ct_skill

Overview

This skill guides using the ct (CommonTools) CLI to deploy and manage charms, run recipes, link charm data, and debug execution. It focuses on the practical commands, environment setup, and common pitfalls so you can iterate quickly and safely. Use it when you need to interact with the Common Fabric from your workstation or CI.

How this skill works

The skill explains how to run the ct binary via the provided deno tasks and how to set environment variables to avoid repeating flags. It covers the core charm lifecycle commands (new, setsrc, inspect, get, set, call, step) and the JSON input rules required for set and call. It highlights the important distinction between creating a charm and updating its source to prevent duplicates.

When to use it

• Deploy a new recipe or charm to the Common Fabric
• Iteratively update charm code without creating duplicates
• Call handlers or set fields on a charm during development
• Link data between charms or fetch charm state for debugging
• Test handlers or recipes locally before pushing to production

Best practices

• Create a stable identity key and set CT_IDENTITY and CT_API_URL once per shell session
• Use deno task ct charm new only for the first deployment; use setsrc for every subsequent update
• Always supply JSON-valid input to set and call; wrap strings with nested quotes
• After charm set operations run deno task ct charm step to trigger recompute of computed values
• Save created charm IDs when new returns them to avoid orphaning duplicates

Example use cases

• Deploy pattern.tsx for the first time with deno task ct charm new and save the returned charm ID
• Update an existing charm source during local development with deno task ct charm setsrc pattern.tsx --charm <ID>
• Write a handler test that calls a charm handler via deno task ct charm call and checks returned state
• Fix stale totals by running deno task ct charm set to change inputs then deno task ct charm step to recompute
• Inspect and visualize charm topology with deno task ct charm inspect and deno task ct charm map