auto-scaffold

Scaffold Skill

Immediately scaffold a running application so the developer can see progress in the Auto app from the moment the agent connects.

How It Works

Read the stack configuration from .auto-agent/config.json (the stack field). Defaults if not set:

Setting	Default
frontend	react-vite
backend	apollo-graphql
clientDir	client
serverDir	server

Steps

1. Check existing state

If client/ and server/ (or the configured directories) already exist with node_modules/, skip scaffolding and jump to step 5 (start servers). The project is already set up.

2. Scaffold the frontend (react-vite)

Create a Vite + React + TypeScript project in the configured clientDir:

npm create vite@latest <clientDir> -- --template react-ts
cd <clientDir> && npm install

Install additional dependencies:

npm install @apollo/client graphql @json-render/core @json-render/react @on.auto/ui-components
npm install -D tailwindcss @tailwindcss/vite

Set up Tailwind CSS (check installed version for correct config approach).

Create a welcome page (src/App.tsx) that:

• Shows the workspace name (from the model if available, otherwise "Your App")
• Has a clean, premium design following the design patterns in references/design-patterns.md
• Uses a Soft Structuralism vibe: light background, bold typography, floating card with diffused shadow
• Includes a status indicator showing connection to the backend (pings the health check)
• Is responsive and looks great immediately

3. Scaffold the backend (apollo-graphql)

Create an Apollo Server project in the configured serverDir:

mkdir -p <serverDir> && cd <serverDir>
npm init -y
npm install @apollo/server graphql graphql-tag cors express
npm install -D typescript @types/node @types/cors @types/express tsx

Create a minimal TypeScript config and entry point (src/index.ts) with:

• An Apollo Server with Express middleware
• A health query that returns { status: "ok", timestamp: <ISO string> }
• CORS enabled for the frontend origin (http://localhost:5173)
• Listening on port 4000

The schema:

type Query {
  health: HealthCheck!
}

type HealthCheck {
  status: String!
  timestamp: String!
}

4. Configure dev scripts

Frontend (client/package.json):

• dev script should use Vite with --host flag so it's accessible

Backend (server/package.json):

• Add a dev script: tsx watch src/index.ts
• This watches for file changes and restarts automatically

5. Start both dev servers

Start both servers in the background so they run while the agent continues working:

cd <clientDir> && npm run dev &
cd <serverDir> && npm run dev &

Wait a few seconds, then verify both are running:

• Frontend: curl -s http://localhost:5173 | head -5
• Backend: curl -s http://localhost:4000/graphql -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"query":"{ health { status } }"}'

6. Report endpoints

Call auto_update_endpoints with:

[
  { "label": "Frontend", "url": "http://localhost:5173" },
  { "label": "GraphQL Playground", "url": "http://localhost:4000/graphql" }
]

Display the returned loopback URLs to the developer. These are the URLs they'll use to preview inside the Auto app.

7. Confirm

Tell the developer:

• Both servers are running in dev/watch mode
• Changes will hot-reload as code is generated
• Show the Auto app preview URLs (loopback URLs from step 6)
• The build skill will now generate code into these running servers

7.5. Generate theme CSS from model

Call auto_get_design and generate a theme.css file in the frontend src/ directory with CSS custom properties from:

• theme.colors.light → --surface-page, --primary, --fg, etc.
• theme.radius → --radius-sm, --radius-md, etc.
• theme.shadow → --shadow-sm, --shadow-card, etc.
• theme.font → --font-sans, --font-mono

Import this CSS in the app entry point (main.tsx). The model's theme is authoritative for all styling.

Design Guidelines

When the model has a design.theme, use it as the authoritative style source (see references/design-patterns.md section 0). When no model theme exists, fall back to:

• Use Geist or Satoshi font (install via Google Fonts or Fontsource)
• Neutral Zinc/Slate palette with one accent color
• Double-Bezel card for the main content area
• Subtle scroll entry animation on load
• min-h-[100dvh] for the page container
• Responsive: single-column on mobile
• Custom cubic-bezier transitions
• No emojis, no generic AI aesthetic

Extending

Developers can customize this skill by editing it in their .auto-agent/ directory. To change the default stack, edit .auto-agent/config.json:

{
  "stack": {
    "frontend": "react-vite",
    "backend": "apollo-graphql",
    "clientDir": "client",
    "serverDir": "server"
  }
}

Future stack options may include next, remix, hono, etc.