kit-dev

name	kit-dev
description	Fast local dev loop for claude-kit itself (the plugin source). start: worktree + launch instructions for `claude --plugin-dir` (plugin loads live from disk, no cache, no version bump). Iterate with /reload-plugins. ship: auto-bump semver + kit-task-pr-auto + one-command update of the installed plugin.
when_to_use	When modifying the kit itself — skills, agents, hooks, scripts, profiles in the claude-kit-plugin source — and you want to test changes live without the merge→bump→marketplace-update cycle. Not for consuming the kit (that's /kit-update).

kit-dev — develop claude-kit without the publish cycle

The kit's source of truth is the claude-kit-plugin package; the installed plugin comes from the marketplace (dedupes by version). This skill replaces the slow loop (merge → manual bump → marketplace update → plugin update) with a live local loop.

Subcommands

/kit-dev start <issue> · /kit-dev ship · bare /kit-dev = print the loop + current state.

start — open the loop

1. Worktree first, like all repo work: run the /kit-task-start <N> --worktree flow (branch task/<N>-<slug> from the base branch). All kit edits happen in the worktree.
2. Launch the dev session from the worktree with the plugin loaded live:

cd .claude/worktrees/<kind>+<N>-<slug>
claude --plugin-dir "$PWD/packages/claude-kit-plugin"

• --plugin-dir loads the plugin directly from disk — no cache, no install, no version.
• The dev-session plugin shadows the marketplace install for that session; the rest of the sessions keep the stable installed kit.

iterate — the inner loop

• Edit skills / agents / hooks / scripts in the plugin source.
• In the dev session run /reload-plugins — picks up the edits in-session (skills, agents, hooks, MCP). No restart needed; restart only if /reload-plugins misbehaves.
• Project-level kit files (.claude/skills/, scripts/, rules) are ordinary repo files — same worktree, no reload mechanics, new session reads them fresh.

ship — land it and update the installed kit

1. "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/kit-bump-version.sh" beta — bumps version.json, plugin.json, package.json, and the marketplace manifest(s) in sync. (patch/minor/explicit semver for releases — a clean release advances the stable channel, a -beta.N build advances beta.) NEVER ship a kit change without the bump: /plugin update dedupes by version and silently skips.
2. Run the /kit-task-pr-auto flow — commit, push, PR (Closes #N), squash-merge to the base.
3. Update the installed plugin (one command, in any session):

/plugin marketplace update claude-kit-marketplace
/plugin update claude-kit@claude-kit-marketplace

Rules

• Worktree always — never edit the kit in the main checkout.
• The semver in plugin.json/version.json is load-bearing: the session banner and /kit-update's changelog delta read it. Auto-bump on ship, never remove it.
• The lockfile rule still applies if a kit change touches deps.