Build a Project Scaffolding CLI Like create-next-app

Build a Project Scaffolding CLI Like create-next-app Every modern framework ships a scaffolding CLI: create-next-app , create-vite , create-svelte . These tools generate entire project structures from templates, complete with dependencies, config files, and git initialization. They feel magical — but the patterns behind them are straightforward. In this article, we'll build a scaffolding CLI from scratch that generates projects from templates, supports customization via prompts, and handles post-setup tasks like installing dependencies and initializing git. What We're Building scaffold — a CLI that: Offers multiple project templates Prompts for configuration (name, features, package manager) Copies and transforms template files Installs dependencies Initializes git Shows "what to do next" instructions The Template Directory Store templates as actual project directories: templates/ basic/ package.json.hbs src/ index.ts tsconfig.json .gitignore api/ package.json.hbs src/ server.ts routes