create-pattern

The scaffolder for Pattern projects — the front door of the DX.

npm create pattern@latest
# or
pnpm create pattern my-app --modpack studio

Projects are scaffolded from modpacks — curated sets of mods for a use case. Interactive by default — banner → modpack → auth/docs/examples toggles → "what's in the box" card → package manager → install + git init → tailored next steps. Degrades gracefully in non-TTY/CI: fully flag-driven, no prompts, no animation.

App or mod?

The first question is what you're creating:

• An app — a runnable Pattern project (the modpack ladder below). The default.
• A mod — a publishable npm package that exports defineMod(...) and extends any Pattern engine with ops, routes, an admin page, and a docs chapter.

For a mod, a short questionnaire picks the pieces (ops, HTTP routes, an admin page — Tier-1 declarative or Tier-2 custom React, and a docs chapter); the scaffold is publishable as-is. A Tier-2 admin page is pre-wired against the admin's own stack (React + Tailwind + motion.dev + lucide, read off the shared __PATTERN_ADMIN__ global — no bundler). Headless: create-pattern my-mod --kind mod (defaults to ops + routes + a Tier-1 page + docs).

Modpacks (apps)

Pick by how much you want running — the five sit on one ladder:

| Modpack | id | Adds over the previous rung | It's really… | |---------|----|-----------------------------|--------------| | Engine only | blank | — | a program, no server — run a workflow from code and watch it print | | Headless server | headless | the HTTP/WS/CLI host | a running server, no UI — serve workflows as endpoints | | Studio | studio | @pattern-js/mod-admin | a visual workspace at /admin — build, version, run & trace workflows | | Studio + Agents | agentic | the agent stack (agents + store + vault) | build agentic workflows (agents.agent → agents.run, tools as workflows) in the editor — no chat UI | | Studio + Agentic Chat | agent-chat | @pattern-js/mod-chat | a chat product at /chat — tools, guardrails, HITL; its turn pipeline is an agentic workflow |

Run create-pattern --list for the ladder, or --dry-run to print the exact manifest (mods + roles, generated files, endpoints, env) for any selection without writing anything.

Auth & docs are dimensions, not packs: where the pack serves HTTP, prompts offer the identity brick (@pattern-js/mod-identity + @pattern-js/mod-auth-magic-link) and the self-documenting /docs site (@pattern-js/mod-docs). First boot prints a one-time link; the first account becomes admin; sign-in links print to the console until you wire real delivery. headless with auth also gets a protected GET /whoami route demoing requireAuth + the trigger's user port.

Examples are a dimension too — on every pack, asked each time, on by default. "Examples" means the demo custom content (sample workflows, example tools, app-local demo mods); the platform mods and their built-in workflows always run. --no-examples strips the demos and leaves a runnable skeleton plus notes on how to add your own — so you don't scaffold-then-delete.

Every modpack ships AGENTS.md + CLAUDE.md — the contract sheet a coding agent needs to add ops, routes, workflows, and admin pages without guessing (paired with the pattern ops ground-truth catalog in the terminal).

Flags (headless)

create-pattern <name> [--kind app|mod] [--modpack <id>] [--auth|--no-auth] [--docs|--no-docs] [--examples|--no-examples] [--pm npm|pnpm|yarn|bun] [--no-install] [--no-git] [--yes] [--list] [--dry-run]

# mod (--kind mod):
create-pattern <name> --kind mod [--scope @acme] [--ops|--no-ops] [--workflows|--no-workflows] [--admin none|tier1|tier2] [--docs|--no-docs]

--template/-t remains as an alias (legacy ids hello-workflow/http-api map to blank/headless). --list prints the modpack table. Without --auth/--no-auth, non-interactive runs use the pack's default — studio ships locked. Examples default on; pass --no-examples for a clean scaffold.