Add dev options: -t, --tag -> Add parameters: skip, only

[roseline124]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

I have so many files and storybooks in my project that it takes too long to run the storybooks. I think I can save time by only running storybooks with specific tags.

Describe the solution you'd like

I know that the storybook has a tagging feature: storybook dev --tag {tagName} will only run storybooks with a specific tag. I think this will reduce the time it takes to run the storybooks.

Describe alternatives you've considered

I made open storybook vscode extension. open storybook. However, it would be nice if Storybook supported --tag functionality without using an extension.

Are you able to assist to bring the feature to reality?

yes, I can

Additional context

No response

[shilman]

What framework/builder are you using? There should be some perf gains by running with --tag but maybe not as many as you'd expect if you have a modern Storybook setup.

Let's see whether we can speed up your Storybook by configuration first and then see if tags can help further.

[roseline124]

Thanks for your response! Let me share some details about our setup and the performance challenges we're facing.

Our Setup

• Framework: Next.js 14 (pages router with some app router migration in progress)
• Builder: Webpack 5 (via @storybook/nextjs)
• Monorepo: pnpm + Turbo (multiple apps and packages)

However, Storybook itself doesn't run inside the Next.js app.
We only run Storybook inside our ui package, which contains shared components and hooks used across multiple Next.js apps.

This ui package, though, has deep dependencies on Next.js features like: next/router, next/image

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Performance Issues

Even though Storybook only runs in packages/ui, we experience very slow startup times because:

1. Storybook scans the entire monorepo, including apps and unrelated files.
2. Next.js configuration and environment are fully loaded, even though the majority of stories don't need it.
3. Turbo + pnpm monorepo linking makes file resolution more expensive, especially with a large number of packages and shared dependencies.

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Existing Workaround

To work around these performance issues, I made a vscode extension that dynamically rewrites .storybook/main.ts so only the currently focused story file is loaded.

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Initial Tag Suggestion

I initially thought --tag could help, but realized that with our monorepo setup, tags alone wouldn't give enough precision — we might accidentally load stories that I didn't want.

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I'll add a separate comment to suggest a more granular solution using story-level parameters like only and skip. Thanks for your consideration!

[roseline124]

Feature Proposal: Granular Story Filtering with only and skip Parameters

As mentioned above, I initially considered using --tag, but there’s a risk that --tag would accidentally pull in other stories that I didn't want.

Instead, I would like to propose adding two new story parameters: only and skip. (I think it would be enough to have only, not skip.)
While this works, it would be much cleaner and beneficial for the wider community if Storybook itself provided a first-class way to filter which stories are loaded.

These would work similarly to Jest's test.only and test.skip — giving developers granular control over which stories are executed.

Example Usage

Button.stories.ts

export default {
  title: 'Components/Button',
  component: Button,
  parameters: {
    only: true, // Load only this story and skip all others
  },
};

export const Primary = () => <Button />;

Badge.stories.ts

export default {
  title: 'Components/Badge',
  component: Badge,
  parameters: {
    skip: true, // Skip this story entirely
  },
};

export const Default = () => <Badge />;

Benefits

• Story-level filtering, for maximum flexibility.
• No need for external tools or modification of .storybook/main.ts.
• Perfect for large monorepos where scanning and initializing all stories is too expensive.
• Compatible with existing Storybook workflows (just add parameters like any other).

Open to Contribution

I would be happy to contribute this feature if the core team is open to it. Let me know your thoughts!

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Thank you for maintaining the storybook and for considering my suggestions! :)