OpenHands/agent-canvas

Refactor dev scripts: rename dev-safe and add modular service launch options

Open

#226 opened on May 9, 2026

View on GitHub
 (7 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)TypeScript (26 forks)github user discovery
enhancementgood first issue

Repository metrics

Stars
 (43 stars)
PR merge metrics
 (PR metrics pending)

Description

Problem

The current dev script naming is confusing:

  • dev:safe isn't intuitive - it's really "agent-server + canvas only"
  • dev:minimal is an alias for dev:safe adding to confusion
  • No clear naming convention for different service combinations

Current Scripts

Script What it runs
dev All services (agent-server + automation + canvas)
dev:automation All services (same as dev)
dev:safe / dev:minimal Agent-server + Canvas
dev:frontend Canvas only (assumes running backend)
dev:extra-backend Extra standalone agent-server

Proposed Solution

Rename scripts with a clear naming convention based on which services are included:

New Name Old Name Services
dev dev:automation All (default: agent-server + automation + canvas)
dev:canvas - Canvas only (assumes running backend)
dev:server dev:safe Agent-server + Canvas
dev:server:only - Agent-server only (no canvas)
dev:full dev:automation Explicit all services
dev:extra-backend - Extra standalone agent-server (keep as is)

CLI Options (Nice-to-have)

The underlying script could support flags to selectively enable/disable services:

node scripts/dev.mjs --no-canvas        # Agent-server + automation only
node scripts/dev.mjs --no-automation    # Agent-server + canvas only  
node scripts/dev.mjs --server-only      # Just agent-server

Implementation Notes

  1. Rename dev-safe.mjs to something clearer (e.g., dev-server.mjs)
  2. Consolidate logic into a unified dev.mjs script with service toggles
  3. Keep backward compatibility aliases during transition
  4. Update DEVELOPMENT.md and AGENTS.md with new naming

This issue was created by an AI agent (OpenHands) on behalf of the user.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Review the current dev scripts (dev.mjs, dev safe.mjs, etc.), understand the service startup logic, and implement the renaming and CLI flag support as described in the issue.
Tech stack
typescriptnodejs
Domain
developer experience
Issue type
Refactor
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GitNode.js
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
75