Scaffold projects from templates in one command.

Chisel is an open-source code generator that turns your templates into ready-to-run projects, no setup required.

$ chisel new my-app --template next.js\n✔ Template downloaded\n✔ Dependencies installed\n✔ Project ready in my-app/

Chisel pulls your template, installs dependencies, and starts the dev server. You go from empty folder to working app in under a minute.

Define templates with plain files and a simple manifest. Works for JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, and anything else you can put in a folder.

Chisel initializes a git repository, creates a .gitignore, and makes an initial commit unless you ask it not to.

Add hooks to run after scaffolding, transform files, or prompt for variables. The plugin API is small and documented in the reference.

Install Chisel

You need Node.js 18 or newer. Then install globally with npm or use Homebrew on macOS.

npm install -g chisel-cli

brew install chisel

Verify the installation by running chisel --version.

chisel new

Create a new project from a template.

chisel add

Add a file or dependency to an existing project.

chisel list

Show available templates and plugins.

Covers system requirements, package managers, and troubleshooting.

Build a small project step by step to learn the workflow.