Troubleshooting

Installation

Command not found

shell

# Use npx instead
npx @tanstack/cli create my-app

# Or reinstall globally
npm install -g @tanstack/cli

Permission denied

Use a Node version manager:

shell

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
nvm install 20

Node too old

Requires Node.js 18+:

shell

node --version  # Check
nvm install 20  # Upgrade

Project Creation

Directory exists

shell

tanstack create my-app-v2              # Different name
tanstack create my-app --target-dir ./new/path  # Different path
tanstack create my-app -f              # Force overwrite

Add-on fetch failed

Check internet. Or use local:

shell

git clone https://github.com/TanStack/cli.git
cd cli && pnpm install && pnpm build
node packages/cli/dist/index.js create my-app

Conflicting add-ons

Some add-ons conflict with each other (e.g., multiple ORMs, multiple auth providers). Use --addon-details <id> to see what conflicts with what:

shell

tanstack create --addon-details clerk

Runtime

Missing env vars

shell

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your values
pnpm dev  # Restart

Tailwind not working

Check .tanstack.json has "tailwind": true and styles.css imports @import 'tailwindcss'.

MCP Server Removal

tanstack mcp has been removed from the CLI. Use the CLI introspection commands instead:

shell

tanstack create --list-add-ons --json
tanstack create --addon-details clerk --json
tanstack libraries --json
tanstack search-docs "server functions" --library start --json
tanstack ecosystem --category database --json

If you need MCP in your generated app, keep using the mcp add-on during app creation.

See MCP Migration for command-by-command replacements.