Tilt Config

Workflow

1. Inventory the repo and target workflow

   • Detect existing Tilt: Tiltfile, tilt_config.json, .tiltignore, .tilt-dev/, tilt_modules/.
   • Detect orchestration inputs: Kubernetes YAML, Helm charts, Kustomize, Dockerfiles, docker-compose.yml, local dev commands (Makefile, task runners).
   • Confirm intent (local dev, CI via tilt ci, or both) and the execution environment (local cluster vs remote cluster).

2. Choose the minimal Tilt resource model

   • Prefer the simplest setup that matches the repo:
     • Kubernetes-first: load manifests, register image builds, then refine with resource grouping/port-forwards.
     • Docker Compose-first: wire docker_compose/Compose resources when the repo already uses Compose.
     • Local-process-first: use local_resource for non-containerized dev servers and build steps.
   • Keep effects at the edge: Tiltfile should orchestrate dev flows, not replace the app’s own build tooling.

3. Author or update Tiltfile iteratively

   • Start with a small working Tiltfile, then add features (live_update, buttons, triggers, health checks) only when needed.
   • Use local docs to confirm exact function signatures and semantics before writing non-trivial Tiltfile code.

4. Debug with first-party diagnostics

   • Prefer tilt doctor output when reporting or investigating environment issues.
   • Prefer inspecting specific resource state (e.g., via tilt get ... -o json) and resource logs rather than restarting tilt up.

Local Tilt docs (source checkout)

This skill assumes the Tilt docs source is available at:

• /Users/alexeus/src/tilt.build/docs (docs pages)
• /Users/alexeus/src/tilt.build/src/_includes/api (generated Tiltfile API reference HTML)
• /Users/alexeus/src/tilt.build/src/_data/snippets (curated Tiltfile snippet examples)

Use the helper script in this skill:

• Search docs quickly: python3 scripts/tilt_docs.py rg docker_build
• Extract API reference section: python3 scripts/tilt_docs.py api docker_build
• Show a snippet example: python3 scripts/tilt_docs.py snippet docker_build_simple

For more details on paths and how the script works, load references/tilt-docs-local.md.