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ara x lets you run a package’s binary without adding it to your project’s package.json or node_modules/. It is the Ara equivalent of npx or pnpm dlx. When invoked, it creates a private temporary directory, installs the requested package into it (non-interactively), resolves the binary entry point, executes it under the open sandbox profile, and then deletes the temporary environment — leaving your project completely untouched.

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Usage

ara x <package> [args...]
<package> accepts the same spec formats as ara add — a bare npm package name, a versioned name like create-next-app@latest, or any other supported specifier. Everything after the package name is forwarded as arguments to the binary.

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How it works

  1. A unique temporary directory is created at ~/.ara/dlx/<timestamp>-<pid>/.
  2. A minimal package.json ({ "name": "ara-x-temp", "private": true }) is written there.
  3. ara add is called in non-interactive mode to install the specified package into that temp directory.
  4. Ara looks for the binary in node_modules/.bin/ — first by the bare package name, then by the first available entry if the name doesn’t match exactly.
  5. The binary is executed using the open sandbox profile (network enabled, subprocesses allowed) with node_modules/.bin prepended to PATH.
  6. The temporary directory is removed after the binary exits, whether it succeeds or fails.
The open sandbox profile is used because scaffolding tools and generators typically need both network access (to download templates) and the ability to spawn child processes. See ara run for a description of all sandbox profiles.

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Examples

# Create a new Next.js app
ara x create-next-app my-app

# With additional CLI options
ara x create-next-app my-app --typescript --tailwind

# Create a Vite project
ara x create-vite my-app --template react-ts

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Argument forwarding

All arguments after the package name are forwarded verbatim to the binary. Arguments that contain spaces or shell-special characters are automatically quoted: 
ara x shadcn init --preset bdvw9FeS
#   ^ package     ^ args forwarded as-is

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Sandbox behavior

ara x always runs under the open profile, which means:
  • Network access is enabled — needed for tools that download templates or packages at runtime.
  • Subprocess spawning is allowed — many scaffolding tools shell out to git, npm, or other binaries.
  • No syscall filtering on non-Linux platforms — on macOS or Windows the binary runs with no restrictions (same degradation as ara run).
Because ara x installs and executes arbitrary packages, the same security scanning that applies to ara add runs here too — but in non-interactive mode. If the package has security findings, they are printed as warnings and the binary is still executed. Review packages carefully before running them with ara x.

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Cleanup

The temporary install directory is always removed after execution, even if the binary exits with a non-zero code or if an error occurs during installation. If Ara itself crashes mid-execution, the leftover directory can be found at ~/.ara/dlx/ and deleted manually.
Unlike npx, ara x does not search your global node_modules or check if the binary is already installed locally. It always performs a fresh isolated install, so you always get the version you asked for.

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