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1

Install Node.js 22+

We recommend nvm to manage Node versions.
2

Install Yarn

Pastures uses Yarn Classic (1.x).
3

Clone the repository

4

Install dependencies

The --ignore-engines flag is required because @rancher/shell may declare strict Node engine constraints that conflict with newer Node versions. The extension works correctly on Node 22+.
5

Build the extension

This compiles the extension into dist-pkg/.
6

Start the package server

The dev server starts at http://127.0.0.1:4500 and serves the built extension artifacts. If you rebuild the extension, the server picks up the new files automatically.
7

Start or connect to Rancher

Option A — Docker (quick start):
Option B — Existing instance: Point your browser at your Rancher dashboard URL.
8

Developer Load the extension

  1. Open the Rancher UI and navigate to Extensions.
  2. Click the ⋮ menu (top-right) and select Developer Load.
  3. Enter http://127.0.0.1:4500 as the extension URL.
  4. The Pastures extension appears in the sidebar after a page refresh.
9

Enable demo mode

If you don’t have a Pastures Engine instance, enable Demo Mode in Pastures → Settings to work with synthetic data. This lets you develop and test UI changes without a backend.

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Common Issues

If yarn serve-pkgs fails with a port conflict, ensure no other process is using port 4500. You can check with lsof -i :4500.