What is CENTRAL?

CENTRAL is a single CLI that replaces a dozen npx create-* commands. Instead of memorising a different scaffold command for every framework, you run:

central

…and pick a framework from an interactive, searchable list. CENTRAL runs the right create-* under the hood and prints next steps for you.

Installation

npm install -g @axionteams/central

The global CLI command is still central (same as before).

Requires Node.js >= 18.

Commands

| Command | Description | | ------- | ----------- | | central | Interactive mode — pick a framework from a searchable list. | | central install <id> | Install a framework directly by id. | | central list | List all registered frameworks in a table. | | central search <query> | Search frameworks by name, tag, or category. | | central add [path] | Register a new framework — via JSON file, flags, or interactive prompts. | | central registry | Show registry statistics. | | central update | Check for newer versions of CENTRAL itself. |

Every command supports --help:

central install --help

Interactive mode

Running central with no arguments:

1. Shows the CENTRAL banner and version.
2. Asks what type of project you want (all / fullstack / backend / frontend / meta).
3. Shows a searchable list of matching frameworks.
4. Displays the picked framework's description and tags.
5. Confirms and runs any extra prompts (e.g. project name).
6. Executes the install command with a spinner.
7. Prints next steps on success, or a suggested fix on failure.

Built-in frameworks

CENTRAL ships with these defaults out of the box:

• Next.js — npx create-next-app@latest
• Nest.js — npm i -g @nestjs/cli && nest new
• Nuxt.js — npx nuxi@latest init
• SvelteKit — npm create svelte@latest
• Astro — npm create astro@latest
• Remix — npx create-remix@latest
• Express (TS) — custom scaffold (creates folder, writes package.json, installs express + types)
• Hono — npm create hono@latest
• Vite (React + TS) — npm create vite@latest -- --template react-ts
• Analog — npm create analog@latest

See them all with:

central list

Adding your own framework

You have three ways to register a framework. All of them persist to ~/.central/registry.json, so the framework is available to every future central run.

Option A — Interactive (no arguments)

central add

CENTRAL walks you through every field (id, name, description, category, install command, tags, docs URL). If your command contains the {{projectName}} token, CENTRAL offers to auto-add a required text prompt for it so central install <id> asks the user for a project name.

Option B — One-shot via flags

Useful for scripts, CI, or sharing commands in chat:

central add \
  --id my-stack \
  --name "My Stack" \
  --description "An opinionated fullstack starter" \
  --category fullstack \
  --tags "react,ssr" \
  --command "npx create-my-stack@latest {{projectName}}"

Notes:

• --id and --command are required in flag mode.
• --type is optional; CENTRAL infers npx, npm, or custom from the first word of the command.
• If the command references {{projectName}} a matching prompt is added automatically. Disable with --no-project-prompt.

Option C — Local JSON file

Create a file my-framework.json:

{
  "id": "myfw",
  "name": "My Framework",
  "description": "A shiny new meta-framework.",
  "category": "fullstack",
  "tags": ["experimental"],
  "docs": "https://example.com/docs",
  "install": {
    "type": "npx",
    "command": "npx create-myfw@latest {{projectName}}"
  },
  "prompts": [
    {
      "id": "projectName",
      "type": "text",
      "message": "Project name",
      "placeholder": "my-app",
      "required": true
    }
  ],
  "nextSteps": ["cd {{projectName}}", "npm run dev"]
}

Register it:

central add ./my-framework.json

Option D — Programmatic API

import { registerFramework } from "@axionteams/central";

registerFramework({
  id: "myfw",
  name: "My Framework",
  description: "A shiny new meta-framework.",
  category: "fullstack",
  tags: ["experimental"],
  install: { type: "npx", command: "npx create-myfw@latest {{projectName}}" },
});

Framework definition schema

Every framework is validated with zod at load time:

{
  id: string;                       // unique, e.g. "nextjs"
  name: string;                     // display name
  description: string;              // one-line pitch
  category: "fullstack" | "backend" | "frontend" | "meta";
  tags: string[];
  docs?: string;                    // URL
  install: {
    type: "npx" | "npm" | "custom";
    command: string;                // shell command, with {{placeholders}}
    args?: string[];
  };
  prompts?: Array<{
    id: string;                     // answer key
    type: "text" | "confirm" | "select";
    message: string;
    placeholder?: string;
    initial?: string | boolean;
    options?: Array<{ value: string; label: string; hint?: string }>;
    required?: boolean;
  }>;
  nextSteps?: string[];             // shown after a successful install
}

Placeholder tokens of the form {{id}} inside install.command and nextSteps are replaced at runtime by the answer to the prompt with that id.

Development

git clone https://github.com/your-org/central.git
cd central
npm install
npm run dev       # tsup in watch mode
npm run build     # build to ./dist
npm test          # vitest

Folder layout

central/
├── src/
│   ├── cli.ts
│   ├── commands/     # install, list, search, add, registry, update, interactive
│   ├── core/         # registry loader, runner, prompt-engine
│   ├── ui/           # banner, table, spinner
│   ├── registry/     # built-in defaults
│   ├── schemas/      # zod schemas
│   └── utils/        # fs helpers, package-manager detection
├── tests/
└── ...

License

MIT