tambo create-app - Tambo AI

Overview

The tambo create-app command creates a new Tambo application from pre-built templates. It handles:

Template cloning from GitHub
Dependency installation
Git initialization
Tambo initialization (authentication + API key)

Usage

tambo create-app [name] [options]

Arguments

name

string

Name of the app directory (use . for current directory)

Options

--template

string

Template to use: standard, vite, or analytics

--skip-git-init

boolean

default:"false"

Skip git repository initialization

--skip-tambo-init

boolean

default:"false"

Skip tambo initialization (authentication)

--legacy-peer-deps

boolean

default:"false"

Pass —legacy-peer-deps to npm install

Available Templates

standard (Recommended)

Tambo + Tools + MCP integration with Next.js.

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard

Features:

Next.js 14+ with App Router
Pre-configured Tambo components
Tool examples (web search, calculator, etc.)
MCP server integration
TypeScript
Tailwind CSS

Repository: https://github.com/tambo-ai/tambo-template.git

vite

Tambo + TanStack Router + Vite for fast development.

tambo create-app my-app --template=vite

Features:

Vite for instant HMR
TanStack Router for type-safe routing
Lightweight and fast
TypeScript
Tailwind CSS

Repository: https://github.com/tambo-ai/tambo-template-vite.git

analytics

Generative UI Analytics Template with charts and dashboards.

tambo create-app my-app --template=analytics

Features:

Data visualization components
Chart integrations
Analytics-focused UI
Next.js 14+
TypeScript

Repository: https://github.com/tambo-ai/analytics-template.git

Interactive Mode (Default)

When run without a name, prompts for app details:

tambo create-app

Output:

? What is the name of your app? (use "." to create in current directory)
  my-tambo-app

? Select a template for your new app:
  > standard - Tambo + Tools + MCP (recommended)
    vite - Tambo + TanStack Router + Vite
    analytics - Generative UI Analytics Template

Creating a new Tambo app in /Users/you/my-tambo-app

Selected template: standard

✓ standard template downloaded successfully
✓ Git repository initialized successfully
✓ Dependencies installed successfully

Running tambo init to complete setup...

[Authentication flow runs here...]

✓ Tambo initialization completed successfully

Successfully created a new Tambo app
Template: standard - Tambo + Tools + MCP (recommended)

✓ Automatically completed:
  • Git repository initialized
  • Tambo initialization completed

🎉 All setup complete! You're ready to go!

Next steps:
  1. cd my-tambo-app
  2. npm run dev

Learn More:
  • Each component in your template comes with built-in documentation and examples
  • Visit our UI showcase at https://ui.tambo.co to explore and learn about the components included in your template

Non-Interactive Mode

Basic Usage

Requires both name and --template in non-interactive environments:

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard

Output:

Creating a new Tambo app in /Users/you/my-app

Using template: standard

✓ standard template downloaded successfully
✓ Git repository initialized successfully
✓ Dependencies installed successfully

Successfully created a new Tambo app
Template: standard - Tambo + Tools + MCP (recommended)

Next steps:
  1. cd my-app
  2. npx tambo init (required for setup)
  3. npm run dev

Learn More:
  • Each component in your template comes with built-in documentation and examples
  • Visit our UI showcase at https://ui.tambo.co to explore and learn about the components included in your template

Exit code: 0 Note: In non-interactive mode, tambo init is automatically skipped. Run it manually after creation.

Current Directory

Use . to create in the current directory:

tambo create-app . --template=vite

Output:

Creating a new Tambo app in /Users/you/current-dir

Using template: vite

✓ vite template downloaded successfully
...

Exit code: 0 Requirements:

Current directory must be empty
Must have write permissions

Skip Git Initialization

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard --skip-git-init

Skips the git init step. Useful if you’ll initialize git manually later. Exit code: 0

Skip Tambo Initialization

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard --skip-tambo-init

Skips the tambo init authentication flow. You can run it manually later. Exit code: 0

With Legacy Peer Deps

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard --legacy-peer-deps

Passes --legacy-peer-deps to npm install (for dependency conflicts). Exit code: 0

Error Handling

Missing Name (Non-Interactive)

tambo create-app  # No name provided

Output:

App name and template required in non-interactive mode

You have a few options:
  npx tambo create-app my-app --template=standard  # Recommended
  npx tambo create-app my-app --template=vite      # Vite + TanStack Router
  npx tambo create-app my-app --template=analytics # Analytics template
  npx tambo create-app . --template=standard       # Current directory

Exit code: 2 (user action required)

Invalid Template

tambo create-app my-app --template=invalid

Output:

Template "invalid" not found.
Available templates:
  standard: Tambo + Tools + MCP (recommended)
  vite: Tambo + TanStack Router + Vite
  analytics: Generative UI Analytics Template

Error creating app: Invalid template specified.

Exit code: 1

Directory Already Exists

tambo create-app existing-dir --template=standard

Output:

Error creating app: Directory "existing-dir" already exists. Please choose a different name or use an empty directory.

Exit code: 1

Network Failure

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard

If git clone fails:

✗ Failed to download standard template

Error creating app: Failed to clone template repository. Please check your internet connection and try again.

Exit code: 1

Exit Codes

0 - Success
1 - Error (template not found, directory exists, network failure, etc.)
2 - User action required (non-interactive mode, missing arguments)

What Gets Created

Each template includes:

File Structure

my-app/
├── app/                    # Next.js app directory (or src/ for Vite)
├── components/             # React components
├── lib/                    # Utility functions
├── public/                 # Static assets
├── .env.example            # Environment variables template
├── package.json            # Dependencies
├── tsconfig.json           # TypeScript configuration
├── tailwind.config.js      # Tailwind CSS configuration
└── README.md               # Template documentation

Dependencies

All templates include:

@tambo-ai/react - Tambo React SDK
react + react-dom - React core
typescript - TypeScript
tailwindcss - Tailwind CSS

Git Repository

Initialized with git init --initial-branch=main
Initial commit: “Initial commit from Tambo template”
Clean .git directory (template’s git history removed)

package.json Updates

name field updated to match your app name
All other fields preserved from template

Common Workflows

Quick Start

# Interactive (recommended for first-time users)
tambo create-app

# Non-interactive (for scripts/CI)
tambo create-app my-app --template=standard
cd my-app
npx tambo init --api-key=$TAMBO_API_KEY
npm run dev

CI/CD Pipeline

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard --skip-tambo-init
cd my-app
tambo init --api-key=$TAMBO_API_KEY --skip-agent-docs
npm run build

Local Development

# Create in current directory
mkdir my-project && cd my-project
tambo create-app . --template=vite
npm run dev

Skip Automatic Setup

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard --skip-git-init --skip-tambo-init
cd my-app
# Set up git and tambo manually
git init
tambo init

After Creation

Start Development Server

cd my-app
npm run dev

Add Components

tambo add message-thread-full

Deploy

Each template includes deployment instructions in its README.md. Popular options:

Vercel: vercel deploy
Netlify: netlify deploy
Railway: railway up

Template Comparison

Feature	standard	vite	analytics
Framework	Next.js	Vite	Next.js
Routing	App	TS	App
MCP Integration	✓	✗	✗
Pre-built Tools	✓	✗	✗
Analytics Charts	✗	✗	✓
HMR Speed	Medium	Fast	Medium
Best For	Full app	SPA	Dashboards

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

sudo chown -R $(whoami) .
tambo create-app my-app --template=standard

Git Not Installed

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard --skip-git-init

Slow Network

Templates are cloned with --depth 1 to minimize download size. If still slow, check your internet connection.

Dependency Conflicts

tambo create-app my-app --template=standard --legacy-peer-deps

React SDK

Client

CLI

Types

​Overview

​Usage

​Arguments

​Options

​Available Templates

​standard (Recommended)

​vite

​analytics

​Interactive Mode (Default)

​Non-Interactive Mode

​Basic Usage

​Current Directory

​Skip Git Initialization

​Skip Tambo Initialization

​With Legacy Peer Deps

​Error Handling

​Missing Name (Non-Interactive)

​Invalid Template

​Directory Already Exists

​Network Failure

​Exit Codes

​What Gets Created

​File Structure

​Dependencies

​Git Repository

​package.json Updates

​Common Workflows

​Quick Start

​CI/CD Pipeline

​Local Development

​Skip Automatic Setup

​After Creation

​Start Development Server

​Add Components

​Deploy

​Template Comparison

​Troubleshooting

​Permission Denied

​Git Not Installed

​Slow Network

​Dependency Conflicts

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Usage

Arguments

Options

Available Templates

standard (Recommended)

vite

analytics

Interactive Mode (Default)

Non-Interactive Mode

Basic Usage

Current Directory

Skip Git Initialization

Skip Tambo Initialization

With Legacy Peer Deps

Error Handling

Missing Name (Non-Interactive)

Invalid Template

Directory Already Exists

Network Failure

Exit Codes

What Gets Created

File Structure

Dependencies

Git Repository

package.json Updates

Common Workflows

Quick Start

CI/CD Pipeline

Local Development

Skip Automatic Setup

After Creation

Start Development Server

Add Components

Deploy

Template Comparison

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied

Git Not Installed

Slow Network

Dependency Conflicts