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
Choose Vite or Rsbuild explicitly
Vite is the default. Use Rsbuild for React or Solid when the requested project fits its initial compatibility surface.
npx @tanstack/cli create acme-web \
--framework react \
--build-tool rsbuild \
--toolchain biome \
-y
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: 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: query-docs-library-metadata/SKILL.md § Common Mistakes