don't edit test files — cargo-watch ignores them, so changes won't trigger rebuild.
• Multiple dev.sh instances conflict. Stop the old one before starting a new one.
• Check compile errors first. If TaskOutput shows error[E...], fix the code before checking behavior.