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Scripting & AI Integration

This page covers how to use DevSpaces in non-interactive contexts such as scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or AI-powered development tools.

The Problem​

When running DVS commands in a non-interactive context (scripts, cron jobs, AI assistants like Cursor or Claude Code), you may encounter this error:

the input device is not a TTY

This happens because DVS commands try to allocate a pseudo-TTY for interactive features, but no TTY is available in these contexts.

Solution: DVS_NO_TTY​

Set the DVS_NO_TTY environment variable to disable TTY allocation:

DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs php bin/console cache:clear

What it does​

When DVS_NO_TTY is set (any non-empty value):

  • Disables the -it flags on Docker exec commands (no TTY allocation)
  • Sets INTERACTIVE=0 (disables interactive prompts)
  • Disables footer display

Detection priority​

DVS automatically detects the execution context:

ContextTTY availableDVS_NO_TTYResult
Interactive terminalYesNot setFull interactive mode
Script/pipeNoNot setAuto non-interactive
Any contextAnySetForced non-interactive

Setting Up Aliases​

For convenience, create aliases in your shell configuration (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc):

# Standard DVS (interactive)
alias dvs='dvs'

# DVS for scripts and AI tools (non-interactive)
alias dvs-script='DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs'
alias dvs-ai='DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs'

Then reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc

Usage examples​

# Interactive usage (default)
dvs shell
dvs php bin/console

# Script/AI usage (non-interactive)
dvs-script php bin/console cache:clear
dvs-ai composer install

AI Development Tools​

Cursor / Claude Code​

When using AI assistants with limited terminal capabilities:

# In your AI tool's terminal
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs php bin/console cache:clear
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs exec npm run build

CI/CD Pipelines​

For automated pipelines, use DVS_NO_TTY:

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Clear cache
  run: DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs php bin/console cache:clear

# GitLab CI example
deploy:
  script:
    - DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs composer install --no-dev

Best Practices​

  1. Use --force or --yes for DVS commands that require confirmation
  2. Check exit codes in scripts to detect failures
  3. Use --json output when parsing DVS output programmatically
# Get app info as JSON
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs info --json | jq '.name'

External tool flags​

Some tools executed via DVS have their own non-interactive flags. These are not DVS flags but flags passed to the underlying tool:

# Composer's --no-interaction flag
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs composer install --no-interaction

# Symfony Console's --no-interaction flag
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs php bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate --no-interaction

# Artisan's --force flag
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs php artisan migrate --force

Troubleshooting​

Command hangs?​

The command might be waiting for input from the underlying tool. Add the appropriate non-interactive flag for that tool:

# Composer
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs composer install --no-interaction

# Symfony/PrestaShop console
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs console cache:clear --no-interaction

# WP-CLI (usually non-interactive by default)
DVS_NO_TTY=1 dvs wp plugin list

Need colors in output?​

When DVS_NO_TTY is set, color output is disabled. If you need colors in a script context where a real TTY is available, don't set DVS_NO_TTY and let DVS auto-detect.

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