feat: a development loop in one command

`docsgpt up --native` installs services meant to outlive the shell. Development
wants the opposite, and until now it meant three terminals from the guide:
uvicorn, celery, and vite.

`docsgpt dev` runs this checkout's API and worker as children of one terminal,
both restarting when a file is saved, their output interleaved and labelled, and
Ctrl-C stopping them together. `--ui` adds the Vite dev server, `--mock-llm`
runs the bundled mock model so no API key is needed, and `--no-worker` leaves
the worker to your editor's debugger. Celery has no reloader of its own, so the
worker is wrapped in watchfiles when it is installed, and runs plain when it is
not.

Alongside it, the commands a dev loop keeps reaching for:

- `docsgpt doctor` checks what usually breaks a new setup: PostgreSQL answering
  and its schema matching this version, Redis answering, a model provider being
  configured, and the port being free.
- `docsgpt restart [api|worker]` bounces services without rewriting settings or
  rerunning migrations, which `down` plus `up` did.
- `docsgpt logs -f` follows a native install instead of telling you to run
  `tail -f` yourself.
- `docsgpt env set` applies itself to a running native install rather than
  asking you to run `docsgpt up` again to change one value.

Two bugs found on the way, both older than this change:

- `docsgpt api --reload` watched the working directory, which in a checkout is
  178,425 files: .venv, node_modules, and the indexes/ and inputs/ the app
  writes to while ingesting, so the server restarted itself mid-request. It
  watches the package now — 1,217 files.
- The VS Code "Flask Debugger" ran `flask run`, which serves only the WSGI app:
  /mcp, the SSE streams and artifact downloads 404 under it. The guide warned
  about this in prose while the debug config did it anyway. It runs uvicorn on
  the ASGI app now, like production.
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Alex committed 2026-09-17 11:32:50 +01:00
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@@ -119,7 +119,34 @@ To run the DocsGPT backend locally, you'll need to set up a Python environment a
5. **Run the Backend:**
For local development, run the ASGI composition under uvicorn. It serves the **whole** application, hot-reloads on source changes, and matches the production runtime:
One command runs the API and the worker from this checkout, each restarting when you save a file:
```bash
docsgpt dev
```
Both run as children of that terminal, with their output interleaved and labelled, and Ctrl-C stops
them together. Useful flags:
| Flag | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `--ui` | also start the Vite dev server, so the whole app runs from one command |
| `--mock-llm` | run `scripts/mock_llm.py` and point DocsGPT at it, so no API key is needed |
| `--no-worker` | leave the worker to you, for instance when debugging it in your editor |
| `--no-reload` | do not restart anything on save |
| `--port` | serve the API somewhere other than 7091 |
`docsgpt dev` is for a checkout. `docsgpt up --native`, by contrast, installs supervised services
that outlive the shell — see [Run it as services](/Deploying/Pip-Install#run-it-as-services-without-docker).
<Callout type="info">
`docsgpt doctor` checks the things that usually break a new setup: whether PostgreSQL answers and
its schema matches this version, whether Redis answers, whether a model provider is configured,
and whether the port is free. Run it first when something does not start.
</Callout>
To run the two processes yourself instead, start the ASGI composition under uvicorn. It serves the
**whole** application, hot-reloads on source changes, and matches the production runtime:
```bash
uvicorn docsgpt.asgi:asgi_app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 7091 --reload
@@ -135,7 +162,7 @@ To run the DocsGPT backend locally, you'll need to set up a Python environment a
But it serves **only** the WSGI Flask app and omits the native-async routes mounted on the ASGI shell in `docsgpt/asgi.py`: the `/mcp` FastMCP endpoint, the chat reconnect reader `GET /api/messages/<id>/events`, the notification stream `GET /api/events`, the remote-device command stream `GET /api/devices/sessions/<id>/events`, and artifact downloads `GET /api/artifacts/<id>/download`. Under `flask run` those paths return 404 — chat still works (`POST /stream` is a Flask route), but live notifications, stream auto-resume, paired devices and artifact downloads don't. Use `flask run` only when you don't need them.
6. **Start the Celery Worker:**
6. **Start the Celery Worker** (not needed if you used `docsgpt dev`)**:**
Open a new terminal window (and activate your virtual environment if you used one). Start the Celery worker to handle background tasks:
@@ -153,10 +180,14 @@ To run the DocsGPT backend locally, you'll need to set up a Python environment a
**Running in Debugger (VSCode):**
For easier debugging, you can launch the Flask app and Celery worker directly from VSCode's debugger.
For easier debugging, you can launch the API and the Celery worker directly from VSCode's debugger.
* Press <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Cmd</kbd> + <kbd>D</kbd> (macOS) or <kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Windows</kbd> + <kbd>D</kbd> (Windows) to open the Run and Debug view.
* You should see configurations named "Flask" and "Celery". Select the desired configuration and click the "Start Debugging" button (green play icon).
* You should see configurations named "API (uvicorn)" and "Celery worker", and a compound "DocsGPT: Full Stack" that starts them with the frontend. Select one and click the "Start Debugging" button (green play icon).
The API configuration runs the same ASGI app as production, so the routes mounted on the ASGI shell
work under the debugger. It deliberately runs without `--reload`: the reloader restarts the server in
a child process, which your breakpoints would not be attached to.
## 3. Start the Frontend
@@ -207,3 +238,16 @@ To run the DocsGPT frontend locally, you'll need Node.js and npm (Node Package M
This command will start the Vite development server. The frontend application will typically be accessible at [http://localhost:5173/](http://localhost:5173/). The terminal will display the exact URL where the frontend is running.
With both the backend and frontend running, you should now have a fully functional DocsGPT development environment. You can access the application in your browser at [http://localhost:5173/](http://localhost:5173/) and start developing!
## Working on two branches at once
Each install keeps its own directory and its own services, so a second branch can run beside the
first as long as it gets its own port:
```bash
docsgpt dev --port 7092 # a second checkout, second terminal
docsgpt up --native --dir ~/.docsgpt/review --port 7092 # or a second installed copy
```
A native install in another directory gets its own service names, so the two never write over each
other's units. `docsgpt status --dir ~/.docsgpt/review` reports on that one alone.