CLI

nativecn-cli is the only published nativecn package and command. Run it with npx, so you always get the latest version:

npx nativecn-cli@latest <command>

init

Sets up nativecn in an existing Expo app, or creates a new app. create is an alias.

npx nativecn-cli@latest init [items...] [options]
npx nativecn-cli@latest create [name] [items...] [options]

Before anything else it checks for Expo SDK 57 or newer with Expo Router, and stops with the upgrade command if the app is older. In a folder without an app, or with --name, it creates one from the Starter; inside an app it runs Init. Items named after the command are installed straight away. See Installation for each step.

The option values are listed on Presets & Styles. Without a terminal, init behaves as if --yes were passed and prints every choice.

add

Adds Registry Items to your app.

npx nativecn-cli@latest add [items...] [options]

npx nativecn-cli@latest add button card
npx nativecn-cli@latest add sign-in-02 --route "(auth)/sign-in"

Items are names only: no URLs, local paths or namespaces. add needs a components.json; without one it stops with "Run npx nativecn-cli init first".

What add does

1. Reads components.json for your Style, aliases and Structure.
2. Fetches each item for your Style from the Registry, then its dependencies, recursively. Dependencies come first.
3. Shows the plan: the files and packages. --dry-run stops here.
4. Handles existing files: identical files are skipped silently, a changed file gets a prompt, -o overwrites all, and -y alone never overwrites.
5. Writes each file to its Destination and rewrites imports to your aliases.
6. Installs packages: Expo SDK packages with npx expo install, and the few recorded exceptions (zustand, react-hook-form, zod, @hookform/resolvers, lucide-react-native) at the version range the item pins.
7. Adds any Config Plugins to app.json. With app.config.ts, it prints the line to add instead of editing your code.
8. Prints a summary, saying clearly when a native rebuild is needed rather than a reload.

Screen Blocks

• Routes. The CLI asks "Create a route?" with a suggested route (such as (auth)/sign-in), a custom one, or skip. Agents pass --route. With --yes and no --route, the suggested route is created only if the file doesn't exist; otherwise it is skipped and the three-line route file is printed. An existing route is never overwritten.
• Feature mode. Pass --feature <name>. Without it, the Block's category is the default (auth for sign-in and sign-up) and the CLI prints where it went. Interactively, it lists your existing Features plus "new feature…".

What's installed

Like shadcn, nativecn tracks nothing: what is installed is whatever is on disk. Use --diff to see how your copy differs from the latest upstream before updating, and --view to read the upstream file.

agents

Writes or refreshes the Agent Kit (Rules, Skills and MCP config) for your agents.

npx nativecn-cli@latest agents [options]

If you have edited the nativecn section of AGENTS.md, agents shows a diff before replacing it.

mcp

Runs the nativecn MCP server locally, over stdio. create, init and agents write this command into each agent's MCP config, so you rarely run it yourself.

npx -y nativecn-cli@latest mcp

The local server reads your project's components.json, so its answers fit your Style, Structure and routes. See the nativecn MCP server for its tools.

Environment variables

These exist for developing nativecn itself.