Next.js Project Scaffold
Create a production-ready Next.js project with App Router, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS. If the user provides a target, use it as the project name. Otherwise, ask.
Step 1: Run create-next-app
Execute this command, replacing <project-name> with the target:
npx create-next-app@latest <project-name> \
--typescript \
--tailwind \
--eslint \
--app \
--src-dir \
--import-alias "@/*" \
--use-pnpmIf the user prefers npm or yarn, swap --use-pnpm accordingly. Default to pnpm.
Step 2: Set Up Directory Structure
Create these directories inside src/:
src/
app/ # Routes and layouts (created by create-next-app)
(auth)/ # Auth route group
(dashboard)/ # Main app route group
api/ # API routes
layout.tsx # Root layout
page.tsx # Landing page
components/
ui/ # Reusable primitives (Button, Input, Card)
forms/ # Form components
layout/ # Header, Footer, Sidebar, Nav
lib/
utils.ts # Shared utility functions
constants.ts # App-wide constants
types/
index.ts # Shared TypeScript types
hooks/ # Custom React hooks
styles/
globals.css # Already created by create-next-appmkdir -p src/{components/{ui,forms,layout},lib,types,hooks,app/{\\(auth\\),\\(dashboard\\),api}}Step 3: Configure TypeScript
Verify tsconfig.json has these settings. Patch if missing:
{
"compilerOptions": {
"strict": true,
"noUncheckedIndexedAccess": true,
"forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
"paths": {
"@/*": ["./src/*"]
}
}
}| Setting | Why |
|---|---|
strict: true | Catches type errors early. Non-negotiable. |
noUncheckedIndexedAccess | Forces handling of undefined from array/object access |
forceConsistentCasingInFileNames | Prevents deploy failures on case-sensitive Linux servers |
Step 4: Configure ESLint
Extend .eslintrc.json:
{
"extends": [
"next/core-web-vitals",
"next/typescript"
],
"rules": {
"prefer-const": "error",
"no-unused-vars": "off",
"@typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars": ["error", { "argsIgnorePattern": "^_" }]
}
}Step 5: Add Prettier
pnpm add -D prettier prettier-plugin-tailwindcssCreate .prettierrc:
{
"semi": false,
"singleQuote": true,
"tabWidth": 2,
"trailingComma": "all",
"plugins": ["prettier-plugin-tailwindcss"]
}Create .prettierignore:
node_modules
.next
dist
pnpm-lock.yamlStep 6: Environment Setup
Create .env.local with a template:
# App
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000
# Database (fill in after setting up Supabase or other DB)
# DATABASE_URL=
# Auth (fill in after setting up auth provider)
# NEXTAUTH_SECRET=
# NEXTAUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000Create .env.example with the same keys but no values. Ensure .env.local is in .gitignore (create-next-app does this by default).
Step 7: Starter Root Layout
Replace src/app/layout.tsx with:
import type { Metadata } from 'next'
import { Inter } from 'next/font/google'
import '@/styles/globals.css'
const inter = Inter({ subsets: ['latin'] })
export const metadata: Metadata = {
title: 'App Name',
description: 'App description',
}
export default function RootLayout({
children,
}: {
children: React.ReactNode
}) {
return (
<html lang="en">
<body className={inter.className}>{children}</body>
</html>
)
}Step 8: Add Utility Helpers
Create src/lib/utils.ts:
import { type ClassValue, clsx } from 'clsx'
import { twMerge } from 'tailwind-merge'
export function cn(...inputs: ClassValue[]) {
return twMerge(clsx(inputs))
}Install the dependencies:
pnpm add clsx tailwind-mergeStep 9: Verify
Run these checks before handing off:
pnpm build # Must compile without errors
pnpm lint # Must pass with zero warningsPost-Scaffold Checklist
| Task | Status |
|---|---|
create-next-app ran with correct flags | |
| Directory structure created | |
| TypeScript strict mode enabled | |
| ESLint configured | |
| Prettier + Tailwind plugin installed | |
.env.local template created | |
.env.example created (no secrets) | |
| Root layout uses Inter font + metadata | |
cn() utility installed | |
pnpm build passes | |
pnpm lint passes |