Optimize Turborepo Build Caching

Turborepo Caching covers monorepo build caching architecture: a standard workspace layout (apps/ and packages/ directories each with their own package.json, plus a root turbo.json and package.json) and pipeline concepts (dependsOn for task ordering, cache/outputs/inputs for what gets cached and what invalidates it, and persistent for long-running tasks like dev servers). Seven templates cover the full workflow: a base turbo.json configuration, a package-specific pipeline, remote caching with Vercel (login, link the project, run with the remote cache, and CI environment variables in a GitHub Actions workflow), a self-hosted remote cache alternative, filtering and scoping builds by package, dependency, or git diff:

### Build specific package
turbo build --filter=@myorg/web

### Build package and its dependencies
turbo build --filter=@myorg/web...

### Build package and its dependents
turbo build --filter=...@myorg/ui

### Build changed packages since main
turbo build --filter='...[origin/main]'

### Build packages in directory
turbo build --filter='./apps/*'

### Combine filters
turbo build --filter=@myorg/web --filter=@myorg/docs

### Exclude package
turbo build --filter='!@myorg/docs'

### Include dependencies of changed
turbo build --filter='...[HEAD^1]...'

advanced pipeline configuration (dependsOn on upstream builds, explicit outputs, and inputs using $TURBO_DEFAULT$ with exclusion globs for markdown and test files), and root package.json setup. A dedicated debugging-cache section covers dry runs to preview what would execute, verbose output with cache hashes, task graph visualization, forcing a no-cache run, checking cache status, and debugging a specific task.

Use this skill when configuring Turborepo build caching, setting up remote caching (Vercel-hosted or self-hosted), filtering builds to specific packages or changed packages, or debugging cache misses.

Given a Turborepo caching task, the skill outputs the matching turbo.json configuration, CI workflow snippet, or turbo CLI filter command, matched to the specific need - initial setup, remote cache configuration, scoped builds, or cache debugging.

Built on Turborepo's pipeline model and its Vercel-hosted remote cache, with a self-hosted remote cache documented as an alternative. Five stated best practices: define explicit inputs to avoid unwanted cache invalidation, use the workspace:* protocol for internal package references, enable remote caching to share cache across CI and local machines, filter builds in CI to only affected packages, and cache build outputs rather than source files - alongside four don'ts: don't cache dev servers (use persistent: true instead), don't put secrets in cached env vars (use runtime env vars), don't ignore dependsOn (causes race conditions), and don't over-filter (may miss real dependencies).

Monorepo maintainers configuring or debugging Turborepo build caching who want working turbo.json templates, CI remote-cache setup, and precise filter syntax for scoping builds, rather than guessing at pipeline configuration or over-invalidating the cache.