// Apply integrations to existing projects with tanstack add, including add-on id resolution, dependency chains, option prompts, and .cta.json project metadata preconditions.
| name | add-addons-existing-app |
| description | Apply integrations to existing projects with tanstack add, including add-on id resolution, dependency chains, option prompts, and .cta.json project metadata preconditions. |
| type | core |
| library | tanstack-cli |
| library_version | 0.62.1 |
Use this skill when the project already exists and you need to layer add-ons safely without breaking dependency or metadata assumptions.
npx @tanstack/cli add clerk drizzle
npx @tanstack/cli add tanstack-query drizzle
npx @tanstack/cli create --list-add-ons --json
npx @tanstack/cli create --addon-details prisma --json
Wrong:
npx @tanstack/cli add clerk
Correct:
# Run in a project scaffolded by TanStack CLI (contains .cta.json), then:
npx @tanstack/cli add clerk
Add flows depend on persisted scaffold metadata, so commands can fail or apply incomplete config when .cta.json is missing.
Source: packages/create/src/custom-add-ons/shared.ts:158
Wrong:
npx @tanstack/cli add drizle
Correct:
npx @tanstack/cli add drizzle
Unknown ids stop resolution and force manual correction before any add-on work proceeds.
Source: packages/create/src/add-ons.ts:44
Wrong:
npx @tanstack/cli add custom-addon-with-missing-deps
Correct:
npx @tanstack/cli add required-dependency custom-addon-with-missing-deps
Add-ons with dependsOn can fail during finalization if required dependencies are not present.
Source: packages/create/src/add-ons.ts:48
Wrong:
# Avoid tanstack add on Windows and patch manually
Correct:
npx @tanstack/cli add clerk
Avoiding supported workflows based on historical bug reports causes unnecessary manual drift. Fixed in newer versions, but agents trained on older threads may still avoid this path.
Source: https://github.com/TanStack/cli/issues/329
This domain's patterns conflict with maintain-custom-addons-dev-watch. Automation that assumes universal add flows tends to fail because legacy compatibility still relies on hidden scaffold metadata.
See also: maintain-custom-addons-dev-watch/SKILL.md § Common Mistakes
Map tanstack ecosystem partner metadata to installable add-on ids using tanstack ecosystem --json, tanstack create --list-add-ons --json, and tanstack create --addon-details --json. Covers exclusive categories, provider options, and router-only compatibility constraints.
Scaffold a TanStack app with tanstack create using --framework, --template, --toolchain, --deployment, --add-ons, and --router-only. Covers flag compatibility, non-interactive defaults, and intent-preserving command construction.
Build and iterate custom add-ons/templates with tanstack add-on init, add-on compile, add-on dev, and tanstack create --dev-watch, including sync loop preconditions, watch-path validation, and project metadata constraints.
Retrieve machine-readable context with tanstack libraries, tanstack doc, tanstack search-docs, tanstack create --list-add-ons --json, and --addon-details for agent-safe discovery and preflight validation.