Local Development

Prerequisites

• •Node.js >= 18.14
• •npm

Starting the Dev Server

npm install   # First time only
npm run dev   # Start dev server

Server runs at http://localhost:4321/

Important: Run with unrestricted permissions (required_permissions: ["all"]) to avoid sandbox issues with Astro telemetry.

How Changes Sync

Astro's dev server watches for file changes automatically:

• •Edit any file in src/ → browser auto-reloads
• •No manual refresh needed
• •Changes appear instantly

Verifying Changes with Chrome DevTools MCP

After making UI changes, verify using Chrome DevTools MCP Server:

1. Check if site is running

Navigate to http://localhost:4321/ first. If it fails, start the dev server.

2. Take screenshots

Use Chrome DevTools MCP to capture screenshots and verify:

• •Layout renders correctly
• •Styles apply as expected
• •Content displays properly

3. Inspect elements

Use Chrome DevTools MCP to:

• •Check CSS properties
• •Debug layout issues
• •Verify responsive behavior

Do not use Cursor's built-in browser—Chrome DevTools MCP is more capable.

Available Commands

Project Structure

src/
├── pages/        # Site pages (index, articles, digests)
├── components/   # Reusable Astro components
├── layouts/      # Base layout
├── content/      # Markdown content (digests)
└── data/         # Data utilities and resources

Troubleshooting

Dev server won't start:

• •Ensure node_modules/ exists (run npm install)
• •Check Node.js version: node --version (need >= 18.14)

Changes not appearing:

• •Check terminal for compilation errors
• •Verify you're editing files in src/
• •Hard refresh browser (Cmd+Shift+R)