Bun build with watch by artemdemo · Pull Request #198 · base44/cli

artemdemo · 2026-02-05T09:11:33Z

Note

Description

Refactors the build process by extracting build logic into a standalone build.ts script in the new infra/ directory. This improves maintainability and enables a new watch mode that automatically rebuilds when source files change, significantly improving the development experience. The build output structure is also updated to better organize bundled CLI code (dist/cli/) and template files (dist/templates/).

Related Issue

None

Type of Change

Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
Documentation update
Refactoring (no functional changes)
Other (please describe):

Changes Made

Created standalone infra/build.ts script with explicit Bun build configuration and colored console output
Added watch mode (--watch flag) that monitors ./src directory and automatically rebuilds on changes
Updated build output structure: dist/cli/index.js (bundled code) and dist/templates/ (template files)
Added build:watch npm script for development workflow
Updated bin/run.js to import from new dist/cli/index.js path
Fixed template path resolution in src/core/config.ts to match new structure (../templates instead of templates)
Updated test path in CLITestkit.ts to reference new bundled file location
Enhanced clean script to create dist directory after removal

Testing

I have tested these changes locally
I have added/updated tests as needed
All tests pass (npm test)

Checklist

My code follows the project's style guidelines
I have performed a self-review of my own code
I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
I have made corresponding changes to the documentation (if applicable)
My changes generate no new warnings
I have updated CLAUDE.md if I made architectural changes

Additional Notes

The watch mode uses Node.js fs.watch with recursive monitoring since Bun.build doesn't provide a programmatic watch API. Build output includes colored console messages using chalk for better visibility (green checkmarks for success, red for errors, cyan for file paths, yellow for watch mode status).

Note: This changes the internal build output structure but does not affect the public API - the npm package still works identically for end users since bin/run.js correctly imports from the new location.

_{🤖 Generated by Claude | 2026-02-05 21:42 UTC}

github-actions · 2026-02-05T09:11:59Z

🚀 Package Preview Available!

Install this PR's preview build with npm:

npm i @base44-preview/cli@0.0.28-pr.198.1b295ba

Prefer not to change any import paths? Install using npm alias so your code still imports base44:

npm i "base44@npm:@base44-preview/cli@0.0.28-pr.198.1b295ba"

Or add it to your package.json dependencies:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "base44": "npm:@base44-preview/cli@0.0.28-pr.198.1b295ba"
  }
}

📦 Preview Package: @base44-preview/cli@0.0.28-pr.198.1b295ba
🔗 View this commit on GitHub

_{Preview published to npm registry — try new features instantly!}

claude · 2026-02-05T09:20:04Z

Code Review

Found 1 issue:

Missing initial build in watch mode

File: build.ts (line 20)

In watch mode, no initial build is performed. The runBuild() function is only called inside the watch callback, which means users must wait for a file change before the first build happens.

When running bun run build:watch, the templates are copied (line 17) but no JavaScript bundle is built until a source file is modified. This leaves the dist directory missing the main index.js output, causing the CLI to fail if run immediately.

Suggested fix:

Add an initial runBuild() call before setting up the watcher:

await cp("./templates", path.join(distDir, "templates"), { recursive: true });

if (args.includes("--watch")) {
  console.log("Watching for changes...");
  
  // Perform initial build
  const initialBuild = await runBuild();
  console.log(initialBuild.outputs.map((o) => o.path).join(", "));

  // Watch for changes
  for await (const _event of watch("./src", { recursive: true })) {
    const build = await runBuild();
    console.log(build.outputs.map((o) => o.path).join(", "));
  }
  
  await new Promise(() => {});
}

Context:

cli/build.ts

Lines 17 to 27 in 768e53e

    
           await cp("./templates", path.join(distDir, "templates"), { recursive: true }); 
        
           if (process.argv.includes("--watch")) { 
        
             console.log("\nWatching for changes..."); 
        
             for (const dir of ["./src"]) { 
        
               watch(dir, { recursive: true }, async (event, filename) => { 
        
                 const cliBuild = await runBuild(); 
        
           			console.log(cliBuild.outputs.map((o) => o.path).join(", ")); 
        
               }); 
        
             }

kfirstri · 2026-02-05T09:25:31Z

build.ts

+if (process.argv.includes("--watch")) {
+  console.log("\nWatching for changes...");
+
+  for (const dir of ["./src"]) {


do we need this? future proofing?

yes, there will be another entry directory.
I need to build Deno code, so I prefer not to put it together with Node

kfirstri · 2026-02-05T09:25:56Z

build.ts

+  for (const dir of ["./src"]) {
+    watch(dir, { recursive: true }, async (event, filename) => {
+      const cliBuild = await runBuild();
+			console.log(cliBuild.outputs.map((o) => o.path).join(", "));


weird spacing

fixing 🙏

kfirstri

Love that we're extracting it out

artemdemo · 2026-02-05T09:47:28Z

infra/build.ts

+const runBuild = async () => {
+  const result = await Bun.build({
+    entrypoints: ["./src/cli/index.ts"],
+    outdir: "./dist/cli",


Moving pure cli code into dedicated folder in dist.
This way we can safely add another output in dist (like for additional entries) without concerning with files overriding each other.

artemdemo · 2026-02-05T09:48:02Z

infra/build.ts

+    );
+  };
+
+  await runBuild();


Watch mode should start with fully building the code, otherwise it will wait for the first change to happen.

artemdemo · 2026-02-05T09:48:33Z

src/core/config.ts


 // After bundling, import.meta.url points to dist/cli/index.js
-// Templates are copied to dist/cli/templates/
+// Templates are copied to dist/templates/


Comment was originally incorrect. templates were always in dist/templates/

artemdemo · 2026-02-05T09:48:51Z

src/core/config.ts


 export function getTemplatesDir(): string {
-  return join(__dirname, "templates");
+  return join(__dirname, "../templates");


Since cli code is now in dist/cli - this path should change

we just need to make sure it's working fine in dev + in dist

when you say dev, what do you mean?
aren't templates used only for creation of the new app?
I tested it for creation and it works fine.

artemdemo · 2026-02-05T09:49:23Z

package.json

    "dev": "./bin/dev.ts",
    "start": "./bin/run.js",
-    "clean": "rm -rf dist",
+    "clean": "rm -rf dist && mkdir -p dist",


recreating dist folder, so I could copy templates folder before running bun build

artemdemo · 2026-02-05T09:49:39Z

bin/run.js

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
-import { runCLI } from "../dist/index.js";
+import { runCLI } from "../dist/cli/index.js";


See comments about output changes below

artemdemo · 2026-02-05T09:51:29Z

@claude review

claude · 2026-02-05T09:51:47Z

Claude finished @artemdemo's task in 1m 9s —— View job

Code Review

This is a solid refactoring that improves the build process organization and adds useful watch mode functionality. The code is well-structured and the changes are mostly straightforward. Here are my findings:

✅ Strengths

Good architectural decisions:

Extracting build logic into a dedicated TypeScript file is much cleaner than inline package.json commands
The watch mode implementation is straightforward and uses Node.js built-in fs.watch
The initial build before watch (infra/build.ts:43) correctly addresses the issue identified in Claude's earlier comment
Output structure change (dist/cli/ vs dist/) provides better organization for future expansion (like Deno builds)

Clean code:

Good use of chalk for colored output
Clear separation between watch and non-watch modes
Proper error handling with process.exit(1) on build failures

🔍 Issues Found

1. Inconsistent array iteration pattern (`infra/build.ts:45`)

for (const dir of ["./src"]) {
  watch(dir, { recursive: true }, changeHandler);
}

This iterates over an array with only one element. Either:

Remove the array if there will always be one directory: watch("./src", { recursive: true }, changeHandler);
Or if planning to add more directories, add a comment explaining the future-proofing (as mentioned in review comments)

Recommendation: If planning to watch multiple directories (like for Deno builds), add a comment. Otherwise, simplify to direct call.

2. Unused `formatOutput` function (`infra/build.ts:24-26`)

The function is defined but only used once in the non-watch branch. In the watch branch (line 39), you're manually formatting:

chalk.cyan(result.outputs[0]?.path ?? "")

Recommendation: Either use formatOutput consistently in both branches, or inline it if it's not providing value. Current inconsistency is confusing.

3. Missing template copy in `build:watch` (`package.json:15`)

The build:watch script copies templates once at startup:

"build:watch": "npm run clean && cp -r templates dist/ && bun run infra/build.ts --watch"

If templates are modified during watch mode, they won't be re-copied. This could lead to stale templates during development.

Recommendation: Either:

Document this limitation in the PR description or as a comment
Or add templates/ to the watch directories and handle template copying in the change handler
Or accept this as acceptable behavior (templates rarely change during rapid CLI iteration)

4. Test path hardcoding (`tests/cli/testkit/CLITestkit.ts:12`)

The path is correctly updated:

const DIST_INDEX_PATH = join(__dirname, "../../../dist/cli/index.js");

However, this creates a tight coupling to the directory structure. If the test directory moves or the output structure changes again, this breaks.

Recommendation: Consider importing from package root or using a constant. Not critical since this is internal test code, but worth noting.

🎯 Minor Observations

Cross-platform compatibility (package.json:14-15)
- The cp -r command in build scripts is Unix-only
- The CLAUDE.md mentions "Use path module utilities, never hardcode separators" for cross-platform support
- Consider using a Node script or fs-extra for copying in the future if Windows support is needed
Watch error handling
- The changeHandler doesn't catch errors from runBuild()
- If a build fails during watch, the error is logged but the process continues (which is probably correct behavior)
- Consider whether you want to surface build failures more prominently
Process keep-alive pattern (infra/build.ts:50)
```
await new Promise(() => {});
```
This is a clever way to keep the process alive, though setInterval(() => {}, 1 << 30) is another common pattern. Current approach is fine.

📋 Summary

Verdict: ✅ Approve with minor suggestions

The PR achieves its stated goals and the code quality is good. The issues identified are minor and don't block merging:

Issue Add Claude Code GitHub Workflow #1 and chore(npm): change npm to and fix workflows #2 are style/clarity issues
Issue more everything to single repo #3 is a known limitation (acceptable for templates)
Issue Add repository field to package.json for npm provenance #4 is a non-critical coupling

The refactoring provides clear value and sets up a good foundation for future build configuration extensions.

| Branch: bun-build

kfirstri · 2026-02-05T10:07:26Z

package.json

  "scripts": {
-    "build": "rm -rf dist && bun build src/cli/index.ts --outdir dist --target node --format esm --sourcemap=inline && cp -r templates dist/",
+    "build": "npm run clean && cp -r templates dist/ && bun run infra/build.ts",
+    "build:watch": "npm run clean && cp -r templates dist/ && bun run infra/build.ts --watch",


just for the sake of being aligned, can we use bun run clean in both commands?

kfirstri

I think it should be fine, just worried that this

export function getTemplatesDir(): string {
  return join(__dirname, "../templates");Collapse comment
}

might break stuff between dev/release version?

other than that - awesome 💪

Bun build process

768e53e

artemdemo marked this pull request as ready for review February 5, 2026 09:15

kfirstri reviewed Feb 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

artemdemo added 4 commits February 5, 2026 11:35

refactored

3ea4aec

added colors

a9b3e5e

upd

bf4c104

fixed templates

f7ba5a0

artemdemo commented Feb 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

fixed tests

89c411a

fix

b35160b

kfirstri reviewed Feb 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

kfirstri previously approved these changes Feb 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

upd

b24b739

artemdemo dismissed kfirstri’s stale review via b24b739 February 5, 2026 10:37

kfirstri approved these changes Feb 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

artemdemo merged commit 2dbeda0 into main Feb 5, 2026
7 checks passed

artemdemo deleted the bun-build branch February 5, 2026 10:59

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artemdemo commented Feb 5, 2026 • edited by claude bot Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Description

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claude bot commented Feb 5, 2026

Code Review

Missing initial build in watch mode

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artemdemo commented Feb 5, 2026

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claude bot commented Feb 5, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Code Review

✅ Strengths

🔍 Issues Found

1. Inconsistent array iteration pattern (infra/build.ts:45)

2. Unused formatOutput function (infra/build.ts:24-26)

3. Missing template copy in build:watch (package.json:15)

4. Test path hardcoding (tests/cli/testkit/CLITestkit.ts:12)

🎯 Minor Observations

📋 Summary

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artemdemo commented Feb 5, 2026 •

edited by claude bot

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1. Inconsistent array iteration pattern (`infra/build.ts:45`)

2. Unused `formatOutput` function (`infra/build.ts:24-26`)

3. Missing template copy in `build:watch` (`package.json:15`)

4. Test path hardcoding (`tests/cli/testkit/CLITestkit.ts:12`)