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Vizzly Docs

Local Development

For local work, use Vizzly TDD mode.

It compares screenshots against local baselines in .vizzly/, gives you a live dashboard while you iterate, and leaves behind local context that scripts and agents can read.

The two local workflows

Keep a server running

Terminal window
npx vizzly tdd start --open
npm test -- --watch

This is the best fit for active UI work.

Run once and get a report

Terminal window
npx vizzly tdd run "npm test"

This is better for quick checks, pre-commit validation, or one-off review.

Local files

TDD mode writes local state under .vizzly/, including:

  • baselines
  • current screenshots
  • diffs
  • report data

That local workspace can also be queried through vizzly context ... --source local.

Terminal window
npx vizzly context build current --source local --json
npx vizzly context screenshot Dashboard --source local --json

Use this output when a script or agent needs the current local screenshots, baselines, and diffs. Use screenshot context to follow one screenshot name through local runs.

When to use cloud baselines

If you want to compare local work against a known remote build, start TDD mode with:

Terminal window
npx vizzly tdd start --baseline-build <build-id>

That downloads baselines first, then compares locally.

Use this when you want local speed but still want the expected UI to come from a reviewed cloud build.

Next steps