This page is part of an AI coding agent skill and is written for agents, not humans. For the human-readable Base44 docs, see the developer documentation.

base44 create

Creates a new Base44 project from a template. This command is framework-agnostic and can either scaffold a complete project or add Base44 configuration to an existing project.

Critical: Non-Interactive Mode Required

ALWAYS provide both the project name AND --path flag. Without both, the command opens an interactive TUI which agents cannot use properly. WRONG: npx base44 create WRONG: npx base44 create my-app RIGHT: npx base44 create my-app -p ./my-app

Syntax

npx base44 create [name] --path <path> [options]

Arguments & Options

Argument/Option	Description	Required
`name`	Project name (positional argument)	Yes*
`-p, --path <path>`	Path where to create the project	Yes*
`-t, --template <id>`	Template ID (see templates below)	No
`--deploy`	Build and deploy the site (includes pushing entities)	No
`--no-skills`	Skip AI agent skills installation (skills are added by default)	No
`-w, --workspace <id>`	Workspace (organization) ID to create the app in (defaults to your personal workspace)	No

*Required for non-interactive mode. Both name and --path must be provided together.

Template Selection (CRITICAL - Choose Appropriately)

You MUST select the most appropriate template based on user requirements:

Template ID	When to Use	Example Scenarios
`backend-and-client`	Creating a NEW full-stack web app from scratch	”Create a task app”, “Build me a dashboard”, “Make a SaaS app”
`backend-only`	Adding Base44 to an EXISTING project OR using a different framework (Next.js, Vue, Svelte, etc.)	”Add Base44 to my project”, “I want to use Next.js”, “I already have a frontend”

Default Choice: When the user asks to “create an app” or “build a project” without specifying a particular framework, use backend-and-client to provide a complete, production-ready application with Vite + React + Tailwind.

The `--path` Flag

For backend-and-client template (new projects): Use a new subfolder path
npx base44 create my-app -p ./my-app -t backend-and-client
For backend-only template (existing projects): Use -p . in the current directory
npx base44 create my-app -p .

Workflow: Using `backend-only` with External Frameworks

CRITICAL: The project folder MUST exist BEFORE running base44 create with backend-only The backend-only template only adds Base44 configuration files - it does NOT create a frontend. If you need a frontend with a specific framework:

# Step 1: Initialize the frontend project FIRST
npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react  # or vue, svelte, etc.
# OR: npx create-next-app@latest my-app
# OR: any other framework's init command

# Step 2: Navigate into the created folder
cd my-app

# Step 3: Install Base44 CLI
npm install --save-dev base44

# Step 4: Add Base44 configuration
npx base44 create my-app -p .

WARNING: Do NOT:

Create an empty folder manually, then try to run npx create vite inside it (will fail - folder exists)
Run base44 create with backend-only expecting it to create a frontend (it won’t)

DO:

Run the external framework’s init command FIRST (it creates its own folder)
Then run base44 create inside that folder with -p .

Examples

# RECOMMENDED: Create full-stack project (for new apps)
npx base44 create my-app -p ./my-app -t backend-and-client

# Create full-stack and deploy in one step
npx base44 create my-app -p ./my-app -t backend-and-client --deploy

# Add Base44 to EXISTING project (must be inside the project folder)
npx base44 create my-app -p .

# Add Base44 to existing project and deploy
npx base44 create my-app -p . --deploy

# Create without adding AI agent skills
npx base44 create my-app -p . --no-skills

# Create in a specific workspace (organization)
npx base44 create my-app -p . --workspace 507f1f77bcf86cd799439011

Workspaces

By default the app is created in your personal workspace. Use -w, --workspace <id> to create it in a different workspace (organization) instead — find workspace IDs with npx base44 workspace list (see workspace-list.md). In interactive mode, if you belong to more than one workspace and don’t pass --workspace, the CLI prompts you to pick one.

What It Does

Applies the selected template to the target path
Creates a base44/ folder with configuration files
Registers the project with Base44 backend
Creates base44/.app.jsonc with the app ID
If --deploy is used:
- Pushes any entities defined in base44/entities/
- Runs install and build commands (for templates with frontend)
- Deploys the site to Base44 hosting

​base44 create

​Critical: Non-Interactive Mode Required

​Syntax

​Arguments & Options

​Template Selection (CRITICAL - Choose Appropriately)

​The --path Flag

​Workflow: Using backend-only with External Frameworks

​Examples

​Workspaces

​What It Does

base44 create

Critical: Non-Interactive Mode Required

Syntax

Arguments & Options

Template Selection (CRITICAL - Choose Appropriately)

The `--path` Flag

Workflow: Using `backend-only` with External Frameworks

Examples

Workspaces

What It Does