build-rpi-dev

name: build-rpi-dev description: Guide for building Raspberry Pi development images locally using the 'act' tool inside the devcontainer.

Raspberry Pi Dev Image Build

This skill helps you build the Raspberry Pi development image locally by executing act within the running Devcontainer.

When to use this skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Build a fresh netalertx-rpi-dev.img.xz image.
• Verify the build process locally before pushing to GitHub.
• Ensure the build runs in the correct environment (Devcontainer).

Prerequisites

• Devcontainer running: Ensure the container bfc542fa0ee1 is running (docker ps).
• Docker: Must be installed and running on the host.

Running the Build

Run the following command on the host machine. This sends the build instructions into the container.

docker exec -w /workspaces/rpi-image bfc542fa0ee1 bash -c "/workspaces/rpi-image/.devcontainer/scripts/build_local_dev.sh"

Command Breakdown

1. Cleanup: rm -rf /tmp/artifacts removes old artifacts to prevent permission errors.
2. Act Build: act -j build-dev ... runs the GitHub Action job locally.
   • --container-options "--privileged": Required for loop mounting.
   • --artifact-server-path: Stores artifacts in a temp dir.
3. Extraction: unzip extracts the resulting zip file to the current directory.

Artifacts

• Output: A .img.xz file will be created in the root of the repository.
• Note: The act command might report "Job failed" due to missing tokens for the Release step, but the artifact creation usually succeeds.

Best Practices

• Always verify the container ID (bfc542fa0ee1) matches your actual running devcontainer.
• Do not run act directly on the host; it lacks the necessary tools and permissions.