CLI

FluidKit provides a single CLI entry point for scaffolding, development, building, and managing Node.js tooling — all without requiring a system Node.js installation.

init

fluidkit init              # scaffold in current directory
fluidkit init my-app       # create folder and scaffold inside it

Creates a new SvelteKit project with FluidKit wired in. This runs sv create under the hood, installs dependencies, copies template files, and patches svelte.config.js and vite.config.ts with the required settings.

The scaffolded project includes a working demo app you can run immediately with fluidkit dev.

dev

fluidkit dev

Starts the FastAPI backend and Vite dev server together. Python changes are picked up instantly via hot module reloading, and generated .remote.ts files update automatically on save.

FlagDescription
--host TEXTOverride bind address (default: 0.0.0.0)
--backend-port INTOverride backend port (default: 8000)
--frontend-port INTOverride frontend port (default: 5173)
--no-hmrDisable hot module reloading, restart on change instead

build

fluidkit build

Runs codegen and then npm run build. Use this to produce a production build.

FlagDescription
--backend-port INTOverride backend port (default: 8000)

preview

fluidkit preview

Previews the production build locally. Starts both the FastAPI backend and the Vite preview server.

FlagDescription
--backend-port INTOverride backend port (default: 8000)
--frontend-port INTOverride frontend port (default: 5173)

install

fluidkit install tailwindcss         # npm install tailwindcss
fluidkit install -D prettier         # npm install --save-dev prettier

Shorthand for npm install. The -D / --save-dev flag installs as a dev dependency.

npm

fluidkit npm run build
fluidkit npm install
fluidkit npm audit

Passthrough to npm. Any arguments after npm are forwarded directly.

npx

fluidkit npx sv add tailwindcss
fluidkit npx prisma generate

Passthrough to npx. Any arguments after npx are forwarded directly.

node

fluidkit node scripts/seed.js
fluidkit node --version

Passthrough to node. Any arguments after node are forwarded directly.

Flag precedence

CLI flags override fluidkit.config.json, which overrides defaults. See Configuration for the config file reference.

FluidKit