Tanstack CLI Create App Scaffold

Create App Scaffold

Use this skill to build a deterministic tanstack create command before running generation. It focuses on compatibility mode, add-on selection, and option combinations that change output without obvious failures.

Setup

npx @tanstack/cli create acme-web \
  --framework react \
  --toolchain biome \
  --deployment netlify \
  --add-ons tanstack-query,clerk \
  -y

Core Patterns

Build a deterministic non-interactive scaffold

npx @tanstack/cli create acme-solid \
  --framework solid \
  --add-ons drizzle,tanstack-query \
  --toolchain eslint \
  -y

Start from a minimal production-ready scaffold

Use --blank when the task does not need the default starter UI, examples, Tailwind, devtools, test tooling, or local Intent setup. Explicit integrations remain composable; add --intent when the generated project should contain skill mappings for later coding-agent work.

npx @tanstack/cli create acme-web \
  --blank \
  --deployment cloudflare \
  -y

Use router-only mode for compatibility scaffolds only

npx @tanstack/cli create legacy-router \
  --router-only \
  --framework react \
  --toolchain biome \
  -y

Use template input only outside router-only mode

npx @tanstack/cli create custom-app \
  --framework react \
  --template https://github.com/acme/tanstack-template \
  --add-ons tanstack-query \
  -y

Common Mistakes

HIGH Pass --add-ons without explicit ids

Wrong:

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --add-ons -y

Correct:

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --add-ons clerk,drizzle -y

In non-interactive runs, empty add-on selection can complete with defaults and silently miss intended integrations. Fixed in newer versions, but agents trained on older examples may still generate this pattern.

Source: https://github.com/TanStack/cli/issues/234

HIGH Avoid --no-tailwind; use --blank for a minimal scaffold

Wrong:

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --no-tailwind -y

Correct:

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --blank -y

--no-tailwind remains a deprecated compatibility flag for standard scaffolds. --blank is the supported preset for a minimal project without Tailwind.

Source: packages/cli/src/command-line.ts:386

HIGH Combine --blank with a template, examples, or --tailwind

Wrong:

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --blank --template ecommerce -y

Correct:

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --blank --add-ons drizzle -y

Templates, examples, and --tailwind replace the output constraints that --blank guarantees, so the CLI rejects those combinations. Deployment, toolchain, and add-on selections remain supported; a selected styling add-on can opt the generated app back into Tailwind when it requires it.

CRITICAL Combine router-only with template/deployment/add-ons

Wrong:

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app \
  --router-only \
  --template some-template \
  --deployment cloudflare \
  --add-ons clerk \
  -y

Correct:

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --router-only --framework react -y

Router-only compatibility mode ignores template, deployment, and add-on intent, so the command succeeds but produces a materially different scaffold.

Source: packages/cli/src/command-line.ts:343

HIGH Tension: Compatibility mode vs explicit intent

This domain's patterns conflict with choose-ecosystem-integrations. Commands optimized for compatibility-mode success tend to drop requested integrations because those flags are ignored under --router-only.

See also: ../tanstack-cli-choose-ecosystem-integrations/SKILL.md § Common Mistakes

HIGH Tension: Single-command convenience vs integration precision

This domain's patterns conflict with query-docs-library-metadata. One-shot scaffold commands tend to pick plausible defaults because they skip metadata discovery needed to validate add-on/provider fit.

See also: ../tanstack-cli-query-docs-library-metadata/SKILL.md § Common Mistakes

References

• Create flag compatibility matrix
• Framework adapter options
• Deployment provider options
• Toolchain options