feat: local-dev rescope — base44 dev --remote, template on vite-plugin, base44 build, deploy --build

[davidsu]

Note

Description

This PR rescopes local development so the Base44 app id is injected by the CLI at serve/build time instead of being baked into scaffolded source. It adds a base44 build command, an opt-in build step for base44 deploy / base44 site deploy (--build / --no-build), and base44 dev --remote for running the local frontend against the production backend. The backend-and-client template moves onto the same client convention editor-created apps use (@base44/vite-plugin + src/lib/app-params.js, SDK client on same-origin /api).

Related Issue

None

Type of Change

• Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
• Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
• Documentation update
• Refactoring (no functional changes)
• Other (please describe):

Changes Made

New base44 build command

• cli/commands/project/build.ts runs the project's site.buildCommand with VITE_BASE44_APP_ID set to the linked app id; requires a linked project (ConfigInvalidError otherwise). Registered in program.ts.
• New cli/commands/project/site-build.ts holds the shared helpers: runSiteBuild() (runs the command through execa inside runTask, throws ConfigNotFoundError with a config hint when site.buildCommand is missing) and shouldBuildBeforeDeploy() (explicit flag > non-interactive default of false > confirm prompt).

Build before deploy

• base44 deploy and base44 site deploy gain --build / --no-build; interactive runs prompt, non-interactive runs default to not building. Project deploy only offers it when site.outputDirectory is configured.
• eject passes build: false so its internal deploy keeps its current behaviour.
• scaffold-shared.ts injects VITE_BASE44_APP_ID into the post-create build.
• core/site/deploy.ts missing-output hints now point at base44 build instead of a bare npm run build.

base44 dev --remote

• Runs only site.serveCommand, with VITE_BASE44_APP_ID and VITE_BASE44_APP_BASE_URL pointed at the app's published URL from getSiteUrl(); no local backend is started.
• Fails when the app has no published URL, when the project has no site.serveCommand, or when --port is combined with --remote.
• dev.ts split into remoteDevAction / localDevAction with shared helpers resolveConfiguredSite() and stopRunnerOnProcessSignals(); the remote runner exits with the frontend's exit code. ServeCommandRunnerOptions is now exported so the new ConfiguredSite type can be a Pick of it.

Template (backend-and-client)

• vite.config.js now uses @base44/vite-plugin (which supplies the @ alias and proxies /api to the local dev backend) alongside @vitejs/plugin-react.
• src/api/base44Client.js.ejs (app id hardcoded at scaffold time) replaced by a static src/api/base44Client.js that reads from the new src/lib/app-params.js, with serverUrl: '' for same-origin API calls.
• Bumped @base44/sdk to ^0.8.40 and added @base44/vite-plugin ^1.0.30.

Tests & changelog

• New tests/cli/build.spec.ts: build happy path and failure modes, deploy --build / --no-build / default, site deploy --build, and build-failure propagation. New fixtures with-buildable-site and with-failing-build.
• New dev --remote cases in tests/cli/dev.spec.ts (published-URL injection, missing URL, --port rejection, missing serveCommand, exit propagation) and a create case asserting the new template convention.
• CHANGELOG.md updated under Added / Changed.

Testing

• I have tested these changes locally
• I have added/updated tests as needed
• All tests pass (npm test)

Checklist

• My code follows the project's style guidelines
• I have performed a self-review of my own code
• I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
• I have made corresponding changes to the documentation (if applicable)
• My changes generate no new warnings
• I have updated docs/ (AGENTS.md) if I made architectural changes

Additional Notes

The template change affects newly scaffolded projects only; existing projects with a hardcoded appId keep working. Since the app id now comes from VITE_BASE44_APP_ID, a bare npm run build no longer produces a correctly configured bundle — use base44 build (or base44 deploy --build), which is why the missing-output deploy hint was reworded.

Not done here: docs/ was not updated for the new build command or the --remote / --build flags, and the test suite was not executed in this environment (no node_modules/dist present), so the 'tested locally' and 'all tests pass' boxes are left unchecked.

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_{🤖 Generated by Claude | 2026-07-30 13:52 UTC | b42a66a}

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{
  "dependencies": {
    "base44": "npm:@base44-preview/cli@0.1.6-pr.580.b42a66a"
  }
}

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[chimamark199713-dev]

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