Clay Local Dev Loop
Overview
Set up a fast, reproducible local development workflow for Clay.
Prerequisites
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Completed clay-install-auth setup
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Node.js 18+ with npm/pnpm
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Code editor with TypeScript support
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Git for version control
Instructions
Step 1: Create Project Structure
my-clay-project/ ├── src/ │ ├── clay/ │ │ ├── client.ts # Clay client wrapper │ │ ├── config.ts # Configuration management │ │ └── utils.ts # Helper functions │ └── index.ts ├── tests/ │ └── clay.test.ts ├── .env.local # Local secrets (git-ignored) ├── .env.example # Template for team └── package.json
Step 2: Configure Environment
set -euo pipefail
Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env.local
Install dependencies
npm install
Start development server
npm run dev
Step 3: Setup Hot Reload
{ "scripts": { "dev": "tsx watch src/index.ts", "test": "vitest", "test:watch": "vitest --watch" } }
Step 4: Configure Testing
import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest'; import { ClayClient } from '../src/clay/client';
describe('Clay Client', () => { it('should initialize with API key', () => { const client = new ClayClient({ apiKey: 'test-key' }); expect(client).toBeDefined(); }); });
Output
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Working development environment with hot reload
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Configured test suite with mocking
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Environment variable management
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Fast iteration cycle for Clay development
Error Handling
Error Cause Solution
Module not found Missing dependency Run npm install
Port in use Another process Kill process or change port
Env not loaded Missing .env.local Copy from .env.example
Test timeout Slow network Increase test timeout
Examples
Mock Clay Responses
vi.mock('@clay/sdk', () => ({ ClayClient: vi.fn().mockImplementation(() => ({ // Mock methods here })), }));
Debug Mode
set -euo pipefail
Enable verbose logging
DEBUG=CLAY=* npm run dev
Resources
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Clay SDK Reference
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Vitest Documentation
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tsx Documentation
Next Steps
See clay-sdk-patterns for production-ready code patterns.