| 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.
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| 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).
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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
- 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.
- Launch the dev session from the worktree with the plugin loaded live:
cd .claude/worktrees/<kind>+<N>-<slug>
claude --plugin-dir "$PWD/packages/claude-kit-plugin"
--plugin-dir loads the plugin directly from disk — no cache, no install, no version.- The dev-session plugin shadows the marketplace install for that session; the rest of
the sessions keep the stable installed kit.
iterate — the inner loop
- Edit skills / agents / hooks / scripts in the plugin source.
- In the dev session run
/reload-plugins — picks up the edits in-session (skills, agents,
hooks, MCP). No restart needed; restart only if /reload-plugins misbehaves.
- Project-level kit files (
.claude/skills/, scripts/, rules) are ordinary repo files —
same worktree, no reload mechanics, new session reads them fresh.
ship — land it and update the installed kit
"${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.- Run the
/kit-task-pr-auto flow — commit, push, PR (Closes #N), squash-merge to the base.
- 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.
