Anyone else have issues with custom components not syncing in development mode when running npx retool-ccl dev? Sometimes some changes sync, sometimes no changes sync, sometimes hours pass, sometimes changes are immediate. I cannot figure out what the secret is to consistently get changes to sync up or if there is another command to force the changes to be made.
Yeah I'm seeing that issue now. The tool npx retool-ccl dev was working great for a while, but for some reason it just stopped having an effect. It still prints "Successfully created a new version (dev) of the library" but none of my latest code changes are showing up in the app. I didn't change anything in settings, and opening the page in an incognito window does not fix it.
+1 we have been using this without issue for months and in the last few weeks it's become really unreliable. To the point we've had to engineer a local test app instead to avoid having so much published versions.
Hey @drewski, @Andy_Fischer, and @james_at_alab,
Just wanted to share a couple of useful references around this topic.
In this forum post from @becca: How to Use Custom Components Across Spaces & Multiple Retool Instances, she explains how custom components behave once they’re synced across multiple spaces. It’s a really helpful walkthrough if you’re setting things up in more than one Retool instance.
Also, @Darren highlighted the Change Log for custom-component-support in version 1.7.3 here: Cicd for custom component using retool-ccl without user interaction - #6 by Darren. That’s a good reference to see exactly what improvements were made and how syncing works under the hood.
Together, these threads give a pretty clear picture of both the practical setup (how to actually sync across spaces) and the technical changes (what’s supported as of the newer versions).
Yes, it's totally unreliable and makes developing custom components very frustrating.
Hey all, @drewski @james_at_alab @Andy_Fischer @William_DeVar, thank you for flagging this. I know this is frustrating and can interrupt your flow. This is a known issue and we have an internal ticket open. I have added a plus one for everyone here to help it gain traction! ![]()
The current workaround is to stop the dev server, run a “deploy,” then refresh the app. Your component should be up to date after that.
Let me know if this helps, and thank you all for your patience!
Hey all, @drewski @james_at_alab @Andy_Fischer @William_DeVar, were you able to try the workaround? Did it work for you?
Hey @drewski @james_at_alab @Andy_Fischer @William_DeVar, I’m marking the post above as the solution for visibility. Please let me know if it doesn’t resolve your issue!
Wanted to chime in and also state I’m having issues as well. Even stopping the dev mode, restarting it, refreshing the app, nothing seems to work with dev mode to have it utilize the latest code. It seems to utilize a build done several revisions ago or a day ago since working on one. Worked fine yesterday and today it now refuses to show changes. Even re-authenticated in retool-ccl with new token, but no go.
Like the others I’m forced to deploy a new release and then change it to the latest version to see the changes.
This is for a retool cloud instance.
I have the same situation here, and the suggested fix is not working for me.
My workflow is:
- npx retool-ccl dev
- make code changes, and observe the output:
- Build succeeded

Sending updated code to Retool
...
Updated code received by Retool
.
Successfully created a new version (dev) of the library.
[watch] build finished
- Build succeeded
- No custom component changes on retool app
- refresh page, still no changes
If I run the deploy steps:
- npx retool-ccl deploy
- I observe:
- Build succeeded

Sending updated code to Retool
...
Updated code received by Retool
.
Successfully created a new version (N) of the library.
- Build succeeded
- I see version N in the custom component version dropdown, and I see my changes
- npx retool-ccl dev
- dev version is still not updated
- make changes to component code
- see update message
- refresh page, dev version still not updating
Being able to deploy to force the code change seems to work, but is not sustainable for development iteration.
Hi ChiEn, that workaround isn’t ideal. The iteration time is a lot slower, and also it’s basically impossible for multiple developers to simultaneously work on a custom component when we deploy it that way.
Hello there @DannyF, @reToolCurious, thanks for reporting that the workaround didn’t work. @Andy_Fischer, I hear you, it’s not an ideal situation right now. I really appreciate everyone’s patience. I’ve added all of your +1s to the internal ticket we have open. The engineering team is actively investigating and working on a fix. I’ll keep you all updated! ![]()
Hello all @DannyF @reToolCurious @Andy_Fischer @William_DeVar @james_at_alab @drewski GREAT NEWS!
We’ve rolled out the fix in Retool Cloud version 3.300.0. Go ahead and give it a try. One quick note for source control customers, you may notice metadata.json updating a bit more often. This happens whenever you open the app and there’s a new dev version, since that version gets reflected in metadata.json.
If everything is working as expected, can you mark this comment as the solution by clicking the check mark icon below the comment?
That way others can easily find this update. Thank you! ![]()
Thank @ChiEn ! When might this fix be available for self-hosted Retool?
Hey @Adam_Groner, thanks for checking! For self hosted, onprem-3.300.0-89f32ae has it, but the feature needs to be enabled individually for each org, so let me know please. For the upcoming onprem release, we can tear down the feature flag so it is generally available! ![]()
Hey @Adam_Groner, just checking in to see if you saw my last update. Let me know if you need me to enable this feature for your org!