create-ctrl-app

One command to a running, locked backend your AI agent can't silently break.

npx create-ctrl-app my-app

You get a running Next.js app with verified backend parts (auth, billing, email, jobs, storage…) already vendored in and locked to a content hash, a zero-config local database (pglite — no Docker, no signup), and a /ctrl control panel. Your agent wires the seams and builds the product; it doesn't re-derive or rewrite the infrastructure — and if it tries, the change shows up as a red diff locally and a failed check in CI.

Why

AI coding agents rebuild the same infrastructure on every project — slightly differently each time, unverified, and they'll happily "fix" your auth or swap your billing vendor mid-task. Ctrl AI vendors each capability as a part: real, readable, MIT source that lands in your repo, with a machine-readable contract, a conformance suite every vendor adapter must pass, and a lock that makes the part interiors mechanically off-limits. The agent keeps the fun part — your UI and business logic; the backend stays legible and under control.

• Locked, not hidden. Parts are content-hashed in parts.lock; a pre-commit hook and CI (ctrlai audit + ctrlai conform) fail on any drift.
• Swappable vendors. One capability, one interface, N vendors (Resend ↔ SES, Stripe ↔ Paddle). Swap is one command; your app code doesn't move.
• Yours forever. No SDK, no telemetry, no lock-in. ctrlai eject cuts any part loose to plain code you own.

The first five minutes

npx create-ctrl-app my-app     # running, locked backend on a zero-config DB
cd my-app
npm run dev                    # open http://localhost:3000 — and /ctrl

ctrlai add billing.subscription   # vendor another verified part in
ctrlai provision db               # a real Postgres on YOUR Neon, migrated
ctrlai push                       # your repo on GitHub, CI turns on
ctrlai deploy                     # a live URL on YOUR Vercel

Every rung lands on your accounts. Ctrl AI never hosts your backend.

Related

| Package | What | |---|---| | ctrlai | The CLI: add / upgrade / eject / audit / conform / deploy | | @ctrlai/mcp | MCP server so coding agents can discover and install parts | | @ctrlai/core | The engine: contracts, lockfile, hashing, attestation |

Docs: ctrlai.com/docs · Catalog: ctrlai.com/parts · Built by Ctrl AI.

MIT licensed. © Ctrl AI authors.