nx-workspace

# Nx Workspace Exploration This skill provides read-only exploration of Nx workspaces. Use it to understand workspace structure, project configuration, available targets, and dependencies. Keep in mind that you might have to prefix commands with `npx`/`pnpx`/`yarn` if nx isn't installed globally. Check the lockfile to determine the package manager in use. ## Listing Projects Use `nx show projects` to list projects in the workspace. The project filtering syntax (`-p`/`--projects`) works across many Nx commands including `nx run-many`, `nx release`, `nx show projects`, and more. Filters support explicit names, glob patterns, tag references (e.g. `tag:name`), directories, and negation (e.g. `!project-name`). ```bash # List all projects nx show projects # Filter by pattern (glob) nx show projects --projects "apps/*" nx show projects --projects "shared-*" # Filter by tag nx show projects --projects "tag:publishable" nx show projects -p 'tag:publishable,!tag:internal' # Filter by target (projects that have a specific target) nx show projects --withTarget build # Combine filters nx show projects --type lib --withTarget test nx show projects --affected --exclude="*-e2e" nx show projects -p "tag:scope:client,packages/*" # Negate patterns nx show projects -p '!tag:private' nx show projects -p '!*-e2e' # Output as JSON nx show projects --json ``` ## Project Configuration Use `nx show project <name> --json` to get the full resolved configuration for a project. **Important**: Do NOT read `project.json` directly - it only contains partial configuration. The `nx show project --json` command returns the full resolved config including inferred targets from plugins. You can read the full project schema at `node_modules/nx/schemas/project-schema.json` to understand nx project configuration options. ```bash # Get full project configuration nx show project my-app --json # Extract specific parts from the JSON nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets' nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build' nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets | keys' # Check project metadata nx show project my-app --json | jq '{name, root, sourceRoot, projectType, tags}' ``` ## Target Information Targets define what tasks can be run on a project. ```bash # List all targets for a project nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets | keys' # Get full target configuration nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build' # Check target executor/command nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.executor' nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.command' # View target options nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.options' # Check target inputs/outputs (for caching) nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.inputs' nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.outputs' # Find projects with a specific target nx show projects --withTarget serve nx show projects --withTarget e2e ``` ## Workspace Configuration Read `nx.json` directly for workspace-level configuration. You can read the full project schema at `node_modules/nx/schemas/nx-schema.json` to understand nx project configuration options. ```bash # Read the full nx.json cat nx.json # Or use jq for specific sections cat nx.json | jq '.targetDefaults' cat nx.json | jq '.namedInputs' cat nx.json | jq '.plugins' cat nx.json | jq '.generators' ``` Key nx.json sections: - `targetDefaults` - Default configuration applied to all targets of a given name - `namedInputs` - Reusable input definitions for caching - `plugins` - Nx plugins and their configuration - ...and much more, read the schema or nx.json for details ## Affected Projects If the user is asking about affected projects, read the [affected projects reference](references/AFFECTED.md) for detailed commands and examples. ## Common Exploration Patterns ### "What's in this workspace?" ```bash nx show projects nx show projects --type app nx show projects --type lib ``` ### "How do I build/test/lint project X?" ```bash nx show project X --json | jq '.targets | keys' nx show project X --json | jq '.targets.build' ``` ### "What depends on library Y?" ```bash # Use the project graph to find dependents nx graph --print | jq '.graph.dependencies | to_entries[] | select(.value[].target == "Y") | .key' ``` ## Programmatic Answers When processing nx CLI results, use command-line tools to compute the answer programmatically rather than counting or parsing output manually. Always use `--json` flags to get structured output that can be processed with `jq`, `grep`, or other tools you have installed locally. ### Listing Projects ```bash nx show projects --json ``` Example output: ```json ["my-app", "my-app-e2e", "shared-ui", "shared-utils", "api"] ``` Common operations: ```bash # Count projects nx show projects --json | jq 'length' # Filter by pattern nx show projects --json | jq '.[] | select(startswith("shared-"))' # Get affected projects as array nx show projects --affected --json | jq '.' ``` ### Project Details ```bash nx show project my-app --json ``` Example output: ```json { "root": "apps/my-app", "name": "my-app", "sourceRoot": "apps/my-app/src", "projectType": "application", "tags": ["type:app", "scope:client"], "targets": { "build": { "executor": "@nx/vite:build", "options": { "outputPath": "dist/apps/my-app" } }, "serve": { "executor": "@nx/vite:dev-server", "options": { "buildTarget": "my-app:build" } }, "test": { "executor": "@nx/vite:test", "options": {} } }, "implicitDependencies": [] } ``` Common operations: ```bash # Get target names nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets | keys' # Get specific target config nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build' # Get tags nx show project my-app --json | jq '.tags' # Get project root nx show project my-app --json | jq -r '.root' ``` ### Project Graph ```bash nx graph --print ``` Example output: ```json { "graph": { "nodes": { "my-app": { "name": "my-app", "type": "app", "data": { "root": "apps/my-app", "tags": ["type:app"] } }, "shared-ui": { "name": "shared-ui", "type": "lib", "data": { "root": "libs/shared-ui", "tags": ["type:ui"] } } }, "dependencies": { "my-app": [ { "source": "my-app", "target": "shared-ui", "type": "static" } ], "shared-ui": [] } } } ``` Common operations: ```bash # Get all project names from graph nx graph --print | jq '.graph.nodes | keys' # Find dependencies of a project nx graph --print | jq '.graph.dependencies["my-app"]' # Find projects that depend on a library nx graph --print | jq '.graph.dependencies | to_entries[] | select(.value[].target == "shared-ui") | .key' ``` ## Troubleshooting ### "Cannot find configuration for task X:target" ```bash # Check what targets exist on the project nx show project X --json | jq '.targets | keys' # Check if any projects have that target nx show projects --withTarget target ``` ### "The workspace is out of sync" ```bash nx sync nx reset # if sync doesn't fix stale cache ```