bun init

Scaffold an empty Bun project with the interactive bun init command

Get started with Bun by scaffolding a new project with bun init.

bun init my-app

? Select a project template - Press return to submit.
❯ Blank
  React
  Library

✓ Select a project template: Blank

 + .gitignore
 + CLAUDE.md
 + .cursor/rules/use-bun-instead-of-node-vite-npm-pnpm.mdc -> CLAUDE.md
 + index.ts
 + tsconfig.json (for editor autocomplete)
 + README.md

Press enter to accept the default answer for each prompt, or pass the -y flag to auto-accept the defaults.

bun init is a quick way to start a blank project with Bun. It guesses with sane defaults and is non-destructive when run multiple times.

It creates:

• •a package.json file with a name that defaults to the current directory name
• •a tsconfig.json file or a jsconfig.json file, depending if the entry point is a TypeScript file or not
• •an entry point which defaults to index.ts unless any of index.{tsx, jsx, js, mts, mjs} exist or the package.json specifies a module or main field
• •a README.md file

AI Agent rules (disable with $BUN_AGENT_RULE_DISABLED=1):

• •a CLAUDE.md file when Claude CLI is detected (disable with CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_RULE_DISABLED env var)
• •a .cursor/rules/*.mdc file to guide Cursor AI to use Bun instead of Node.js and npm when Cursor is detected

If you pass -y or --yes, it will assume you want to continue without asking questions.

At the end, it runs bun install to install @types/bun.

CLI Usage

bun init <folder?>

Initialization Options

Accept all default prompts without asking questions. Alias: <code>-y</code>{" "} </ParamField>

Only initialize type definitions (skip app scaffolding). Alias: <code>-m</code>{" "} </ParamField>

Project Templates

Scaffold a React project. When used without a value, creates a baseline React app. <br /> Accepts values for presets:{" "}

<li>
  <code>tailwind</code> – React app preconfigured with Tailwind CSS
</li>

{" "}

<li>
  <code>shadcn</code> – React app with <code>@shadcn/ui</code> and Tailwind CSS
</li>

{" "}

{" "}

Examples:{" "}

{" "} </ParamField>

Output & Files

Initializes project files and configuration for the chosen options (e.g., creating essential config files and a starter directory structure). Exact files vary by template.{" "} </ParamField>

Global Configuration & Context

Run <code>bun init</code> as if started in a different working directory (useful in scripts).{" "} </ParamField>

Help

Print this help menu. Alias: <code>-h</code>{" "} </ParamField>

Examples

• •

  Accept all defaults

  bash

  bun init -y
  

• •

  React

  bash

  bun init --react
  

• •

  React + Tailwind CSS

  bash

  bun init --react=tailwind
  

• •

  React + @shadcn/ui

  bash

  bun init --react=shadcn