Local Run

With --local-run, Loom runs all local operations (rendering templates, writing files, committing) but skips anything that touches a remote -- no push, no PR creation.

loom run ./onboard-service \
  -p serviceName=payments \
  --local-run \
  --target-path ./preview

--local-run requires --target-path so you have a persistent directory to inspect the results.

Operation Behavior

Operation	Behavior
newFiles	Writes to local clone as normal
patch	Patches local clone as normal
shell	Skipped unless pure: true
commitPush	Commits locally, no push
pr	Skipped entirely

Pure Shell Commands

Shell commands are skipped by default in --local-run mode because they may create remote resources (deploy, notify, etc.). Mark a command with pure: true to indicate it has no external side effects:

- name: format
  shell:
    command: "gofmt -w ."
    pure: true      # no side effects, safe in --local-run mode

- name: deploy
  shell:
    command: "kubectl apply -f manifests/"
    # not marked pure -- skipped in --local-run mode

A pure command only reads or modifies local files -- for example, linting, formatting, or validation commands.

Inspecting Results

After a --local-run, you can inspect the result directory:

cd ./preview/00-onboard-service/
git log --oneline
git diff HEAD~1

Each module with a target spec is cloned into a numbered subdirectory (e.g., 00-onboard-service, 01-base-infra), preserving execution order.

TIP

--dry-run takes precedence over --local-run. If both are set, dry-run wins and nothing is written.