Watch mode

--watch generates everything once, then keeps each file up to date while you edit schemas.

npx @fbritoferreira/strapi generate --config --watch
npx @fbritoferreira/strapi generate --config --watch --interval 5000
npx @fbritoferreira/strapi generate --dir ../my-strapi -o src/strapi-types.ts --watch

types: watching ../my-strapi/src
graphql: polling http://localhost:1337/graphql every 2s
types: wrote src/strapi-types.ts (12 types)
graphql: waiting for http://localhost:1337/graphql (connection refused)
config: watching strapi-codegen.config.ts
types: regenerated src/strapi-types.ts (13 types)
graphql: regenerated src/strapi-graphql.ts (48 types)

What is watched

Source	Trigger
types.dir	File events under the project's src/api/*/content-types/ and src/components/*/*.json, debounced for 200ms because Strapi saves several files at once
routes.openapi as a local file	File events for that file
types.url, graphql.url, routes.openapi as a URL	Polling every --interval milliseconds, or watch.interval in the config (default 2000)
The config file	File events. The config is reloaded and everything it declares is re-planned.

A file is written only when its contents change, so an edit that does not change the generated types leaves the file, and anything watching it, alone.

When a running instance goes away (Strapi restarts after a Content-Type Builder save), the section prints one waiting for line and picks up again once the instance answers. A section that fails prints its error once, until the message changes. A config that no longer loads is reported, and the previous one keeps running.

--url sources keep their admin session between polls. Strapi allows five admin logins per five minutes by default, so logging in on every poll would lock the account out.

export default generateConfig({
	types: { dir: "../my-strapi", output: "src/strapi-types.ts" },
	graphql: { url: "http://localhost:1337/graphql", output: "src/strapi-graphql.ts" },
	watch: { interval: 5000 },
});

--interval overrides watch.interval. --watch works for a single source too, and cannot be combined with --check. Stop it with Ctrl-C (SIGINT or SIGTERM).

Directory watching uses fs.watch with recursive, which Node supports on macOS, Windows and Linux. If a directory cannot be watched, the section falls back to polling. Changes to modules that a .ts or .mjs config imports are not picked up until a restart.