What does the ^ prefix mean in dependsOn?

A caret like ^build means a task depends on the same task in its dependency packages, building them first in topological order. Without the caret, the dependency refers to a task within the same package, such as build depending on its own lint.

Why must I list outputs for cached tasks?

Turborepo caches a task by saving the files it produces. The outputs globs tell Turbo which files to capture and restore on a cache hit. If you omit outputs for a build, the cache restores nothing and the artifacts are lost.

When should a task be persistent?

Mark long-running tasks like dev servers or watchers as persistent. Persistent tasks never exit, so Turbo will not let another task depend on them and will not try to cache them.

What is the difference between globalEnv and a task env?

globalEnv lists environment variables that affect every task's cache hash, so changing them invalidates all caches. A per-task env array scopes invalidation to just that task. Use globalEnv for things like NODE_ENV that affect the whole build.

Did the pipeline key change to tasks?

Yes. Turborepo 2.0 renamed the top-level pipeline key to tasks. This builder emits tasks, which is correct for Turborepo 2.x. On older 1.x versions rename tasks back to pipeline.

turbo.json Config Builder

Email me this result

Get this tool's output sent to your inbox, plus one useful tool a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Build a Turborepo pipeline

Turborepo speeds up monorepo builds by running tasks in dependency order and caching their results so unchanged work is never repeated. The brain of that system is turbo.json, where you declare each task and how it relates to others. This builder generates a correct turbo.json for the standard build, test, lint, and dev tasks.

How it works

Each entry under tasks describes one runnable script. dependsOn controls ordering: a plain name like build means an in-package dependency, while a ^build caret means “run this task in all dependency packages first” — that topological ordering is what makes Turborepo correct for inter-package builds.

outputs is a list of globs Turbo saves to its cache after a successful run, like dist/** or .next/**. On a later run with the same inputs, Turbo restores those files instantly instead of re-running the task. Setting cache: false opts a task out of caching, which you want for dev. Marking a task persistent: true tells Turbo it never exits, which is required for watch and dev servers.

At the top level, globalEnv and globalDependencies add inputs to every task’s cache hash, so changing NODE_ENV or a root tsconfig.json correctly invalidates all caches.

Tips and notes

Always pair a cached build with an outputs glob, or the cache restores nothing.
Use ^build for build so dependency packages compile first.
Set cache: false and persistent: true for dev.
This file uses the tasks key (Turborepo 2.x); rename to pipeline for 1.x.