Scaffolding

Scaffolding is npx adonia init --scaffold: wire the host, install core, then copy every feature module in the registry with stubs and routes. Use it when you want every feature module, with stubs and routes, on a new Adonis app.

This page compares that path to incremental add, lists what lands on disk, and notes Adonis packages the stubs need.

Incremental add versus scaffold

Incremental install is the path in getting started: init --wire, then add one name at a time, with only the --with-* flags you want.

--scaffold does all of the following in one command:

1. Turn on --wire if you omitted it (and print that it did).
2. Copy api, types, constants, and contracts unless you pass --skip-core.
3. add every feature name in the registry index with --with-stubs, --with-routes, and --wire-routes.

The bundled feature list is auth, account, notification, creem, and subscription. --with-tests stays off; module unit tests are not copied.

Use incremental add when you only want billing, or only auth domain without HTTP stubs. Use --scaffold when you want models, adapters, example controllers, and mounted route files for the whole catalog.

What scaffold copies

Besides core under modules/, scaffold copies each feature's stub set (where that module has files):

• Lucid models and migrations (auth users and password resets, notification inbox rows, subscription rows)
• Controllers and Vine validators for auth and account
• Adapters under app/adapters/ (Lucid, Drive avatar, Mail, creem_io)
• providers/vine_provider.ts and start/limiter.ts
• start/routes/auth.ts and start/routes/account.ts, imported from start/routes.ts

Modules without route stubs (notification, creem, subscription) still get their domain slice and adapters; they do not get a start/routes/<name>.ts file.

Auth middleware and limiter .use(…) calls on those example routes stay commented out until you enable them.

Adonis packages

Scaffold does not run node ace add for you. Copied stubs import these packages:

Package	Typical stub
@adonisjs/limiter	start/limiter.ts (auth and account routes)
@adonisjs/drive	app/adapters/drive_avatar_storage.ts
@adonisjs/mail	app/adapters/adonis_mail_transport.ts

add (and therefore scaffold) prints node ace add @adonisjs/<pkg> when the stub is present and the package is missing. check warns the same way.

creem also installs npm dependency creem_io when it isn't in the host package.json. Put CREEM_* values in env yourself; the CLI only prints missing names.

Already installed

If every feature module is already in adonia.json installed and you omit --overwrite, scaffold prints that they are already installed and returns without recopying stubs or wiring routes. Pass --overwrite to recopy from the registry.

--dry-run prints the plan (Would write, Would wire, would-copy) and changes nothing.

Command-level flags and edge cases: init.

Next steps

After scaffold, finish host HTTP and packages:

1. Run node ace add for each printed Adonis package.
2. Run node ace migration:run.
3. Register providers/vine_provider.ts in adonisrc.ts if it isn't already.
4. Read host wiring and the modules overview.