skmtc clone

The customization seam. After cloning, the generator's source is the user's code — editable in any way TypeScript allows. The project's deno.json#imports switches from a JSR specifier to a local path; the next bundle picks up the local source.

Synopsis

skmtc clone [project] [-g <generator-id>...] [--force] [--json] [--no-input]

Arguments

[project]

The target project name. Required in strict mode.

Options

-g, --generator <id>

A JSR generator specifier. Repeat the flag for multiple:

skmtc clone my-api -g @skmtc/gen-zod -g @skmtc/gen-typescript --json

Required in strict mode — at least one -g must be provided.

--force

Bypass the pre-flight @skmtc/core peer-pin check. Use only for intentional cross-version testing; the resulting clone is unlikely to bundle cleanly.

--no-input

Disable interactive prompts.

--json

Write JSON output to stdout. Implies --no-input.

Behavior

Source fetched from JSR

The generator's source files are fetched from JSR at the version satisfying the user's semver constraint (or JSR-latest if no constraint). The same registry install reads from.

Source of truth is JSR. No GitHub mirror is consulted.

Pre-flight peer-pin check

Before downloading anything, the CLI compares:

• The project's @skmtc/core pin in <project>/deno.json
• The CLI's own @skmtc/core version (which the published generator was built against)

If they don't match by major.minor, the CLI refuses with exit code 2 and a recipe error:

Error: @skmtc/core peer-pin mismatch

Project pins:  ^0.0.974
CLI requires:  ^0.3.7

Update the project's "@skmtc/core" pin to "jsr:@skmtc/core@^0.3.7"
before cloning, or re-run with --force to skip this check.

The gate runs before any state mutation — a refused clone leaves the project untouched.

Local copy written

For each cloned generator, the CLI writes:

.skmtc/<project>/<gen-name>/
├── deno.json
├── mod.ts
└── src/
    └── ...

The directory mirrors the JSR package's source tree.

deno.json#imports updated

The project's deno.json import entry switches from a JSR specifier to a local path:

// Before
{ "@skmtc/gen-zod": "jsr:@skmtc/gen-zod@^0.0.55" }

// After
{ "@skmtc/gen-zod": "./gen-zod/mod.ts" }

Subsequent generate and bundle operations resolve to the local source instead of JSR.

Cross-generator peer imports

If the cloned generator depends on other generators (e.g., a form generator depends on a Tanstack Query generator), the CLI writes those peer imports into the project's root deno.json#imports too. Other transitive peers (@skmtc/core, @std/path, valibot, tiny-invariant) are expected to already be present; the CLI does not overwrite them.

If a transitive peer is missing, the next bundle surfaces a clear "No matching export" error. Run skmtc doctor --json to identify the missing pin.

Post-clone rebundle

The CLI automatically rebundles after the clone. This refreshes bundle.js so subsequent generate runs see the new local source. The rebundle is reported in the JSON output:

{
  "bundle": {
    "type": "bundled",
    "projectName": "my-api",
    "bundlePath": ".skmtc/my-api/bundle.js"
  }
}

Without this step, a subsequent generate would silently load the stale bundle and skip the cloned generator's changes. The post- clone rebundle costs ~300ms and closes a class of silent-failure debugging traps.

JSON output

{
  "projectName": "my-api",
  "cloned": [
    { "moduleName": "@skmtc/gen-typescript", "version": "0.0.55" },
    { "moduleName": "@skmtc/gen-zod", "version": "0.0.55" }
  ],
  "bundle": {
    "type": "bundled",
    "projectName": "my-api",
    "bundlePath": ".skmtc/my-api/bundle.js"
  },
  "verifyWith": "ls .skmtc/my-api/"
}

Field reference

• projectName: echoed from the argument.
• cloned: array of cloned generators, each with moduleName (the JSR package ID) and version (the resolved version).
• bundle: the post-clone rebundle result.
• verifyWith: a follow-up command to confirm the clone landed.

Examples

Single clone

skmtc clone my-api -g @skmtc/gen-zod --json

Multiple in one invocation

skmtc clone my-api \
  -g @skmtc/gen-typescript \
  -g @skmtc/gen-zod \
  -g @skmtc/gen-shadcn-form \
  --json

Interactive (TTY)

skmtc clone my-api

The CLI launches an Ink MultiSelect picker showing available installed generators. Use space to toggle, enter to confirm.

Force-clone with peer mismatch

skmtc clone my-api -g @skmtc/gen-zod --force

Bypasses the pre-flight check. The clone lands on disk but the next bundle will likely fail with cryptic peer-version errors. Useful for intentional cross-version testing.

When to clone vs install

See clone-vs-install concept. Short answer:

• Install if stock defaults work and you only need enrichments
• Clone if you need different paths, identifiers, peer deps, or output shape — anything beyond the per-operation overrides enrichments expose

After cloning

The cloned source is now your code. Common next steps:

1. Edit <project>/<gen-name>/src/base.ts to change paths or identifiers
2. Edit <project>/<gen-name>/src/<MainProjection>.ts to change output shape
3. Run skmtc dev <project> for the rebundle-and-regenerate loop

See skmtc-generator skill for authoring guidance.

Exit codes

See also

• skmtc install — alternative for stock-defaults
• skmtc bundle — rebuilds after editing cloned source
• skmtc dev — auto-rebundle on file changes
• clone-vs-install concept
• skmtc-generator skill — authoring guidance
• generators-as-packages concept