# Laurigates Claude Plugins Skaffold Filesync > Skaffold File Sync - Skill: `tomevault-io/laurigates-claude-plugins-skaffold-filesync` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/laurigates-claude-plugins-skaffold-filesync` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/laurigates-claude-plugins-skaffold-filesync/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/laurigates-claude-plugins-skaffold-filesync --- # Skaffold File Sync ## When to Use | Scenario | Use this skill | Alternative | |----------|---------------|-------------| | Configuring Skaffold file sync rules | Yes | - | | Speeding up the development loop with hot reload | Yes | - | | Choosing between manual, infer, and auto sync | Yes | - | | Debugging sync issues in running containers | Yes | - | | Setting up OrbStack networking for Skaffold | No | `skaffold-orbstack` | | Adding pre-deploy container tests | No | `skaffold-testing` | | Writing or optimizing Dockerfiles | No | `container-development` | ## Overview File sync copies changed files directly to running containers, avoiding image rebuilds. This dramatically speeds up the development loop for interpreted languages and static assets. ``` Without sync: Edit → Build Image → Deploy → Restart Pod → Test (~30-60s) With sync: Edit → Copy File → Test (~1-2s) ``` ## How It Works 1. Skaffold watches for file changes 2. Creates a tar archive of modified files matching sync rules 3. Extracts the archive in the running container 4. Application picks up changes (hot reload, file watch, etc.) ## Three Sync Modes | Mode | Configuration | Best For | |------|---------------|----------| | **Manual** | Explicit src/dest mappings | Full control, complex layouts | | **Infer** | Derived from Dockerfile | Docker builds, simple projects | | **Auto** | Zero-config for known builders | Buildpacks, Jib | **Important**: Cannot mix modes - choose one per artifact. ## Manual Sync Explicitly map source files to container destinations. ### Basic Configuration ```yaml apiVersion: skaffold/v4beta13 kind: Config build: artifacts: - image: my-app context: . docker: dockerfile: Dockerfile sync: manual: - src: "src/**/*.js" dest: /app/src - src: "public/**/*" dest: /app/public ``` ### With Directory Stripping Use `strip` to remove directory levels from the source path: ```yaml sync: manual: # src/components/Button.js → /app/Button.js (strips 'src/components/') - src: "src/components/**/*.js" dest: /app strip: "src/components/" # assets/images/logo.png → /var/www/static/logo.png - src: "assets/images/**/*" dest: /var/www/static strip: "assets/images/" ``` ### Static Assets Example ```yaml sync: manual: # HTML files to nginx root - src: "static/*.html" dest: /usr/share/nginx/html # CSS with directory structure preserved - src: "static/css/**/*.css" dest: /usr/share/nginx/html/css strip: "static/css/" # Images - src: "static/images/**/*" dest: /usr/share/nginx/html/images strip: "static/images/" ``` ### Node.js Hot Reload Example ```yaml build: artifacts: - image: node-app sync: manual: - src: "src/**/*.ts" dest: /app/src - src: "src/**/*.tsx" dest: /app/src - src: "*.json" dest: /app ``` Pair with nodemon or ts-node-dev in container: ```dockerfile CMD ["npx", "nodemon", "--watch", "/app/src", "src/index.ts"] ``` ### Python Hot Reload Example ```yaml build: artifacts: - image: python-app sync: manual: - src: "app/**/*.py" dest: /app - src: "templates/**/*.html" dest: /app/templates strip: "templates/" ``` Pair with Flask debug mode or uvicorn reload: ```dockerfile CMD ["uvicorn", "main:app", "--reload", "--host", "0.0.0.0"] ``` ## Inferred Sync Skaffold automatically determines destinations from Dockerfile `COPY`/`ADD` instructions. ### Configuration ```yaml build: artifacts: - image: my-app docker: dockerfile: Dockerfile sync: infer: - "**/*.js" - "**/*.css" - "**/*.html" ``` ### How Inference Works Given this Dockerfile: ```dockerfile FROM node:20-alpine WORKDIR /app COPY package*.json ./ RUN npm install COPY src/ ./src/ # Skaffold infers: src/* → /app/src/* COPY public/ ./public/ # Skaffold infers: public/* → /app/public/* ``` Skaffold analyzes COPY instructions to determine sync destinations. ### Limitations | Limitation | Workaround | |------------|------------| | File deletion triggers full rebuild | Use manual sync for delete support | | Multi-stage builds may confuse inference | Use manual sync | | Complex COPY patterns | Use manual sync | ## Auto Sync Zero-configuration sync for supported builders. ### Buildpacks (Cloud Native Buildpacks) ```yaml build: artifacts: - image: my-app buildpacks: builder: gcr.io/buildpacks/builder:v1 sync: auto: true # Enabled by default for buildpacks ``` Supported languages: - **Go**: `.go` files - **Java**: `.java`, `.kt`, `.properties`, `.xml` files - **Node.js**: `.js`, `.ts`, `.json` files Disable auto sync: ```yaml sync: auto: false ``` ### Jib (Java) ```yaml build: artifacts: - image: my-app jib: {} sync: auto: true # Enabled by default for Jib ``` Auto-syncs: - Class files (compiled) - Resource files - Extra directory files ## Full Configuration Examples ### Node.js Development Stack ```yaml apiVersion: skaffold/v4beta13 kind: Config metadata: name: node-app build: local: push: false useBuildkit: true artifacts: - image: node-app context: . docker: dockerfile: Dockerfile sync: manual: - src: "src/**/*.ts" dest: /app/src - src: "src/**/*.tsx" dest: /app/src - src: "public/**/*" dest: /app/public deploy: kubeContext: orbstack kubectl: manifests: - k8s/*.yaml ``` ### Python FastAPI Stack ```yaml apiVersion: skaffold/v4beta13 kind: Config metadata: name: fastapi-app build: local: push: false artifacts: - image: fastapi-app sync: manual: - src: "app/**/*.py" dest: /code/app - src: "templates/**/*.html" dest: /code/templates strip: "templates/" - src: "static/**/*" dest: /code/static strip: "static/" deploy: kubeContext: orbstack kubectl: manifests: - k8s/*.yaml ``` ### Go with Air (Hot Reload) ```yaml apiVersion: skaffold/v4beta13 kind: Config metadata: name: go-app build: artifacts: - image: go-app sync: manual: - src: "**/*.go" dest: /app - src: "go.mod" dest: /app - src: "go.sum" dest: /app deploy: kubeContext: orbstack kubectl: manifests: - k8s/*.yaml ``` With Air in Dockerfile: ```dockerfile FROM golang:1.22-alpine RUN go install github.com/cosmtrek/air@latest WORKDIR /app COPY . . CMD ["air", "-c", ".air.toml"] ``` ### Static Site with Nginx ```yaml apiVersion: skaffold/v4beta13 kind: Config metadata: name: static-site build: artifacts: - image: static-site sync: manual: - src: "dist/**/*" dest: /usr/share/nginx/html strip: "dist/" deploy: kubeContext: orbstack kubectl: manifests: - k8s/*.yaml ``` ## Requirements and Limitations ### Container Requirements | Requirement | Reason | |-------------|--------| | `tar` command available | Used to extract synced files | | Writable target directories | Cannot sync to read-only paths | | Container user has write permissions | Files must be modifiable by container UID | ### What Cannot Be Synced | Scenario | Solution | |----------|----------| | Builder-generated files | Full rebuild required | | Files requiring compilation | Use hot-reload tools (nodemon, air) | | System files / package installs | Full rebuild required | | Permission changes | Full rebuild required | ### Sync vs Rebuild Decision | Change Type | Sync | Rebuild | |-------------|------|---------| | Source code (interpreted) | Yes | - | | Static assets | Yes | - | | Config files | Yes | - | | Dockerfile | - | Yes | | Dependencies (package.json, go.mod) | - | Yes | | Build scripts | - | Yes | ## Debugging Sync Issues ### Verify Sync Is Working ```bash # Watch Skaffold output for sync messages skaffold dev -v info # Look for: # Syncing 1 files for my-app:latest # Watching for changes... ``` ### Check Container Has tar ```bash kubectl exec -it -- which tar # Should output: /bin/tar or /usr/bin/tar ``` ### Verify File Permissions ```bash kubectl exec -it -- ls -la /app/src/ # Check files are writable by container user ``` ### Test Manual Sync Path ```bash # Verify destination exists in container kubectl exec -it -- ls -la /app/ # Check container user kubectl exec -it -- whoami ``` ## Profiles for Sync vs Rebuild ```yaml profiles: # Fast iteration - sync enabled - name: dev build: artifacts: - image: my-app sync: manual: - src: "src/**/*" dest: /app/src # CI/Production - no sync, full rebuilds - name: ci build: artifacts: - image: my-app # No sync configuration ``` ## Agentic Optimizations | Context | Command | |---------|---------| | Dev with sync | `skaffold dev --kube-context=orbstack` | | Verbose sync debug | `skaffold dev -v info` | | Force rebuild (skip sync) | `skaffold dev --force=true` | | Single rebuild | `skaffold build && skaffold deploy` | | Check sync status | `skaffold dev -v debug 2>&1 \| grep -i sync` | ## Quick Reference ### Sync Configuration Fields | Field | Description | Required | |-------|-------------|----------| | `src` | Glob pattern for source files | Yes | | `dest` | Destination path in container | Yes | | `strip` | Directory prefix to remove | No | ### Sync Modes Comparison | Feature | Manual | Infer | Auto | |---------|--------|-------|------| | Explicit mapping | Yes | No | No | | Delete support | Yes | No | Yes | | Multi-stage Docker | Yes | Limited | N/A | | Zero-config | No | Partial | Yes | | Buildpacks support | No | No | Yes | | Jib support | No | No | Yes | ### Glob Patterns | Pattern | Matches | |---------|---------| | `*.js` | JS files in root only | | `**/*.js` | JS files in all directories | | `src/**/*` | All files under src/ | | `{src,lib}/**/*.ts` | TS files in src/ or lib/ | --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/laurigates) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.