context dev

The dev command starts a file watcher that re-runs the linter every time you save a context file. This gives you instant feedback while editing metadata YAML.

Usage

context dev

Options

Option	Description	Default
--context-dir <path>	Path to context directory	./context
--fix	Auto-fix problems on each re-lint	Off
--studio	Launch the visual metadata editor in your browser	Off
--port <number>	Port for the Studio dev server	4400
--host <address>	Host address for the Studio dev server	localhost

Examples

Watch with live linting

context dev

Edit any .yaml file in context/ and the linter runs automatically on save.

Watch with auto-fix

context dev --fix

Fixable lint violations are corrected automatically each time a file changes.

Studio Mode

Pass --studio to open an interactive metadata editor in your browser:

context dev --studio

Studio gives you a visual interface for curating metadata without hand-editing YAML. The editing workflow:

1. Browse — navigate your models, columns, and governance files in a tree view.
2. Click to edit — select any field to modify it inline. Editable fields include descriptions, semantic roles, aggregation rules, trust status, golden queries, guardrails, lineage, and glossary terms.
3. Stage changes — edits are staged automatically as you work.
4. Preview diff — review a unified diff of every pending change before saving.
5. Save — writes changes back to the underlying YAML files, triggers a recompile, and the tier scorecard updates live.

Custom port or host

context dev --studio --port 5000
context dev --studio --host 0.0.0.0

Typical workflow

# Terminal 1: Start dev mode
context dev

# Terminal 2: Edit metadata files
# (lint results appear in Terminal 1 on every save)

This is especially useful when curating metadata toward Gold tier — edit a governance file, see the lint results instantly, fix issues, repeat.

Next steps

• Run a one-time lint check with context lint
• Check your tier score with context tier