CLI reference

Requirements

Node.js 20 or newer.
One of pnpm, npm, Yarn, or Bun for installing the generated project's dependencies.

Commands

nextron [command]

Commands:
  create [name]   Create a new Nextron application
  add <module>    Add a module to an existing Nextron application

Global flags:
  --help          Show usage for the CLI or a subcommand
  --version       Print the installed CLI version

Running nextron without a subcommand starts the same interactive generator as nextron create.

Create a project

nextron create [name]

Creates a new directory, copies the base template for the selected stack, applies selected modules, generates environment and agent-context files, and optionally installs dependencies.

npx @edwinfom/nextron@latest create customer-portal

If no name is supplied, the CLI asks for one. Project names may contain lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.

Prompts

The first prompt selects the stack:

Choice	Options
Stack	Next.js, Vite + Node, React Native (Expo)

Next.js stack:

Choice	Options
ORM	Drizzle, Prisma, none
Database	PostgreSQL, SQLite, MySQL, none
PostgreSQL provider	Neon, Supabase, local/Docker
Authentication	Better Auth, Clerk, NextAuth, none
Additional modules	tRPC, AI, Stripe, Polar, Inngest, dashboard
AI provider	Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google
Package manager	pnpm, npm, Yarn, Bun
Dependency installation	Install immediately or skip

Vite + Node stack (see the Express backend guide):

Choice	Options
Layout	API only, monorepo (apps/api + apps/web)
Database	MongoDB (Mongoose), SQL Server (mssql)
Payments	Stripe, Polar (multi-select, optional)
Package manager	pnpm, npm, Yarn, Bun — monorepo layouts always use pnpm
Dependency installation	Install immediately or skip

React Native (Expo) stack (see the Expo guide):

Choice	Options
Layout	Monorepo (apps/mobile + apps/api), app only
Backend API URL	app only — `EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL` for the external backend
Database	monorepo — MongoDB (Mongoose), SQL Server (mssql)
Authentication	monorepo — JWT, none
Payments	Stripe, Polar (multi-select, optional)
Additional modules	monorepo — AI, tRPC, Inngest · app only — Auth, Stripe, Polar, AI chat, tRPC client
Package manager	pnpm, npm, Yarn, Bun — monorepo layouts always use pnpm
Dependency installation	Install immediately or skip

The dashboard option only appears when authentication is enabled.
The AI provider prompt only appears when the AI module is selected.
The PostgreSQL provider decides which database client is generated (the Neon serverless driver versus node-postgres).
The package manager is auto-detected from how the CLI was invoked and which tools exist on your machine; the detected option is preselected.
Cancelling any prompt (Ctrl+C) exits cleanly — no files are written until every prompt is answered.

With pnpm and npm, dependency installation runs with --prefer-offline, reusing your local store or cache when possible. Install output is captured quietly; on failure, the captured error is shown and the generated files remain in place for a manual install.

Rollback

If generation fails and Nextron created the target directory, it removes that incomplete directory. Directories that existed before the command started are never deleted by rollback.

Add a module

Run this command from a generated project containing nextron.config.ts:

nextron add <module>

Example:

npx @edwinfom/nextron@latest add stripe

The command:

Reads the existing Nextron configuration.
Validates the requested module against the modules already installed.
Resolves required modules automatically and shows everything that will be added before asking for confirmation.
Preserves existing files — conflicting destinations are skipped with a warning.
Adds the module dependencies to package.json and updates nextron.config.ts.
Offers to install new packages with the package manager recorded in the config (falling back to lockfile detection).
Prints any environment variables the new module needs.

Supported module names

Name	Capability
`database`	Drizzle or Prisma database layer
`auth`	Better Auth, Clerk, or NextAuth integration
`trpc`	End-to-end type-safe API
`ai`	AI SDK chat foundation
`stripe`	Payments and webhook handling
`polar`	Merchant of Record payments, checkout, portal, and webhooks
`inngest`	Background jobs and workflows
`dashboard`	Protected dashboard routes and starter UI

Modules for the Vite + Node (Express) and React Native (Expo) stacks:

Name	Capability
`express-database`	MongoDB (Mongoose) or SQL Server (mssql) database layer (backend only)
`express-auth`	JWT register/login backend + Expo sign-in/up screens and secure-store session
`express-ai`	Streaming `/api/ai/chat` endpoint + an Expo chat screen
`express-trpc`	tRPC v11 router over Express + a typed Expo client
`express-inngest`	Inngest background jobs and workflows (backend only)
`stripe-express`	Stripe checkout and webhooks + a native Expo PaymentSheet screen
`polar-express`	Polar checkout, portal, and webhooks + an Expo hosted-checkout screen

On the Expo stack, each module's backend files target apps/api and its mobile screens target apps/mobile (or the project root for app-only projects).

Compatibility rules

dashboard requires auth. Adding it to a project with auth: "none" fails before files are written.
Better Auth and NextAuth require a database module.
Required modules are resolved automatically and confirmed in one step.
Incompatibility checks cover the entire resolved set, including modules pulled in as requirements — not just the module you named.
Modules are stack-aware: Next.js modules cannot be added to a Vite + Node or Expo project, and *-express modules cannot be added to a Next.js project. In a monorepo (Vite + Node or Expo), run nextron add from apps/api.

Environment variables

Each module declares its variables; create writes them all to .env.example and add prints the new ones:

Module	Variables
`database`	`DATABASE_URL`
`auth` (Better Auth)	`BETTER_AUTH_SECRET`, `BETTER_AUTH_URL`
`auth` (Clerk)	`CLERK_SECRET_KEY`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY`
`auth` (NextAuth)	`AUTH_SECRET`
`ai`	`AI_PROVIDER` + the matching provider key
`stripe`	`STRIPE_SECRET_KEY`, `STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY`
`polar`	`POLAR_ACCESS_TOKEN`, `POLAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET`, optional `POLAR_SERVER`, `POLAR_SUCCESS_URL`
`inngest`	`INNGEST_EVENT_KEY`, `INNGEST_SIGNING_KEY`
`express-database` (MongoDB)	`MONGODB_URI`
`express-database` (SQL Server)	`SQLSERVER_SERVER`, `SQLSERVER_DATABASE`, `SQLSERVER_USER`, `SQLSERVER_PASSWORD`
`stripe-express`	`STRIPE_SECRET_KEY`, `STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET`
`polar-express`	`POLAR_ACCESS_TOKEN`, `POLAR_WEBHOOK_SECRET`, optional `POLAR_SERVER`, `POLAR_SUCCESS_URL`
Expo app (mobile)	`EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL`, and `EXPO_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` with the Stripe module

All variables are validated at boot through the generated src/env.ts (Next.js), src/config/env.ts (Express), or src/shared/env.ts (Expo — only EXPO_PUBLIC_* variables reach the app bundle).

Versioning

The CLI follows semantic versioning: patch releases never change the generated project layout or the command interface. See the changelog for release notes.