diff --git a/bb.edn b/bb.edn
index 1e447d92f8..76e1ba171a 100644
--- a/bb.edn
+++ b/bb.edn
@@ -31,15 +31,32 @@
   dev:app-watch
   logseq.tasks.dev.mobile/app-watch
 
-  dev:build-publishing
-  logseq.tasks.dev/build-publishing
+  -dev:build-publishing-frontend
+  logseq.tasks.dev/build-publishing-frontend
+
+  dev:publishing-backend
+  logseq.tasks.dev/publishing-backend
+
+  -dev:publishing-release
+  {:depends [-dev:build-publishing-frontend]
+   :doc "Build release publishing spa app given graph and output dirs"
+   :task (run 'dev:publishing-backend)}
+
+  -dev:watch-publishing-frontend
+  logseq.tasks.dev/watch-publishing-frontend
+
+  -dev:watch-publishing-backend
+  logseq.tasks.dev/watch-publishing-backend
+
+  -dev:publishing-dev
+  {:depends [-dev:watch-publishing-frontend -dev:watch-publishing-backend]
+   :doc "Watch dev publishing spa app given graph and output dirs"}
 
   dev:publishing
-  {:depends [dev:build-publishing]
-   :doc "Build publishing spa app given graph and output dirs"
-   :task (apply shell {:dir "scripts"}
-           "yarn -s nbb-logseq -cp src -m logseq.tasks.dev.publishing"
-           (into ["static"] *command-line-args*))}
+  {:doc "Builds full publishing app given graph and output dirs. Append --dev to watch frontend"
+   :task (if ((set *command-line-args*) "--dev")
+           (run '-dev:publishing-dev {:parallel true})
+           (run '-dev:publishing-release))}
 
   dev:npx-cap-run-ios
   logseq.tasks.dev.mobile/npx-cap-run-ios
diff --git a/deps/publishing/src/logseq/publishing/export.cljs b/deps/publishing/src/logseq/publishing/export.cljs
index 0ae51f3da7..4e986e78a3 100644
--- a/deps/publishing/src/logseq/publishing/export.cljs
+++ b/deps/publishing/src/logseq/publishing/export.cljs
@@ -42,10 +42,7 @@
                 (fs/symlinkSync (node-path/join source-static-dir "js" "publishing" "cljs-runtime")
                                 (node-path/join output-static-dir "js" "cljs-runtime")))
             ;; remove publishing-dir
-            _ (when-not dev? (p/all (map (fn [file]
-                                           (fs/rmSync (node-path/join publishing-dir file)))
-                                         (fs/readdirSync publishing-dir))))
-            _ (when-not dev? (fs/rmdirSync publishing-dir))
+            _ (when-not dev? (fse/remove publishing-dir))
             ;; remove source map files
             _ (p/all (map (fn [file]
                             (fs/rmSync (node-path/join output-static-dir "js" (str file ".map")) #js {:force true}))
diff --git a/docs/dev-practices.md b/docs/dev-practices.md
index df29657918..356f937311 100644
--- a/docs/dev-practices.md
+++ b/docs/dev-practices.md
@@ -307,13 +307,20 @@ point out:
   ```sh
   # One time setup
   $ cd scripts && yarn install && cd -
-  # Build a release export
+
+  # Build a release publishing app
   $ bb dev:publishing /path/to/graph-dir tmp/publish
-  # OR build a dev export with `clojure -M:cljs watch publishing` and then
+
+  # OR build a dev publishing app that watches frontend changes
   $ bb dev:publishing /path/to/graph-dir tmp/publish --dev
 
-  # View the app in a browser
-  $ python3 -m http.server 8080 -d tmp/db-publish &; open http://localhost:8080
+  # View the publishing app in a browser
+  $ python3 -m http.server 8080 -d tmp/publish &; open http://localhost:8080
+
+  # Rebuild the publishing backend for dev/release.
+  # Handy when making backend changes in deps/publishing or
+  # to test a different graph
+  $ bb dev:publishing-backend /path/graph-dir tmp/publish
 
   ```
 
diff --git a/scripts/src/logseq/tasks/dev.clj b/scripts/src/logseq/tasks/dev.clj
index e3b9915d5b..d49fb48ac7 100644
--- a/scripts/src/logseq/tasks/dev.clj
+++ b/scripts/src/logseq/tasks/dev.clj
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
   namespaces"
   (:require [babashka.process :refer [shell]]
             [babashka.fs :as fs]
+            [logseq.tasks.util :as task-util]
             [clojure.java.io :as io]
             [clojure.pprint :as pp]
             [clojure.edn :as edn]))
@@ -37,8 +38,8 @@
                    (pp/pprint (edn/read-string (:out (shell {:out :string} "node ./static/gen-malli-kondo-config.js")))))]
       (spit config-edn config))))
 
-(defn build-publishing
-  "Builds release publishing asset when files have changed"
+(defn build-publishing-frontend
+  "Builds frontend release publishing asset when files have changed"
   [& _args]
   (if-let [_files (and (not (System/getenv "SKIP_ASSET"))
                        (seq (set (fs/modified-since (fs/file "static/js/publishing/main.js")
@@ -47,3 +48,27 @@
       (println "Building publishing js asset...")
       (shell "clojure -M:cljs release publishing"))
     (println "Publishing js asset is up to date")))
+
+(defn publishing-backend
+  "Builds publishing backend and copies over supporting frontend assets"
+  [& args]
+  (apply shell {:dir "scripts"}
+         "yarn -s nbb-logseq -cp src -m logseq.tasks.dev.publishing"
+         (into ["static"] args)))
+
+(defn watch-publishing-frontend
+  [& _args]
+  (shell "clojure -M:cljs watch publishing"))
+
+(defn watch-publishing-backend
+  "Builds publishing backend once watch-publishing-frontend has built initial frontend"
+  [& args]
+  (let [start-time (java.time.Instant/now)]
+    (Thread/sleep 3000)
+    (loop [n 1000]
+      (if (and (fs/exists? "static/js/publishing/main.js")
+               (task-util/file-modified-later-than? "static/js/publishing/main.js" start-time))
+        (apply publishing-backend args)
+        (do (println "Waiting for publishing frontend to build...")
+            (Thread/sleep 1000)
+            (recur (inc n)))))))
\ No newline at end of file