| name | devto-publish |
| description | Use this skill when you need to publish articles to Dev.to via their API, format markdown content for Dev.to, or manage blog posts programmatically. |
Dev.to Publish Plugin
Publish articles to Dev.to (https://dev.to) via their REST API. Requires a Dev.to API key for authentication.
Setup
-
Get your Dev.to API key:
-
Install the plugin:
sc plugins install ./plugins/devto-publish --on-conflict replace --json
Publishing Articles
Basic Publish
sc devto article publish --api-key "your-api-key" --title "My Article Title" --body-markdown "# Content here" --tags "javascript,nodejs"
Publish with Draft Mode
Save as draft instead of publishing immediately:
sc devto article publish --api-key "your-api-key" --title "Draft Article" --body-markdown "# Content" --published false --tags "webdev"
Publish from File
Publish an existing markdown file:
sc devto article publish --api-key "your-api-key" --title "Article from File" --body-markdown "$(cat my-article.md)" --tags "tutorial"
Input Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
api_key | string | Yes | Dev.to API key from https://dev.to/settings/account |
title | string | Yes | Article title |
body_markdown | string | Yes | Article content in Markdown format |
published | boolean | No | true to publish immediately, false to save as draft (default: true) |
tags | string | No | Comma-separated tags (max 4) for categorization |
Response
The command returns the published article object including:
id: Article IDurl: Published article URL (e.g., https://dev.to/username/article-slug)slug: URL-friendly identifierpublished_timestamp: When it was publishedreading_time_minutes: Estimated reading time
Agent Usage Pattern
When writing an article for a user:
- Draft the content in Markdown format
- Choose appropriate tags (max 4) relevant to the content
- Publish using the command:
sc devto article publish --api-key "your-api-key" --title "Article Title" --body-markdown "<markdown content>" --tags "tag1,tag2,tag3,tag4"
- Verify by checking the returned URL
Best Practices
- Tag selection: Use relevant, popular tags to increase visibility
- Title quality: Make titles descriptive and engaging
- Markdown formatting: Use proper Markdown syntax for code blocks, links, images
- Content length: Dev.to recommends articles between 3-15 minutes reading time
- Preview: Use
--published false to save as draft first, then publish after review
Example: Publishing Technical Article
sc devto article publish \
--api-key "your-api-key" \
--title "How to Build a REST API with Node.js" \
--body-markdown '# Introduction\n\nThis article shows how to build a REST API...\n\n```javascript\nconst express = require("express");\nconst app = express();\n```\n\n## Conclusion\n\n...' \
--tags "javascript,nodejs,api,webdev"
Critical Caveats and Pitfalls
API Key Security
- NEVER commit API keys to git - they grant full access to your Dev.to account
- Treat API keys as secrets - rotate if compromised
- Store in environment variables or secret management systems
- Do not share in public repositories or issue comments
Common Publishing Pitfalls
1. Markdown escaping issues
- When passing markdown via command line, escape special characters properly
- Use single quotes for shell:
--body-markdown '# Title\n\nContent'
- For complex markdown, write to a file first:
--body-markdown "$(cat article.md)"
2. Tag format errors
- Tags must be comma-separated string, not array:
--tags "javascript,nodejs"
- Dev.to rejects arrays or space-separated tags
- Maximum 4 tags - excess tags are ignored or cause errors
3. Title duplication
- Dev.to prevents duplicate titles within 5 minutes
- If you get this error, wait 5 minutes or modify the title slightly
- Add unique qualifiers: "How to Build X (2026 Edition)"
4. Content length limits
- Dev.to doesn't enforce strict character limits, but very long articles (>15 min read time) may have poor engagement
- Consider splitting very long content into series
- Use code blocks judiciously - they count toward reading time
5. Image handling
- Dev.to supports image uploads via web interface
- External image links work but may break over time
- For production articles, upload images through Dev.to dashboard first
6. Code block formatting
- Use triple backticks with language:
javascript` or python`
- Ensure proper indentation in code blocks
- Dev.to's markdown parser is strict about code block syntax
7. Draft vs Published confusion
- Default is
--published true - article goes live immediately
- Use
--published false for drafts to preview before publishing
- Drafts are visible only to you in dashboard
8. Rate limiting
- Dev.to may rate limit rapid successive publishes
- If you get 429 errors, wait 60 seconds before retrying
- Space out bulk publishes by at least 30 seconds
9. Character encoding
- Ensure UTF-8 encoding for special characters
- Non-ASCII characters may display incorrectly if not properly encoded
- Test special characters in draft mode first
10. URL and link validation
- Test all links before publishing
- Broken links hurt article credibility
- Use descriptive anchor text, not "click here"
Troubleshooting
Error: "unauthorized" or 401
Error: "Tag list exceed the maximum of 4 tags"
- Dev.to limits to 4 tags per article
- Use comma-separated string:
--tags "tag1,tag2,tag3,tag4"
Error: "Title has already been used in the last five minutes"
- Dev.to prevents duplicate titles within 5 minutes
- Wait 5 minutes or modify title slightly
Error: 429 Too Many Requests
- Rate limit exceeded - wait 60 seconds before retrying
- Space out publishes to avoid hitting limits
Error: 400 Bad Request
- Check JSON formatting in body_markdown
- Ensure no unescaped quotes in markdown
- Validate tag format (comma-separated string)
Dev.to API Limits
- 4 tags maximum per article
- Title must be unique within 5 minutes
- Rate limits may apply for rapid publishing
- API key grants full access to your Dev.to account
- No hard character limit, but very long articles discouraged
Related Commands
- View your articles: Visit https://dev.to/dashboard
- Edit published articles: Use Dev.to web interface
- Delete articles: Use Dev.to web interface
