---
name: setup-qa
description: Prepare the current DevSpace checkout or worktree for isolated local manual QA. Use when the user asks to set up QA, test a worktree locally, try an experiment in ChatGPT, or reset the local QA environment.
---

# Set up DevSpace manual QA

Use the current checkout or worktree. DevSpace's repo-local QA state lives in `.devspace-dev/` and should be used instead of the user's normal DevSpace state.

## Prepare the checkout

If this checkout has not been initialized for QA yet:

```bash
pnpm dev:seed
```

`dev:seed` forks the user's current DevSpace config, auth, local skills/agents, and SQLite state into this checkout's `.devspace-dev/` directory.

For ChatGPT app, widget, CSS, or icon changes, build the UI assets before testing:

```bash
pnpm build:app
```

The source server serves UI assets from `dist/ui`, not directly from `src/ui`.

## Run QA

Start the source server from this checkout with:

```bash
pnpm dev
```

It uses `.devspace-dev/config` and runs the source server under `tsx watch`, so server-side TypeScript changes reload automatically. Frontend changes still need another `pnpm build:app`.

The seeded QA state usually lets ChatGPT keep using the existing connector and tunnel while switching from the installed DevSpace server to this checkout's server.

For UI work, trigger a fresh tool result after rebuilding so ChatGPT loads the new hashed Vite assets.

## Reset the QA snapshot

Only when a fresh fork of the normal DevSpace state is needed:

```bash
pnpm dev:reset
```

Run this with `pnpm dev` stopped, then start `pnpm dev` again so the replaced snapshot is loaded. If the user's normal installation uses a custom `DEVSPACE_CONFIG_DIR`, preserve it while running `dev:seed` or `dev:reset`.