Command-line interface

The nite tool creates projects, manages packages, builds for production and runs the dev loop. Run nite --help, or nite <command> --help, for the same information in your terminal.

Command	Aliases	Summary
`nite init`		Create a project, or import an existing one
`nite install`	`add`, `i`	Install packages, or add new ones
`nite remove`	`rm`, `delete`, `uninstall`	Remove packages
`nite list`	`ls`	Show installed packages
`nite update`	`up`	Check for and apply package updates
`nite build`		Production build into `wwwroot/_nite`
`nite watch`		`dotnet watch` with NiteFx handling the browser
`nite config`		Show or change settings
`nite cache`		Manage the download cache
`nite version`	`--version`	Show versions
`nite update-self`		Update the tool

Common options

Commands that work on a project (install, remove, list, update, build, watch) take:

Option	Meaning
`-C`, `--dir <DIRECTORY>`	The project folder (the one with `nite.json`). Defaults to the current folder.
`--verbose`	Show debug output.

Exit codes: 0 on success, 1 on an error, 130 when interrupted with Ctrl+C.

nite init

Create a project, then install its packages.

nite init [DIRECTORY] [OPTIONS]

DIRECTORY defaults to the current folder. It must be empty (files such as .git and README.md are fine) unless you pass --force, and must not already contain a project file.

Option	Meaning
`-t`, `--template <TEMPLATE>`	`spa` (a React app with an API) or `islands` (Razor Pages with React islands). Defaults to the `init.template` setting, which defaults to `spa`.
`-n`, `--name <NAME>`	Project name. Defaults to the folder name.
`--from <PATH>`	Import an existing npm, Yarn, pnpm or Bun project (Vite or Create React App). The source is not changed. See Importing.
`--dry-run`	With `--from`: show what would be imported and write nothing.
`--force`	Create the project in a folder that already has files. Existing files are never overwritten.
`--no-install`	Skip installing packages.
`--nite-source <PATH>`	Reference a NiteFx source checkout instead of the `Nite` NuGet package.
`--verbose`	Show debug output.

nite init                              # SPA in the current folder
nite init my-app                       # SPA in ./my-app
nite init my-site --template islands   # Razor Pages with islands
nite init my-app --from ../vite-app --dry-run

nite install

Install the packages in nite.json, or add new ones. Aliases: nite add, nite i.

nite install [PACKAGES] [OPTIONS]

Argument / option	Meaning
`PACKAGES`	Packages to add: `react`, `react@^19`, `@types/react@latest`. Omit to install everything in `nite.json`.
`-D`, `--dev`	Add to `devDependencies`.
`-E`, `--exact`	Save the exact version instead of a `^` range.

A bare name or a dist-tag is saved as ^<version> (or the exact version with -E); a range is saved as written. Comments and formatting in nite.json are kept.

nite install
nite add react-router zod
nite add -D @types/node typescript
nite add -E [email protected]

nite remove

Remove packages from nite.json and node_modules. Aliases: nite rm, nite delete, nite uninstall.

nite remove <PACKAGES> [OPTIONS]

nite rm react-router

nite list

Show installed packages: each direct dependency's range and installed version. Alias: nite ls.

nite list [OPTIONS]

Option	Meaning
`-a`, `--all`	Include transitive dependencies, with the package they are nested under when not hoisted.

nite update

Show current, wanted and latest versions, then update. Alias: nite up.

nite update [PACKAGES] [OPTIONS]

Argument / option	Meaning
`PACKAGES`	Only these packages. Omit to update everything.
`-c`, `--check`	Only report what is outdated; change nothing.
`-L`, `--latest`	Move ranges in `nite.json` to the latest versions, across major versions too.

Wanted is the newest version the current range allows; latest is the registry's latest tag. Without --latest, ranges stay as they are and the lockfile moves to the wanted versions.

nite update --check
nite update
nite update react react-dom --latest

nite build

The production build: installs packages, then builds every entry into wwwroot/_nite and prints a table of the outputs and their sizes. dotnet publish -c Release runs it for you.

nite build [OPTIONS]

See Production builds and deployment.

nite watch

Run dotnet watch with NiteFx handling the browser.

nite watch [OPTIONS] [-- DOTNET_WATCH_ARGUMENTS]

Option	Meaning
`--browser-refresh`	Keep `dotnet watch`'s own browser refresh, which reloads the page after every C# change. Useful for Razor Pages and MVC; off by default so single-page apps keep their state.
`--no-auto-restart`	Let `dotnet watch` ask (or wait for Ctrl+R) when an edit needs a restart, instead of restarting the app automatically.

Everything after -- goes to dotnet watch. The variables nite watch sets, and why, are on Hot reload.

nite watch
nite watch --browser-refresh
nite watch -- --launch-profile https

nite config

Show or change settings. Credentials are never stored here; they stay in .npmrc. See Settings and directories.

Command	Meaning
`nite config list` (`ls`)	Effective settings for the current folder. `--show-origin` shows where each value comes from; `-C <dir>` includes another project's `nite.json` and `.npmrc`.
`nite config get <KEY>`	Print one setting.
`nite config set <KEY> <VALUE>`	Set a value in the user config.
`nite config unset <KEY>` (`delete`)	Remove a value from the user config.
`nite config path`	Print the user config file's path.

Keys: registry, @scope:registry and init.template. Registry values must be http or https URLs; init.template must be spa or islands.

nite config set @acme:registry https://npm.acme.dev/
nite config set init.template islands
nite config list --show-origin

nite cache

Manage the per-user download cache: package tarballs, registry metadata, and the esbuild and Sass binaries.

Command	Meaning
`nite cache dir`	Print the cache folder.
`nite cache clean` (`clear`)	Delete the cache, including folders older NiteFx versions left behind. Everything downloads again on next use.
`nite cache verify`	Re-check cached tarballs against their integrity hashes and remove corrupt ones.

nite version

Print the nite version, with the esbuild version it drives and the .NET runtime.

$ nite version
nite 0.7.0 (1696a82fcaf5)
esbuild 0.28.2, .NET 10.0.13

nite update-self

Update the nite tool with dotnet tool update, wherever it is installed: a local tool manifest (when one in the current folder or above lists Nite.Cli), the global tools folder, or a custom --tool-path.

Option	Meaning
`--version <VERSION>`	Install a specific version.
`--prerelease`	Allow prerelease versions.

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