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:

What you're verifying	Log pattern to look for
Webcam opens	`EXEC.*Opening Webcam`
Camera started	`EXEC.*start_capture` or camera frames flowing
Key handled	`KEY.*<keyname>`
View changed	`RENDER.*current_view`
Error occurred	`e\|` (error level) or `ERROR`
Script executed	`EXEC.*Running script`

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?"

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

"The app crashes on startup"

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

"I need to test a specific interaction"

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

Log File Locations

File	Contents
Task output	cargo-watch build output + app stdout/stderr
`~/.scriptkit/logs/latest-session.jsonl`	Structured session logs
`/tmp/sk-test-stdout.log`	Test script output (if using visual-test)

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.

dev-loop