setup-tanstack-netlify

A zero-config CLI utility to prepare and deploy Lovable-generated TanStack Start (React SSR) applications to Netlify in seconds.

The Problem

Lovable (lovable.dev) builds dynamic full-stack applications using TanStack Start v1 (React 19 + Vite + Nitro SSR engine), configuring Cloudflare Workers as the default edge target.

If you try to deploy this project directly to Netlify:

1. Netlify 404 Errors: Netlify treats the project as a static SPA, resulting in 404 "Page Not Found" errors on all SSR-rendered pages.
2. Third-Party Mismatches: The default TanStack Start dependencies contain unresolved bugs (missing cheerio devDependency, incorrect import paths in @tanstack/start-plugin-core, and missing runtime configuration fallbacks).

What This CLI Does

Running this tool in your target project root automates all required configuration changes:

• Auto-Detects Package Manager: Identifies npm, bun, pnpm, or yarn via lockfiles.
• Installs Missing Dependencies: Adds cheerio as a devDependency.
• Generates netlify.toml: Configures Netlify with a catch-all rewrite (/* -> /.netlify/functions/server), Netlify-compatible Nitro presets (NITRO_PRESET = "netlify"), and Node 20 environment.
• Updates vite.config.ts: Removes the Cloudflare-specific server entry point (server: { entry: "server" }), allowing Nitro to compile using its default Netlify-compatible entry point.
• Injects Post-Install Hotfixes: Registers a lightweight scripts/patch-tanstack.js file and adds it to your project's postinstall step. This automatically patches known @tanstack/start-plugin-core bugs in node_modules (specifically fixing the escapeRegExp import path and adding a fallback value for injectedHeadScripts).
• Updates Git Ignore: Appends .netlify/ to .gitignore to keep local build artifacts out of Git.

Quick Start

Run the following command directly in the root directory of your Lovable-generated TanStack Start project:

npx setup-tanstack-netlify

Deploying to Netlify

Once the setup tool completes, you can deploy your application:

Option A: Connected Git Repository (Recommended)

Simply commit all generated files and push them to your repository (GitHub, GitLab, etc.). When Netlify builds the site, it will read netlify.toml, run the postinstall patch, and build the SSR application automatically.

Option B: Netlify CLI

1. Log in and link your project:

   netlify login
   netlify link

2. Build and deploy:

   netlify deploy --build --prod

Local Development & Contribution

If you want to contribute or modify this package locally:

1. Clone this repository.
2. Link the package globally to test changes:

   npm link

3. Run the CLI tool inside any test project root:

   setup-tanstack-netlify

License

MIT