Angelo LorenoSoftware Developer | Technical Support

01 / Developer Tool · CLI

devflow-cli

One command to start a development session.

A Node.js CLI that saves a project's editor, Git branch, environment values, and startup commands as a reusable session, then starts that development setup from the terminal.

Role
Personal Project
Type
Developer Tool / CLI
Runtime
Node.js
Maturity
Working Release · Personal Developer Tool

DEVFLOW / SESSION

local

$ devflow start my-app

Session "my-app" loaded
Preparing repository context
Opening editor
Starting saved commands

Development session started successfully
session
my-app
repository
detected
branch
main
editor
code
command 1
npm install
command 2
npm run dev

Commands

devflow initdevflow startdevflow quickdevflow listdevflow statsdevflow doctor

Faster setup / more building

Setup Friction

The small startup steps add up.

Starting a project is rarely one action. It often means finding the directory, opening the right editor, checking the Git branch, remembering the startup commands, and repeating that sequence every time context switches.

DevFlow turns that repeated local setup into named configuration, so a development session can be started again without rebuilding the working environment from memory.

Stored session shape

Path
project workspace
Editor
VS Code, Cursor, or another configured editor
Commands
startup commands stored per session
Git
optional branch context
Environment
session-level environment values
Template
optional project preset

Start Workflow

A session starts as a sequence.

  1. 01

    Developer

  2. 02

    devflow start <session>

  3. 03

    Load saved session

  4. 04

    Prepare Git branch

  5. 05

    Open editor

  6. 06

    Run startup commands

  7. 07

    Record usage

Command Surface

The CLI is organized around local workflow ownership.

Session workflow

initstartquicklistinfoeditdelete

Portability

cloneexportimportbackuprestore

Maintenance

favoritestatsdoctorsettingsstop

Implementation

Git, editor launch, and commands are separate concerns.

Configuration

Sessions are stored with the Conf package under the devflow project namespace, keeping the tool local to the developer machine.

Repository handling

simple-git is used to detect repositories and move to a configured branch before the rest of the session starts.

Process startup

open launches the configured editor, while execa runs saved commands. Long-running dev/start/serve commands are detached instead of blocking the CLI.

Current Scope

Useful now, still intentionally personal.

Verified in the repository

  • interactive session creation with project path, editor, commands, Git branch, environment values, and templates
  • one-command session start with editor launch, branch checkout, startup commands, and usage analytics
  • session listing, inspection, editing, deleting, favorites, quick start, backup, restore, export, and import
  • repository cloning flow that can create a reusable session after cloning

Boundaries and limitations

  • the project repository does not include an automated test suite or CI configuration
  • process stopping is intentionally basic and manual rather than a complete background process manager
  • release evidence is local repository/package metadata rather than a verified package-registry publication
  • some behavior depends on local editor, Git, and shell availability on the developer machine

External Proof

The tool has a public write-up and source repository.

Reflection

A CLI can preserve working context.

DevFlow is a small tool, but the implementation is centered on a useful product idea: local setup has state. Capturing that state as a named session makes context switching less dependent on memory and more like a repeatable workflow.