Scaffold Node TypeScript

Create a minimal runnable application using the canonical files in assets/ and scripts/scaffold.mjs. The agent handles eligibility, environment selection, dependency compatibility, and failures. The script owns baseline file contents. Do not independently recreate or customise the baseline.

1. Inspect and prepare

• Work in the requested existing directory, or the current directory if unspecified.
• Inspect before writing. Preserve unrelated files. Stop if package.json or substantial Node/TypeScript configuration already exists.
• Require installed nvm and pnpm. Load the existing nvm shell function if necessary. Do not install tools, replace system package managers, or run pnpm self-update.
• Use nvm to select the newest locally installed Node LTS. Inspect installed versions and confirm the selected runtime has a truthy process.release.lts. Do not install or download Node. If no installed LTS exists, stop.
• Run every Node, pnpm, and generator command with that selection active. Record node --version and pnpm --version. The baseline supports Node majors 20, 22, and 24, and pnpm 10 or newer. Stop on unsupported versions; do not improvise another baseline or upgrade automatically.
• If Git is available, detect whether the directory is already inside a repository. Reuse it without changing parent configuration. Otherwise run git init. If detection or initialization is blocked, stop before generating files. Never create a nested repository, commit, push, merge, rebase, or create remotes. If Git is unavailable, continue and report it as unavailable.

2. Resolve dependencies

Use the installed pnpm exclusively. Resolve exact stable versions for:

typescript, tsx, @types/node, eslint, @eslint/js, typescript-eslint, globals, prettier, eslint-config-prettier, and vitest.

• Select @types/node from the selected Node major.
• Select the latest stable releases compatible with the selected runtime and each other's peer requirements. Inspect package metadata using pnpm view. If latest releases conflict, keep the latest stable typescript-eslint and select the newest TypeScript and ESLint releases satisfying its peer ranges; reconcile other constraints as needed. Report any compatibility fallback.
• Do not add runtime dependencies, extra tooling, or prereleases.
• Write an input JSON file outside the project, in a temporary directory:

{
  "node": "24.22.0",
  "pnpm": "11.21.0",
  "dependencies": {
    "@eslint/js": "10.0.1",
    "@types/node": "24.19.2",
    "eslint": "10.12.0",
    "eslint-config-prettier": "10.1.8",
    "globals": "17.13.0",
    "prettier": "3.9.10",
    "tsx": "4.23.15",
    "typescript": "6.0.3",
    "typescript-eslint": "8.71.2",
    "vitest": "5.0.4"
  }
}

These versions illustrate the input shape; resolve versions for the actual installation rather than treating the example as a version catalog.

3. Generate and install

Resolve the script path relative to this skill's directory, then run:

node <skill-directory>/scripts/scaffold.mjs create <project-directory> <inputs.json>

The script derives the package name from the directory, writes exact dependency versions and Node/pnpm metadata, and creates canonical source, test, TypeScript, ESLint, Prettier, ignore, and VS Code debugging files. It checks all destination paths before writing and refuses existing files and symlink destinations. If it refuses a collision, preserve the existing content and report the blocker; never delete files or bypass the script to force generation. If a write fails partway through, report the partial output rather than rerunning over it.

The compiler targets are ES2023 for Node 20/22 and ES2024 for Node 24. Changes to supported majors or baseline choices belong in the skill resources.

The script also creates pnpm-workspace.yaml solely to approve esbuild's required installation script, using the selected pnpm version's setting. This file is allowed for a single application; do not add workspace packages, blanket build approval, or other pnpm policy changes. If another dependency requires approval, stop and report it for review.

Run pnpm install and retain pnpm-lock.yaml. If the default store is unwritable, use an explicit writable temporary store with pnpm's supported configuration and keep that configuration active during all remaining checks. On pnpm 11, use pnpm --config.store-dir=<path> <command> for installation and subsequent script commands; confirm the location with pnpm --config.store-dir=<path> store path. The npm_config_store_dir variable is not effective there, and --store-dir is not a pnpm run option. Verify the setting using the installed pnpm before relying on a fallback for another major. Do not disable installation or dependency verification. Report any temporary store used. Verify the installed dependency graph satisfies peer requirements using the installed pnpm version's supported command.

4. Verify and report

Run each command and check its own exit status; stop on an unresolved failure:

1. pnpm format
2. node <skill-directory>/scripts/scaffold.mjs verify <project-directory> <inputs.json>
3. pnpm check
4. pnpm build
5. pnpm dev
6. pnpm start

Confirm that dev and start print the canonical confirmation message and exit successfully, and that dist/index.js and dist/index.js.map exist. Inspect git status --short when Git is available. Fix dependency selection problems within the stated constraints; do not alter canonical files to make checks pass. If resolved dependency versions must change after generation, stop and report that the scaffold is incomplete; do not bypass the generator's preservation rule.

Completion requires the canonical baseline verification, dependency compatibility, and all required checks to pass. Report the selected Node and pnpm versions, derived name, Git outcome, compatibility fallbacks, and verification result. Distinguish passed, failed, blocked before execution, and not attempted. Do not describe an unexecuted operation as having failed.

Boundaries

Do not create project guidance, README documentation, licenses, specifications, ADRs, CI/CD, Docker, environment files, Git hooks, publishing configuration, library exports, frameworks, databases, editor settings or recommendations, additional skills, or a check.sh wrapper. Do not configure a monorepo. pnpm check remains the canonical project quality command.