Getting Started

CLI Cheatsheet

Every command the Grit CLI offers in one place. Bookmark this page or print it out — it's your pocket reference for scaffolding projects, generating resources, running migrations, and everything in between.

Command Overview

All top-level commands at a glance. Scroll down for detailed usage, flags, and examples.

Command	Alias	Description
grit new	—	Scaffold a new project
grit generate	g	Generate full-stack resources
grit remove	rm	Remove a generated resource
grit add	—	Add components (roles, etc.)
grit start	—	Start dev servers
grit sync	—	Sync Go types → TypeScript
grit migrate	—	Run database migrations
grit seed	—	Seed the database
grit upgrade	—	Upgrade project templates
grit update	—	Update the CLI binary
grit version	—	Print CLI version

grit new

Scaffold a brand-new Grit monorepo with the Go API, Next.js web app, admin panel, shared packages, Docker configs, and all the batteries.

terminal

$ grit new myapp

Create a full-stack project (API + web + admin + shared)

terminal

$ grit new myapp --api

Scaffold only the Go API (no frontend apps)

terminal

$ grit new myapp --expo

Full stack + Expo mobile app

terminal

$ grit new myapp --mobile

API + Expo mobile app only (no web/admin)

terminal

$ grit new myapp --full

Scaffold everything including docs site

terminal

$ grit new myapp --style modern

Set admin panel style variant (default, modern, minimal, glass)

FLAGS

--api	bool	Scaffold only the Go API
--expo	bool	Include Expo mobile app
--mobile	bool	API + Expo mobile only
--full	bool	Include docs site
--style	string	Admin style: default, modern, minimal, glass

The project name must be lowercase, alphanumeric, and hyphens only (e.g. my-saas-app). It must start with a letter and cannot end with a hyphen. Only one mode flag (--api, --expo, --mobile, --full) can be used at a time.

grit generate resource

alias: grit g resource

Generate a complete full-stack CRUD resource: Go model, handler, service, Zod schemas, TypeScript types, React Query hooks, and an admin page — all wired together automatically.

terminal

$ grit generate resource Post --fields "title:string,content:text,published:bool"

Generate a resource with inline field definitions

terminal

$ grit g resource Post --fields "title:string,slug:string:unique,views:int"

Use the short alias and add a unique constraint

terminal

$ grit generate resource Post --from post.yaml

Generate from a YAML field definition file

terminal

$ grit generate resource Post -i

Interactive mode — define fields with prompts

terminal

$ grit g resource Post --fields "title:string,content:text" --roles "ADMIN,EDITOR"

Restrict generated routes to specific roles

FLAGS

--fields	string	Inline fields (e.g. "title:string,published:bool")
--from	string	Path to YAML file defining the resource fields
-i, --interactive	bool	Interactively define fields via prompts
--roles	string	Restrict routes to roles (e.g. "ADMIN,EDITOR")

Generated Files

apps/api/internal/models/<name>.go	GORM model with struct tags
apps/api/internal/handlers/<name>.go	Full CRUD handler with pagination
apps/api/internal/services/<name>.go	Business logic layer
packages/shared/schemas/<name>.ts	Zod validation schemas
packages/shared/types/<name>.ts	TypeScript types
apps/admin/hooks/use-<names>.ts	React Query hooks
apps/admin/app/resources/<names>/page.tsx	Admin page with data table

Routes are auto-registered in routes.go, the model is added to auto-migrations, and the resource is injected into the admin sidebar.

Supported Field Types

Type	Go Type	TS Type	Form Field
string	string	string	text
text	string	string	textarea
richtext	string	string	richtext
int	int	number	number
uint	uint	number	number
float	float64	number	number
bool	bool	boolean	toggle
datetime	*time.Time	string \| null	datetime
date	*time.Time	string \| null	date
slug	string	string	auto
belongs_to	uint	number	select
many_to_many	[]uint	number[]	multi-select
string_array	JSONSlice[string]	string[]	images

Inline Field Syntax

Fields are comma-separated. Each field follows the pattern name:type or name:type:modifier. Available modifiers:

:uniqueAdds a unique database index

:requiredMarks the field as required

grit remove resource

alias: grit rm resource

Delete all generated files for a resource and reverse all marker-based injections (routes, migrations, sidebar entries).

terminal

$ grit remove resource Post

Remove the Post resource (prompts for confirmation)

terminal

$ grit rm resource Post --force

Skip the confirmation prompt

FLAGS

--force

bool

Skip the confirmation prompt

grit add role

Add a new role constant across the entire stack: Go models, TypeScript types, Zod schemas, constants, and admin resource definitions.

terminal

$ grit add role EDITOR

Add EDITOR role to Go, TypeScript, and admin files

terminal

$ grit add role MODERATOR

Add a custom MODERATOR role across the stack

Role names should be UPPERCASE. The command updates all the right files so the role is instantly available in both Go middleware and the admin panel's role dropdowns.

grit start

Start development servers for the Go API and/or the frontend apps without having to remember the underlying commands.

terminal

$ grit start server

Start the Go API (runs go run cmd/server/main.go from apps/api)

terminal

$ grit start client

Start all frontend apps via Turborepo (runs pnpm dev)

grit sync

Parse Go model files and regenerate TypeScript types and Zod schemas in packages/shared. Run this whenever you manually edit a Go model to keep frontend types in sync.

terminal

$ grit sync

Sync Go types → TypeScript types and Zod schemas

grit migrate

Connect to the database and run GORM AutoMigrate for all registered models. Use --fresh to drop all tables first for a clean slate.

terminal

$ grit migrate

Run database migrations for all models

terminal

$ grit migrate --fresh

Drop all tables, then re-run migrations from scratch

FLAGS

--fresh

bool

Drop all tables before migrating (destructive)

Danger: --fresh permanently deletes all data in every table. Only use this in development.

grit seed

Populate the database with initial data including an admin user and demo records. Perfect for bootstrapping a fresh development environment.

terminal

$ grit seed

Run all database seeders

grit upgrade

Upgrade an existing project to the latest scaffold templates. This regenerates framework components (admin panel, web app, configs) while preserving your resource definitions and API code.

terminal

$ grit upgrade

Upgrade project templates (prompts before overwriting)

terminal

$ grit upgrade --force

Overwrite all files without prompting

FLAGS

-f, --force

bool

Overwrite all files without prompting

grit update

Update the Grit CLI binary to the latest version. This removes the current binary and installs the newest release from GitHub via go install.

terminal

$ grit update

Update the Grit CLI to the latest release

grit version

Print the installed Grit CLI version.

terminal

$ grit version

Print the current CLI version number

Common Workflows

Copy-paste recipes for everyday development tasks.

New project from scratch

terminal

# Create the project

$ grit new myapp

# Start infrastructure

$ cd myapp && docker compose up -d

# Start the API

$ grit start server

# In another terminal — start frontend

$ grit start client

Add a new resource

terminal

# Generate the resource

$ grit g resource Product --fields "name:string,price:float,description:text,published:bool"

# Sync types to keep everything in sync

$ grit sync

# Run migrations to create the table

$ grit migrate

Resource with relationships

terminal

# Generate a Category resource first

$ grit g resource Category --fields "name:string,description:text"

# Generate Product that belongs to Category

$ grit g resource Product --fields "name:string,price:float,category:belongs_to"

# Apply database changes

$ grit migrate

Fresh database reset

terminal

# Drop all tables and re-migrate

$ grit migrate --fresh

# Re-seed with initial data

$ grit seed

Remove and regenerate a resource

terminal

# Remove the old resource

$ grit rm resource Post --force

# Regenerate with updated fields

$ grit g resource Post --fields "title:string,slug:slug,content:richtext,published:bool,views:int"

Upgrade an existing project

terminal

# Update the CLI first

$ grit update

# Then upgrade project templates

$ grit upgrade

Full Command Tree

The complete hierarchy of every command and subcommand.

grit
├── new <project-name>        # Scaffold a new project
│   ├── --api                 # Go API only
│   ├── --expo                # Full stack + Expo mobile
│   ├── --mobile              # API + Expo mobile only
│   ├── --full                # Everything + docs site
│   └── --style <variant>     # Admin style variant
│
├── generate (g)              # Code generation
│   └── resource <Name>       # Generate full-stack CRUD resource
│       ├── --fields "..."    # Inline field definitions
│       ├── --from file.yaml  # YAML field definitions
│       ├── -i, --interactive # Interactive field prompts
│       └── --roles "..."     # Restrict routes to roles
│
├── remove (rm)               # Remove components
│   └── resource <Name>       # Remove a generated resource
│       └── --force           # Skip confirmation
│
├── add                       # Add components
│   └── role <ROLE_NAME>      # Add a role across the stack
│
├── start                     # Development servers
│   ├── server                # Start the Go API
│   └── client                # Start frontend apps (Turborepo)
│
├── sync                      # Sync Go types → TypeScript
├── migrate                   # Run database migrations
│   └── --fresh               # Drop all tables first
├── seed                      # Run database seeders
├── upgrade                   # Upgrade project templates
│   └── -f, --force           # Overwrite without prompting
├── update                    # Update the CLI binary
└── version                   # Print CLI version

Troubleshooting CLI Commands (Deep Dive)