title: Jekyll > Serve > Dev Config File > Being read but ignored on start
body: <p><strong>SHORT VERSION:</strong></p>
  
  <p>On starting jekyll serve today, the additional dev config file is read but ignored. This is a recent problem. Previously read and actioned the dev settings as expected.</p>
  
  <p>I am using jekyll 2.5.3.  </p>
  
  <p>Can anyone shed any light on what is causing this?</p>
  
  <p><strong>LONG VERSION:</strong></p>
  
  <p>I develop locally with Jekyll, then upload production builds to my web host.</p>
  
  <p>When developing I fire up jekyll's server loading an additional dev config file (<code>_cong_dev.yml</code>) after the main config file to activate dev settings. The full command I use is: </p>
  
  <p><code>jekyll serve --draft --host=0.0.0.0 --config _config.yml,_config_dev.yml</code></p>
  
  <p>I use a grunt shell task - because I am lazy.</p>
  
  <p>This has worked fine for some time now.</p>
  
  <p>Today, however, localhost took me to the main page but links were in production format - i.e. with the domain for the siteurl tag. </p>
  
  <p>From other issues, I then realised that settings in the dev config file were not being processed. </p>
  
  <p>In both the build and server steps in the serve process, the dev config file is being read:</p>
  
  <pre><code>C:\sites\MYSITE&gt;grunt serve
  Running "shell:jekyllServe" (shell) task
  Configuration file: _config.yml
  Configuration file: _config_dev.yml
              Source: C:/sites/MYSITE
         Destination: C:/sites/MYSITE/_site
        Generating...
                      done.
   Auto-regeneration: enabled for 'C:/sites/MYSITE'
  Configuration file: _config.yml
  Configuration file: _config_dev.yml
      Server address: http://0.0.0.0:4000/
    Server running... press ctrl-c to stop.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>As you can see, the dev file is being acknowledged, but its looks like its contents are being ignored.</p>
  
  <p>I can:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>open the dev config file; </li>
  <li>change it;</li>
  <li>save it; </li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>and this triggers a rebuild with all the dev settings activated again. </p>
  
  <p>But it is less than desirable.</p>
  
  <p>FYI:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><p>I have typed out the full jekyll command rather than using the grunt shell - as expected, no difference.</p></li>
  <li><p>I have not updated jekyll or any of its dependencies....</p></li>
  <li><p>...EXCEPT I did update node.js from 4.5~ish to the current 6.2 recently.</p></li>
  <li><p>I did recently add a key:value pair for livereloading to the _config_dev.yml file, which I thought may have initially stuffed up the parsing of the yml. But I played around with that by turning the value into a string etc, and the problem persists.</p></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>I admit that I haven't tested rolling back the node.js. Partly because I can't really see how that would be a problem here, and partly because I need the current version for a node.js tutorial course I am doing. </p>
  
  <p>However, I may try that if no other answers offer insight.</p>
  
  <p><strong>EDIT:</strong> I am using Jekyll 2.5.3.</p>
  
  <p><strong>EDIT:</strong> I also note that this issue seems <em>similar</em> to this: <a href="https://github.com/jekyll/jekyll/issues/4850" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/jekyll/jekyll/issues/4850</a> (So I will keep an eye on that).</p>
  
  <p>Can anyone shed light on this issue?</p>
  
  <p>Thank you in advance.</p>