Turborepo Caching

When to use this skill

Use Turborepo Caching when an AI agent needs a reusable SKILL.md workflow for this job: Configure Turborepo for efficient monorepo builds with local and remote caching. Use when setting up Turborepo, optimizing build pipelines, or implementing distributed caching.

When not to use it

Skip Turborepo Caching when the task is outside the coding category, or when a more specific skill in this directory already covers the same workflow with clearer triggers.

How to install

1. Personal install: create ~/.claude/skills/turborepo-caching/SKILL.md (and any bundled scripts) so Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and compatible agents can load it in every project.
2. Project install: commit the same folder at .claude/skills/turborepo-caching/ so teammates get the skill with the repo.
3. Restart the agent session after copying files so it re-scans the skills directory, then ask for the task in words that match the skill description.

Full install guide for Claude, Cursor, and Codex

What this skill does

# Turborepo Caching

Production patterns for Turborepo build optimization.

## When to Use This Skill

- Setting up new Turborepo projects - Configuring build pipelines - Implementing remote caching - Optimizing CI/CD performance - Migrating from other monorepo tools - Debugging cache misses

## Core Concepts

### 1. Turborepo Architecture

``` Workspace Root/ ├── apps/ │ ├── web/ │ │ └── package.json │ └── docs/ │ └── package.json ├── packages/ │ ├── ui/ │ │ └── package.json │ └── config/ │ └── package.json ├── turbo.json └── package.json ```

### 2. Pipeline Concepts

| Concept | Description | | -------------- | -------------------------------- | | **dependsOn** | Tasks that must complete first | | **cache** | Whether to cache outputs | | **outputs** | Files to cache | | **inputs** | Files that affect cache key | | **persistent** | Long-running tasks (dev servers) |

## Templates

### Template 1: turbo.json Configuration

```json { "$schema": "https://turbo.build/schema.json", "globalDependencies": [".env", ".env.local"], "globalEnv": ["NODE_ENV", "VERCEL_URL"], "pipeline": { "build": { "dependsOn": ["^build"], "outputs": ["dist/**", ".next/**", "!.next/cache/**"], "env": ["API_URL", "NEXT_PUBLIC_*"] }, "test": { "dependsOn": ["build"], "outputs": ["coverage/**"], "inputs": ["src/**/*.tsx", "src/**/*.ts", "test/**/*.ts"] }, "lint": { "outputs": [], "cache": true }, "typecheck": { "dependsOn": ["^build"], "outputs": [] }, "dev": { "cache": false, "persistent": true }, "clean": { "cache": false } } } ```

### Template 2: Package-Specific Pipeline

```json // apps/web/turbo.json { "$schema": "https://turbo.build/schema.json", "extends": ["//"], "pipeline": { "build": { "outputs": [".next/**", "!.next/cache/**"], "env": ["NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL", "NEXT_PUBLIC_ANALYTICS_ID"] }, "test": { "outputs": ["coverage/**"], "inputs": ["src/**", "tests/**", "jest.config.js"] } } } ```

### Template 3: Remote Caching with Vercel

```bash # Login to Vercel npx turbo login

# Link to Vercel project npx turbo link

# Run with remote cache turbo build --remote-only

# CI environment variables TURBO_TOKEN=your-token TURBO_TEAM=your-team ```

```yaml # .github/workflows/ci.yml name: CI

on: push: branches: [main] pull_request:

env: TURBO_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.TURBO_TOKEN }} TURBO_TEAM: ${{ vars.TURBO_TEAM }}

jobs: build: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4 with: node-version: 20 cache: "npm"

- name: Install dependencies run: npm ci

- name: Build run: npx turbo build --filter='...[origin/main]'

- name: Test run: npx turbo test --filter='...[origin/main]' ```

### Template 4: Self-Hosted Remote Cache

```typescript // Custom remote cache server (Express) import express from "express"; import { createReadStream, createWriteStream } from "fs"; import { mkdir } from "fs/promises"; import { join } from "path";

const app = express(); const CACHE_DIR = "./cache";

// Get artifact app.get("/v8/artifacts/:hash", async (req, res) => { const { hash } = req.params; const team = req.query.teamId || "default"; const filePath = join(CACHE_DIR, team, hash);

try { const stream = createReadStream(filePath); stream.pipe(res); } catch { res.status(404).send("Not found"); } });

// Put artifact app.put("/v8/artifacts/:hash", async (req, res) => { const { hash } = req.params; const team = req.query.teamId || "default"; const dir = join(CACHE_DIR, team); const filePath = join(dir, hash);

await mkdir(dir, { recursive: true });

const stream = createWriteStream(filePath); req.pipe(stream);

stream.on("finish", () => { res.json({ urls: [`${req.protocol}://${req.get("host")}/v8/artifacts/${hash}`], }); }); });

// Check artifact exists app.head("/v8/artifacts/:hash", async (req, res) => { const { hash } = req.params; const team = req.query.teamId || "default"; const filePath = join(CACHE_DIR, team, hash);

try { await fs.access(filePath); res.status(200).end(); } catch { res.status(404).end(); } });

app.listen(3000); ```

```json // turbo.json for self-hosted cache { "remoteCache": { "signature": false } } ```

```bash # Use self-hosted cache turbo build --api="http://localhost:3000" --token="my-token" --team="my-team" ```

### Template 5: Filtering and Scoping

```bash # Build specific package turbo build --filter=@myorg/web

# Build package and its dependencies turbo build --filter=@myorg/web...

# Build package and its dependents turbo build --filter=...@myorg/ui

# Build changed packages since main turbo build --filter='...[origin/main]'

# Build packages in directory turbo build --filter='./apps/*'

# Combine filters turbo build --filter=@myorg/web --filter=@myorg/docs

# Exclude package turbo build --filter='!@myorg/docs'

# Include dependencies of changed turbo build --filter='...[HEAD^1]...' ```

### Template 6: Advanced Pipeline Configuration

```json { "$schema": "https://turbo.build/schema.json", "pipeline": { "build": { "dependsOn": ["^build"], "outputs": ["dist/**"], "inputs": ["$TURBO_DEFAULT$", "!**/*.md", "!**/*.test.*"] }, "test": { "dependsOn": ["^build"], "outputs": ["coverage/**"], "inputs": ["src/**", "tests/**", "*.config.*"], "env": ["CI", "NODE_ENV"] }, "test:e2e": { "dependsOn": ["build"], "outputs": [], "cache": false }, "deploy": { "dependsOn": ["build", "test", "lint"], "outputs": [], "cache": false }, "db:generate": { "cache": false }, "db:push": { "cache": false, "dependsOn": ["db:generate"] }, "@myorg/web#build": { "dependsOn": ["^build", "@myorg/db#db:generate"], "outputs": [".next/**"], "env": ["NEXT_PUBLIC_*"] } } } ```

### Template 7: Root package.json Setup

```json { "name": "my-turborepo", "private": true, "workspaces": ["apps/*", "packages/*"], "scripts": { "build": "turbo build", "dev": "turbo dev", "lint": "turbo lint", "test": "turbo test", "clean": "turbo clean && rm -rf node_modules", "format": "prettier --write \"**/*.{ts,tsx,md}\"", "changeset": "changeset", "version-packages": "changeset version", "release": "turbo build --filter=./packages/* && changeset publish" }, "devDependencies": { "turbo": "^1.10.0", "prettier": "^3.0.0", "@changesets/cli": "^2.26.0" }, "packageManager": "[email protected]" } ```

## Debugging Cache

```bash # Dry run to see what would run turbo build --dry-run

# Verbose output with hashes turbo build --verbosity=2

# Show task graph turbo build --graph

# Force no cache turbo build --force

# Show cache status turbo build --summarize

# Debug specific task TURBO_LOG_VERBOSITY=debug turbo build --filter=@myorg/web ```

## Best Practices

### Do's

- **Define explicit inputs** - Avoid cache invalidation - **Use workspace protocol** - `"@myorg/ui": "workspace:*"` - **Enable remote caching** - Share across CI and local - **Filter in CI** - Build only affected packages - **Cache build outputs** - Not source files

### Don'ts

- **Don't cache dev servers** - Use `persistent: true` - **Don't include secrets in env** - Use runtime env vars - **Don't ignore dependsOn** - Causes race conditions - **Don't over-filter** - May miss dependencies

Intended uses

• Setting up new Turborepo projects
• Configuring build pipelines
• Implementing remote caching
• Optimizing CI/CD performance
• Migrating from other monorepo tools
• Debugging cache misses