create-objectstack

create-objectstack

Scaffold a new ObjectStack project in seconds.

npm create objectstack@latest my-app

Usage

# Create a project in a new directory (blank template)
npx create-objectstack my-app

# Use a specific template
npx create-objectstack my-app --template todo

# Scaffold in the current directory
npx create-objectstack

# Skip automatic dependency installation
npx create-objectstack my-app --skip-install

Templates

Template	Source	Description
blank (default)	bundled (offline)	Minimal starter — one object, REST API, ready to extend

blank is bundled inside the npm package, so scaffolding never needs network access.

The remote content templates (todo, compliance, content, contracts, procurement) have been retired — they were delisted from the ObjectStack template marketplace and are no longer maintained. Asking for one by name tells you so rather than failing as an unknown template.

Options

Option	Description
[name]	Project name (defaults to current directory name)
-t, --template <name>	Project template (default: blank)
--skip-install	Skip dependency installation
--skip-skills	Skip installing the ObjectStack AI skills bundle
-V, --version	Show version
-h, --help	Show help

What it does

1. Copies the template into the target directory and rewrites its identity: package.json name, objectstack.manifest.json name/displayName, the objectstack.config.ts manifest literals, and the README title. A namespace is derived from the project name (my-app → my_app) and every object name in the template is re-prefixed to match (blank_note → my_app_note).
2. Installs dependencies (pnpm if available, otherwise npm). They include @objectstack/skills, the ObjectStack AI skills catalog, at the same version as @objectstack/spec.
3. Installs that catalog for one coding agent, from node_modules — npx -y skills@1.7.2 experimental_sync --agent claude-code --copy -y — so the skills teach the version the project runs, never the repository's unreleased main. One agent and --copy, so the catalog lands as real files in exactly one directory (.claude/skills/) and a scaffolded project commits it once; src/skills-install.ts carries the measurement. The closing summary prints the same command for any other runtime, and for re-installing after an upgrade. With --skip-install nothing is in node_modules yet, so no skills are installed and the summary says how to get them.
4. Writes AGENTS.md and .github/copilot-instructions.md with the project conventions — unless the template ships its own.

What Gets Generated (blank)

my-app/
├── objectstack.config.ts        # defineStack() entry point
├── objectstack.manifest.json    # name, namespace, version
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── .gitignore
├── README.md
├── AGENTS.md                    # conventions for coding agents
└── src/
    ├── objects/
    │   ├── index.ts
    │   └── note.object.ts
    ├── views/index.ts           # an empty barrel for each directory
    ├── actions/index.ts         # `objectstack generate` writes into,
    ├── flows/index.ts           # already wired into objectstack.config.ts
    ├── dashboards/index.ts
    ├── apps/index.ts
    ├── skills/index.ts
    └── picklists/index.ts

Next steps inside the project:

npm run dev        # start the dev server
npm run validate   # verify metadata: schema + predicates + bindings

See the docs: Your First Project.

License

Apache-2.0. See LICENSING.md.