---
title: Create Command
description: Scaffold a new Better Fullstack project with prompts, defaults, templates, shapes, or explicit flags.
translationStatus: pending
updated: 2026-09-14
---
`create` writes a new project from a typed stack configuration. Use it interactively to explore, or pass flags when you need the same project shape every time.
For npm, Better Fullstack flags go after `--`.
## Design-system lint
Select `shadcn-lint` together with `oxlint`, or with both `eslint` and `prettier`, through `--addons`. For graph input, use `--part codeQuality:universal:oxlint --part codeQuality:universal:shadcn-lint`, or replace the Oxlint part with both `codeQuality:universal:eslint` and `codeQuality:universal:prettier`. The interactive Code Quality prompt accepts one base profile and this optional second check.
This requires Tailwind CSS v4 and one of `next`, `vinext`, `tanstack-router`, `tanstack-start`, `react-router`, or `react-vite`. Generated `DESIGN.md` explains the initial Button contract and `lint:design` command. The configuration and dependencies are also present with `--no-install` and in builder downloads.
## Operational contract
| Concern | Contract |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Preview | Add `--dry-run` to render and list files without writing them. |
| Writes | Creates a project directory; dependency installation and Git initialization follow `--install` and `--git`. |
| Safe inspection | Combine `--dry-run`, `--no-install`, and `--no-git`. |
| Recovery | Generate into a new directory and remove it if you reject the scaffold. Existing-directory behavior is controlled by `--directory-conflict`. |
| Source of truth | The live CLI schema and the generated flag tables below, shared with the Stack Builder and MCP server. |
## Command modes
| Mode | Shape | Use it when |
| -------- | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Wizard | `[launcher] my-app` | You want prompts and defaults. |
| Defaults | `[launcher] my-app [flags] --yes` | You want the default stack without prompts. |
| Scripted | `[launcher] my-app [flags]` | You want repeatable output. |
| Dry run | `[launcher] my-app [flags] --dry-run` | You want to inspect files before writing. |
## Project shapes
`--shape` names what you are building, and the CLI then runs only the prompts that shape needs:
| Shape | Asks | Result |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| `--shape fullstack` | Nothing extra; the standard composition prompt runs. | The full guided flow. |
| `--shape frontend` | TypeScript, Rust, or .NET. | A client app with the server half switched off. |
| `--shape backend` | TypeScript, Go, Rust, Python, Java/Kotlin, .NET, or Elixir. | An API with no web frontend. |
| `--shape mobile` | React Native, Kotlin, Swift, or Flutter. | A mobile app on the platform you pick. |
```bash
# Prompts for the mobile platform
bun create better-fullstack@latest my-app --shape mobile
# Platform answered up front; Kotlin libraries and Git are still asked
bun create better-fullstack@latest my-app --shape mobile --kotlin-mobile compose-multiplatform
# Fully prompt-free
bun create better-fullstack@latest my-app --shape backend --ecosystem go --yes
```
With `--yes`, nothing is left to prompt, so a shape falls back to its default ecosystem: TypeScript for frontend and backend, React Native for mobile.
A shape decides the stack, so the CLI rejects rather than silently overrules a command that already decides it too: `--config`, `--from-history`, `--part`, and `--template` each carry a complete stack; a flag the shape switches off contradicts it; and `--shape mobile` accepts selectors for exactly one platform. Kotlin, Swift, and Flutter apps build through Gradle, XcodeGen, and Flutter, which the CLI does not run, so `--install` is skipped with a notice on those platforms instead of reporting an install that never happened.
## Templates
`--template` starts from a filled-in stack. Flags you pass alongside override individual fields, and `--yes` accepts the rest as-is:
| Template | Stack |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `t3` | Next.js, tRPC, Prisma, PostgreSQL, Better Auth, Biome, Turborepo |
| `saas` | Next.js, tRPC, Drizzle, PostgreSQL, Better Auth organizations, Creem billing |
| `mern` | React Router, Express, Mongoose, MongoDB Atlas, oRPC, Better Auth |
| `pern` | TanStack Router, Express, Drizzle, PostgreSQL, tRPC, Better Auth |
| `uniwind` | Expo with Uniwind, mobile only, no backend |
```npm
npm create better-fullstack@latest my-app -- --template t3
```
## Prompt behavior
- Explicit flags skip only the categories they cover.
- `--yes` accepts defaults and conflicts with core stack flags such as `--frontend`, `--backend`, `--database`, `--orm`, `--auth`, and `--api`.
- Use `none` to disable optional categories, including `--ai-docs none`.
- `--verify` runs every generated target check after scaffolding without starting dev servers. Those toolchains may fetch dependencies and write normal lockfiles, caches, or build artifacts.
- `--version-channel latest` follows npm `latest` tags except for temporary compatibility holds that keep generated projects installable.
## Flag tables
The tables below are generated from the same shared schemas the CLI, Stack Builder, and MCP server use.
### Common
### TypeScript stack
Use these with `--ecosystem typescript`.
### Services
### UI and app behavior
### shadcn/ui
### React Native
Use these with `--ecosystem react-native`.
### Language ecosystems
Go auth splits in two: GoBetterAuth uses the global `--auth go-better-auth` value, while Go-native helpers use `--go-auth`.
## Examples
### Flat single-app output
`--workspace-shape single-app` flattens a thin Next.js or TanStack Start self-backend scaffold into the project root. It is a create-time layout choice. If the stack needs separate database, ORM, auth, API, service, native, container, or deployment packages, compatibility safely restores the default `monorepo` layout.
```npm
npm create better-fullstack@latest thin-next-app -- \
--frontend next \
--backend self \
--runtime none \
--workspace-shape single-app \
--database none \
--orm none \
--api none \
--auth none \
--payments none \
--email none \
--observability none \
--logging none \
--web-deploy none \
--server-deploy none \
--examples none \
--ai-docs none \
--no-install \
--no-git
```
### Multi-ecosystem project
```npm
npm create better-fullstack@latest my-mixed-app -- \
--part frontend:typescript:next \
--part backend:go:gin \
--part backend.orm:go:gorm \
--part database:universal:postgres \
--part mobile:react-native:native-bare
```
See [Multi-Ecosystem](/docs/ecosystems/multi-ecosystem/) for the full part model.
## Scaffold history
`history` lists recent scaffolds with the reproducible command that created each one:
```bash
npx create-better-fullstack@latest history
```
Flags: `--limit ` (default 10), `--clear`, and `--json`. To reuse a stack, copy its reproducible command and re-run it with a new name or adjusted flags. History stays local under your user directory.