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Overview

Developer Mode lets you load extensions from your local filesystem while building them, without needing to publish to GitHub first. This is the fastest way to iterate on integration, plugin, or widget development.

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Setup

Add your local extension paths to radarboard.config.ts:
radarboard.config.ts
export default {
  devExtensions: [
    { type: "integration", path: "../my-extension/integrations/notion" },
    { type: "plugin", path: "../my-extension/plugins/notion" },
    { type: "widget", path: "/Users/me/projects/my-widget" },
  ],

  // ... existing integrations, plugins, widgets
};
Then regenerate init files: 
pnpm generate:extensions

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How it works

  1. radarboard.config.ts declares devExtensions — an array of { type, path } entries pointing to local directories
  2. pnpm generate:extensions reads the config and produces dev-extensions-init.ts which imports each local extension and registers it at startup
  3. Providers.tsx calls initializeDevExtensions() on mount, which registers each extension with the appropriate registry (integration, plugin, or widget)
  4. Production safety: initializeDevExtensions() is a no-op when NODE_ENV === "production", so dev extensions never leak into production builds

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Path resolution

Paths can be:
  • Relative — resolved from the monorepo root (e.g., ../my-extension/integrations/notion)
  • Absolute — used as-is (e.g., /Users/me/projects/my-widget)
The extension directory must contain a valid package.json with the correct @radarboard/* package name and export map.

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Extension descriptor discovery

Each dev extension module is expected to export a descriptor. The loader tries these patterns in order:
  1. module.descriptor — a named descriptor export
  2. module.default — a default export
  3. First value in the module that has both id and name properties

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Workflow

A typical development workflow looks like:
1

Scaffold a new extension repo

pnpm scaffold:extension-repo my-tool --integration --widget --out ~/projects
2

Add to devExtensions

radarboard.config.ts
devExtensions: [
  { type: "integration", path: "../radarboard-my-tool/integrations/my-tool" },
  { type: "widget", path: "../radarboard-my-tool/widgets/my-tool" },
],
3

Regenerate and start dev server

pnpm generate:extensions
pnpm dev
4

Iterate

Edit your extension code. The Next.js dev server will hot-reload changes automatically since the paths are resolved at build time.
5

When ready, publish

Push your extension repo to GitHub and install via the GitHub URL in Settings → Extensions.

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Widget Sandbox

While developing widgets, use the Widget Sandbox at /debug/widget-sandbox to preview your widget in all possible states:
  • Happy — fully loaded with mock data
  • Empty — loaded but no data
  • Loading — spinner/skeleton state
  • Error — connection failure state
The sandbox auto-generates mock data from your WidgetTemplateConfig sections, so you can see your widget render without setting up real integrations.

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Limitations

  • Dev extensions are not included in pnpm install dependency resolution — they must manage their own node_modules or rely on hoisted dependencies
  • Changes to the extension’s package.json or export map require re-running pnpm generate:extensions
  • Dev extensions don’t appear in the Settings UI extension list (they’re loaded directly via code)