Overview

TanStack CLI is an interactive scaffolding tool for creating TanStack Start applications. It provides guided project creation with 30+ pre-built integrations covering authentication, databases, deployment, and developer tools. It also includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for AI agent assistance and supports custom templates for team-standardized setups.

Package: @tanstack/cli

Status: Stable

Installation & Usage

Create a new project (interactive)

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app

Create with specific integrations

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --integrations tanstack-query,clerk,drizzle

Global install

npm install -g @tanstack/cli tanstack create my-app

Project Creation

Interactive Mode

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app

Prompts for:

- Project name

- Integration selection

- Configuration options

With Integrations Flag

Multiple integrations

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --integrations tanstack-query,tanstack-form,drizzle,neon,clerk

Deployment target

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --integrations vercel

Full stack setup

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --integrations tanstack-query,tanstack-form,tanstack-table,clerk,drizzle,neon,vercel,sentry

Available Integrations

TanStack Libraries

Integration Description

tanstack-query

Async state management

tanstack-form

Type-safe form management

tanstack-table

Headless table/datagrid

tanstack-store

Reactive data store

tanstack-virtual

List virtualization

tanstack-ai

AI SDK integration

tanstack-db

Client-side database

tanstack-pacer

Debouncing/throttling utilities

Authentication

Integration Description

clerk

Clerk authentication

better-auth

Better Auth integration

workos

WorkOS identity management

Databases & ORMs

Integration Description

drizzle

Drizzle ORM

prisma

Prisma ORM

neon

Neon serverless Postgres

convex

Convex backend platform

Deployment

Integration Description

vercel

Vercel deployment

netlify

Netlify deployment

cloudflare

Cloudflare Workers/Pages

nitro

Nitro server engine

Developer Tools

Integration Description

eslint

ESLint configuration

biome

Biome linting/formatting

shadcn-ui

shadcn/ui component library

storybook

Storybook component development

API & Backend

Integration Description

trpc

tRPC type-safe API

orpc

oRPC integration

Services

Integration Description

sentry

Error monitoring

paraglide

Internationalization (i18n)

strapi

Strapi CMS

Custom Templates

Creating a Template

Create a project as a template base

npx @tanstack/cli create my-template --integrations tanstack-query,drizzle,clerk

Share as a git repository or npm package

Using a Custom Template

From git repository

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --template https://github.com/myorg/my-template

From local path

npx @tanstack/cli create my-app --template ./templates/my-template

Template Structure

my-template/ ├── template.config.ts # Template configuration ├── src/ │ ├── app/ │ │ ├── routes/ │ │ └── components/ │ └── lib/ ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json ├── app.config.ts └── vite.config.ts

MCP Server

The TanStack CLI includes an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for AI agent integration.

Capabilities

• Documentation Search - AI agents can query TanStack documentation

• Project Scaffolding - Guided project creation through AI assistants

• Integration Discovery - Search and recommend integrations

• Deployment Guidance - Platform-specific deployment help

Usage with Claude

The MCP server enables Claude and other AI assistants to:

• Search TanStack docs for accurate, up-to-date information

• Help scaffold new projects with appropriate integrations

• Provide context-aware recommendations

• Assist with configuration and deployment

Configuration

// .claude/mcp.json or equivalent { "mcpServers": { "tanstack": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@tanstack/cli", "mcp"] } } }

Generated Project Structure

A typical generated project looks like:

my-app/ ├── src/ │ ├── app/ │ │ ├── routes/ │ │ │ ├── __root.tsx │ │ │ └── index.tsx │ │ ├── router.tsx │ │ ├── routeTree.gen.ts │ │ └── client.tsx │ ├── lib/ │ │ ├── db.ts # (if drizzle/prisma) │ │ ├── auth.ts # (if clerk/better-auth) │ │ └── query.ts # (if tanstack-query) │ └── components/ ├── app.config.ts ├── vite.config.ts ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json └── .env.example

Web Builder Interface

TanStack CLI also provides an interactive web-based builder:

• Visual technology stack selection

• Preview generated files before exporting

• Integration compatibility checking

• One-click project generation

CLI Commands Reference

Command Description

create <name>

Create a new project

create <name> --integrations <list>

Create with specific integrations

create <name> --template <path>

Create from template

mcp

Start the MCP server

Best Practices

• Start with minimal integrations - add more as needed rather than including everything upfront

• Use the --integrations flag for reproducible project creation in CI/docs

• Create team templates for consistent project structure across your organization

• Use the MCP server with AI assistants for guided setup

• Check .env.example after generation for required environment variables

• Review generated code before adding business logic - understand the scaffold

• Use deployment integrations to pre-configure hosting platform settings

• Combine auth + db integrations for full-stack auth scaffolding (e.g., clerk,drizzle,neon )

Common Pitfalls

• Not setting up environment variables after project creation (check .env.example )

• Selecting incompatible integration combinations

• Not running npm install / pnpm install after generation

• Forgetting to initialize the database when using Drizzle/Prisma integrations

• Not configuring the deployment platform's environment variables

• Using outdated CLI version (always use npx @tanstack/cli for latest)