Developer Builds Custom CLI Tool to Eliminate Repetitive Project Setup Work

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A developer grew frustrated with manually repeating the same setup steps—installing Tailwind CSS, configuring Biome, organizing folders—every time a new project was started. Maintaining multiple starter repositories proved equally burdensome, as fixes and upgrades applied to one were routinely missed in others. To solve this, the developer built a CLI tool called create-notils, designed to scaffold a modern Next.js project with a single command. The tool ships with a fixed, opinionated stack including TypeScript, Bun, Tailwind CSS v4, shadcn/ui, and Biome, supporting both standalone and monorepo layouts. Future versions are planned to add authentication, database integration, and Docker support, but only after those features are validated in real-world projects.

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ProgrammingDEV Community ·

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