Skip to main content
Internal

Local Development

Run SLAW locally with zero external dependencies.

Prerequisites
  • Node.js 20+
  • pnpm 9+

Start the dev server​

pnpm install
pnpm dev

This starts:

  • API server at http://localhost:3100
  • UI served by the API server in dev middleware mode (same origin)

No Docker or external database required — SLAW uses embedded PostgreSQL automatically.

One-command bootstrap​

For a first-time install:

npx slaw run

This:

  1. Auto-onboards if config is missing
  2. Runs slaw doctor with repair enabled
  3. Starts the server when checks pass

Bind presets in dev​

Default pnpm dev stays in local_trusted with loopback-only binding.

To open SLAW to a private network with login enabled:

pnpm dev --bind lan

For Tailscale-only binding on a detected tailnet address:

pnpm dev --bind tailnet

Allow additional private hostnames:

npx slaw allowed-hostname my-machine

For full setup and troubleshooting, see Tailscale Private Access.

Health checks​

curl http://localhost:3100/api/health
# -> {"status":"ok"}

curl http://localhost:3100/api/squads
# -> []

Reset dev data​

To wipe local data and start fresh:

rm -rf ~/.slaw/instances/default/db
pnpm dev

Data locations​

DataPath
Config~/.slaw/instances/default/config.json
Database~/.slaw/instances/default/db
Storage~/.slaw/instances/default/data/storage
Secrets key~/.slaw/instances/default/secrets/master.key
Logs~/.slaw/instances/default/logs

Override with environment variables:

SLAW_HOME=/custom/path SLAW_INSTANCE_ID=dev npx slaw run

Next steps​