Skip to content
xtarter
Blog

Getting Started

xtarterize scans JavaScript and TypeScript projects, selects the conformance tasks that apply, previews the changes, and applies approved updates. It writes configuration, never application code. Coverage is deepest for Vite, React, and TypeScript; other stacks such as Vue, Svelte, Solid, Node CLIs, and Bun work but stay experimental with fewer tasks.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • Node.js 24 or later
  • A JavaScript or TypeScript project with a package.json that has a name field, and an initialized Git repository (preflight checks validate both before making changes)

Your first run

Section titled “Your first run”
Terminal window
npx xtarterize@latest init

No global install needed; the runner fetches the published CLI directly. Verify it works with --version or --help.

  1. Scan the project for framework, bundler, package manager, monorepo status, and existing configs
  2. Resolve which tasks apply to the detected stack
  3. Check each task’s status: new, patch, skip, or conflict
  4. Plan the changes in a conformance table
  5. Prompt to apply all, select tasks, dry-run, or quit

Preview first, or apply without prompts:

Preview
npx xtarterize@latest init --dry-run
Apply all
npx xtarterize@latest init --yes

A task that is already conformant is skipped, so a second init makes no changes. Lint tasks install Ultracite alongside Biome, Oxlint, or Oxfmt, and generated configs extend its presets; xtarterize overlays its own conventions, such as kebab-case filenames and single quotes. Customize by editing the generated config files. Which tasks are offered also depends on where you run in a monorepo — see monorepo support. Every flag, including --only and --skip, is in the CLI reference.

What it will not do

Section titled “What it will not do”
  • Overwrite your values. A config key you set deliberately is preserved; xtarterize only fills gaps.
  • Hide a conflict. Incompatible values are reported for your decision instead of being silently replaced.
  • Leave you stuck. Modified files are backed up under .xtarterize/; undo reverts a whole run and restore brings back one file.
  • Touch your source code. Only configuration files, CI workflows, editor settings, and agent instructions are written.

Which command next

Section titled “Which command next”
Command Reach for it when
sync Templates have moved on and you want the updates
check Auditing conformance, or gating CI
diff Reviewing pending changes before applying
add <task-id> Applying one specific task
query "<words>" Finding the right task by description

Agent skills

Section titled “Agent skills”

The xtarterize skill teaches AI tools how to drive the CLI: commands, flags, --json output shapes, task statuses, and conformance workflows. It activates when you ask about conformance, linting, CI, or any xtarterize task. Install it through the skills.sh ecosystem:

Terminal window
npx skills@latest add agustinusnathaniel/xtarter

Starting from a template

Section titled “Starting from a template”

create-xtarter-app scaffolds new projects on the same baseline — run xtarterize init inside a fresh scaffold to keep it conformant.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”