package-creator

CLI to bootstrap a minimal Node.js TypeScript package with sensible defaults and some animated terminal feedback.

It is published as @greg-466/package-creator and exposes the package-creator binary.

What it does

When you run package-creator in an existing or new folder, it will:

• Ensure package.json exists

  • If none is found, it runs npm init interactively to create one.

• Create core project files (if missing)

  • tsconfig.json with:
    • target: ES2022
    • module: ESNext
    • moduleResolution: Bundler
    • types: ["node"]
    • strict: true
    • esModuleInterop: true
  • index.ts with a simple starter export:

    export const hello = () => console.log("Hello World");

  • README.md generated from your package.json metadata (name, description, author, license, bin).
  • .gitignore containing:

    node_modules
    

  • .npmignore (empty by default).

• Configure package.json (idempotently)

  • Ensures type is set to "module" (if not already defined).
  • Ensures main is set to "index.ts" (if not already defined).
  • Ensures bin contains a CLI entry pointing at index.ts:
    • If bin is missing or a string, it becomes an object like:

      {
        "bin": {
          "<cli-name>": "index.ts"
        }
      }

    • <cli-name> is inferred from the existing bin field, or else from the package name.
  • Adds/keeps standard npm scripts when they are missing:
    • clean: rm -rf dist
    • build: tsc
    • prepare: npm run build
    • prettier: prettier --write .
    • lint: eslint .
    • test: echo "Error: no test specified" && exit 1
    • publish: defaults to node --loader ts-node/esm utils/utils.ts if not set.

• Set up version bump automation

  • Creates scripts/update-version.mjs if missing.
  • Ensures a prepublishOnly hook runs:

    node scripts/update-version.mjs

    (prepended to any existing prepublishOnly script).
  • Guarantees there is a publish script (defaults to npm publish if none).

• Create a utils helper folder

  • Ensures utils/ exists.
  • Creates an empty utils/utils.ts if it does not already exist.

• Show animated feedback

  • Displays a neon ASCII banner when starting.
  • Shows a rainbow/glitch animation when creating or reusing folders/files.
  • Uses a spinner animation while the main setup runs, then prints:

    NODEJS PACKAGE STARTER KIT CREATED
    

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ (for native ESM and node: imports).
• npm (comes with Node).
• An interactive terminal (the script uses animations and inherits stdin/stdout).

Installation

Install locally in a project:

npm install --save-dev @greg-466/package-creator

Or run it ad‑hoc with npx (no global install needed):

npx @greg-466/package-creator

You can also install it globally:

npm install -g @greg-466/package-creator

# now the binary is available as:
package-creator

Usage

From inside the folder where you want to (or already) have a Node.js package:

npx package-creator

This will:

• Run npm init if no package.json is present.
• Create missing files (tsconfig.json, index.ts, README.md, .gitignore, .npmignore).
• Update your package.json scripts/bin/version automation in a non-destructive way.

CLI flags

• --force
  Overwrite files even if they already exist. Without this flag, existing files are left alone and you’ll see messages like:

  Skipping README.md: file already exists (use --force to overwrite).
  

• --skip-readme
  Do not create or overwrite README.md. Useful if you already maintain a custom README.

You can combine them, for example:

npx package-creator --force --skip-readme

How the generated README works

If README.md doesn’t exist and you haven’t passed --skip-readme, the tool:

• Reads your package.json.
• Derives:
  • Name
  • Version
  • Description
  • Author (string or { name } form)
  • License
  • CLI command name (based on bin or fallback to package name)
• Writes a basic README template with:
  • About section (author, version, description, license).
  • Install instructions (npm install <name> / npx <cli>).
  • Placeholder configuration notes.

You can edit the generated README afterwards as you see fit.

Development

To work on package-creator itself in this repo:

npm install
npm run build

The CLI entry point is src/index.ts (built to dist/index.js), and the package is published under @greg-466/package-creator.