My deps.edn looks like so:

{:paths ["src" "test" "env/dev"]
 :deps {binaryage/devtools {:mvn/version "1.0.6"}
        djblue/portal {:mvn/version "0.35.0"}
        org.clojure/clojure {:mvn/version "1.11.1"}
        org.clojure/clojurescript {:mvn/version "1.11.60"}
        reagent/reagent {:mvn/version "1.1.1"}
        thheller/shadow-cljs {:mvn/version "2.20.14"}}
 :aliases {:portal {:extra-deps
                    {djblue/portal     {:mvn/version "0.35.0"}}
                    :main-opts ["-m" "nrepl.cmdline"
                                "--middleware"
                                "[cider.nrepl/cider-middleware,shadow.cljs.devtools.server.nrepl/middleware,portal.nrepl/wrap-portal]"]}}}

{:deps {:aliases [:portal]}
 :dev-http
 {8020 "public"}
 :builds
 {:app {:target :browser
        :output-dir "public/js/compiled"
        :asset-path "/js/compiled"
        :modules {:main {:init-fn main.core/init}}
        :build-hooks [(portal.shadow.remote/hook)]
        :devtools {:preloads [devtools.preload
                              portal.setup]}}
  :test {:target :node-test
         :autorun true
         :output-to "target/node-test/tests.js"
         :ns-regexp ".*-test$"
         :build-hooks [(portal.shadow.remote/hook)]
         :devtools {:preloads [devtools.preload
                               portal.setup]}}}}

$ npx shadow-cljs -d cider/cider-nrepl:0.28.5 watch :app :test
shadow-cljs - config: /Users/pez/Projects/shadow-portal/shadow-cljs.edn
shadow-cljs - starting via "clojure"
nREPL middleware: shadow.cljs.devtools.cli has no namespace
Jack-in process exited. Status: 2

@U0ETXRFEW you cant set :main-opts in an alias used by shadow-cljs

you just start via clj normally

so I guess just clj -A:portal

and in that REPL you start the shadow-cljs embedded server

OR

you just add the portal dependency as normal

and configure the middleware in shadow-cljs.edn

via :nrepl {:middleware [portal.nrepl/wrap-portal]}

top level, not build level

Thanks. I'll poke around some with this. The last option I think I can't use because I'm not connecting to that nREPL server, but to the one started by clojure.

yeah but you need to understand that the alias option with main-opts it starting its own new nrepl server

in addition to the one start by npx shadow-cljs ...

so pick one

you should only need one nrepl server

it doesn't make sense to start multiple, so just use the one provided by shadow-cljs

and add the portal middleware to that one

and that should be all there is to it

There are some constraints here imposed by assumptions that Calva makes. And by how output is routed for the different repls. To start with the latter. If I start the REPK with clojure and then start the shadow watchers and cljs-REPL from that REPL, then stdout is routed to the REPL and gets mixed up with REPL output. I prefer to have this output in the terminal where I start the REPL. This happens if I start shadow-cljs and let it start the REPL using clojure. I don't know why this works differently, just that it does. As for the assumptions. Calva does actually connect to the nREPL server started by shadow-cljs if I choose the shadow-cljs jack-in option. (I don't know why I thought differently.) So, in summary. Moving the portal nrepl middleware config to shadow-cljs.edn made things work exactly as I want them to. With the test runner output in the terminal and all. 🎉 Thanks again! I'll try to encode these learnings in an example project. And I will update the Calva docs. I would have had helped from that this time. 😃

what you described doesn't make sense? you are starting via clojure but then don't use it?

I guess I'm confused 😛

If I manage dependencies using tools-deps, then shadow-cljs starts the REPL using clojure. And also will make it start an nREPL server. I can't use that one with Portal nREPL middleware for reasons you have helped me understand here. But that's fine, since Calva will connect to the nREPL server started by shadow-cljs. Does this make sense?

the reason the tests taps don't show is because the test runtime doesn't connect to the REPL at all

it just runs tests and exits

if you run the tests from a regular node-repl instead they'd show up

can you bind the run-tests function to a key and run them yourself?

I mean I find running all tests after every change a little frustrating myself but do what you want

I don't know how portal works so I can't tell you

if it wants to keep the node process running I can't stop it from doing so

that would break autorun though

the tap is in full control over what it does

@U1G869VNV knows this better than me, but as I understand it, Portal listens to a port and then the user registers a tap that submits to this port. https://github.com/djblue/portal/tree/master/src/portal/shadow When I do that from the browser app the tap reaches portal, but from the :node-test target this doesn't happen, even though it uses the same port. This is where I lose track of it and was thinking a REPL might help me.

I don't believe it uses the REPL or any connection provided by shadow-cljs

so its entirely on portal and its tap

but again .. I would strongly encourage to use a REPL and runs the tests from there

the tests targets are supposed to exit when they are done and not linger arround

The transient node process should still be able to tap via the remote client since it's just making http post requests to the jvm process hosting the portal api

I do that already. I'm very attached to workflow of seeing shadow run my tests in a terminal pane while I work, though.