modern-tools

name	modern-tools
description	Use when working with tools-core utilities, rspack integration, or modern tooling. Covers logging, npm management, process spawning, git helpers, and Meteor app configuration APIs.

Modern Tools

Utility packages for modern tooling, bundler integrations, and native solutions.

tools-core (/packages/tools-core)

Central utility package providing helpers for npm, logging, process management, and Meteor configuration. This is the foundation for modern tool integrations.

Logging Module (lib/log.js)

import { logProgress, logError, logInfo, logSuccess } from 'meteor/tools-core';

logProgress('Building application...');  // Blue
logSuccess('Build complete');            // Green
logError('Build failed');                // Red
logInfo('Using Rspack bundler');         // Purple

Respects METEOR_DISABLE_COLORS environment variable.

NPM Management Module (lib/npm.js)

Function	Description
getNodeBinaryPath(binaryName)	Gets path to Node binaries (npm, npx, node)
checkNpmDependencyExists(dep, opts)	Checks if npm package is installed
checkNpmBinaryExists(binary, opts)	Checks if binary exists in node_modules/.bin
checkNpmDependencyVersion(dep, opts)	Validates semver with conditions (gte, lt, eq)
installNpmDependency(deps, opts)	Installs dependencies (npm/yarn, dev/exact flags)
getNpmCommand(args)	Returns npm command with meteor npm fallback
getNpxCommand(args)	Returns npx command with meteor npx fallback
getYarnCommand(args)	Gets yarn command path
isYarnProject(opts)	Detects yarn projects (yarn.lock, packageManager)
getMonorepoPath(opts)	Detects monorepo root (workspaces, lerna, pnpm)
isMonorepo(opts)	Boolean monorepo detection

Process Management Module (lib/process.js)

Function	Description
spawnProcess(cmd, args, opts)	Spawns process with streaming output, color preservation
stopProcess(proc, opts)	Graceful termination with SIGTERM/SIGKILL fallback
isProcessRunning(proc)	Checks if process is still running
isPortAvailable(port, host)	Checks if port is free
waitForPort(port, opts)	Waits for port availability with timeout

Options for spawnProcess: env, cwd, detached, onStdout, onStderr, onExit, onError

Meteor Configuration Module (lib/meteor.js)

Application Configuration:

Function	Description
getMeteorAppDir()	Gets application root directory
getMeteorAppPackageJson()	Parses app's package.json
getMeteorAppConfig()	Retrieves Meteor config from package.json or Plugin
getMeteorAppPort()	Gets app port from environment
getMeteorAppConfigModern()	Gets modern bundler configuration
isMeteorAppConfigModernVerbose()	Checks verbose flag
hasMeteorAppConfigAutoInstallDeps()	Auto-install deps flag

Entry Points:

Function	Description
getMeteorAppEntrypoints()	Gets main/test modules for client/server
getMeteorInitialAppEntrypoints()	Gets initial entry points with HTML detection
isMeteorAppTestModule()	Checks if project is test module
setMeteorAppEntrypoints(opts)	Sets entry points via environment variables
setMeteorAppIgnore(pattern)	Sets file ignore patterns
setMeteorAppCustomScriptUrl(url)	Sets custom script URLs

Command Detection:

Function	Description
isMeteorAppRun()	Running in 'run' mode
isMeteorAppBuild()	Running in 'build' or 'deploy'
isMeteorAppUpdate()	Running in 'update'
isMeteorAppTest()	In test mode
isMeteorAppTestFullApp()	Test mode with full-app flag
isMeteorAppTestWatch()	Test mode in watch mode
isMeteorAppNativeAndroid()	Native Android mode
isMeteorAppNativeIos()	Native iOS mode
isMeteorAppNative()	Any native mode
isMeteorAppDevelopment()	Development mode
isMeteorAppProduction()	Production mode
isMeteorAppDebug()	Debug mode

Package Detection:

Function	Description
isMeteorBlazeProject()	Has blaze/blaze-html-templates
isMeteorBlazeHotProject()	Blaze with hot reload
isMeteorCoffeescriptProject()	Has CoffeeScript
isMeteorLessProject()	Has Less CSS
isMeteorScssProject()	Has SCSS/Sass
isMeteorTypescriptProject()	Has TypeScript
isMeteorBundleVisualizerProject()	Has bundle visualizer
isMeteorPackagesTest()	test-packages command

File Operations:

Function	Description
getMeteorAppFilesAndFolders(opts)	Scans app directory (recursive, with ignore)
getMeteorAppPackages()	Lists all loaded packages
getMeteorEnvPackageDirs()	Gets package directories from env vars
getMeteorToolsRequire(filePath)	Requires module relative to Meteor tools

Global State Module (lib/global-state.js)

Maintains persistent state across file changes during development:

import { getGlobalState, setGlobalState, removeGlobalState, clearGlobalState } from 'meteor/tools-core';

setGlobalState('buildStartTime', Date.now());
const startTime = getGlobalState('buildStartTime');

Git Management Module (lib/git.js)

Function	Description
isGitRepository(dir)	Checks if directory is git repo
gitignoreExists(dir)	Checks .gitignore existence
ensureGitignoreExists(dir, entries)	Creates .gitignore with initial entries
getMissingGitignoreEntries(dir, entries)	Finds missing entries
addGitignoreEntries(dir, entries, ctx)	Adds entries with context logging

String Utilities (lib/string.js)

Function	Description
capitalizeFirstLetter(str)	Capitalizes first character
shuffleString(str)	Shuffles string characters
joinWithAnd(items, opts)	Human-readable list ("a, b, and c")

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Rspack Integration (/packages/rspack)

Modern bundler integration using Rspack (Rust-based Webpack alternative).

Package Structure

File	Description
lib/constants.js	Default versions, global state keys, build contexts
lib/dependencies.js	Dependency checking and auto-installation
lib/build-context.js	Build directory management
lib/config.js	Meteor configuration for Rspack
lib/processes.js	Rspack process spawning
lib/compilation.js	Compilation tracking

Build Contexts

Context	Directory	Purpose
RSPACK_BUILD_CONTEXT	_build	Build output
RSPACK_ASSETS_CONTEXT	build-assets	Static assets
RSPACK_CHUNKS_CONTEXT	build-chunks	Chunk bundles
RSPACK_DOCTOR_CONTEXT	.rsdoctor	Analysis/diagnostics

Key Dependencies

• @rspack/core ^1.7.1
• @meteorjs/rspack ^0.3.56 (configuration logic)
• @rspack/plugin-react-refresh ^1.4.3
• swc-loader ^0.2.6

Integration with tools-core

• Uses getMeteorInitialAppEntrypoints() for entry points
• Uses command detection functions for build mode awareness
• Uses process spawning and npm utilities

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TypeScript Compiler (/packages/typescript)

Compiler plugin for TypeScript/TSX file compilation.

Registered Plugin: compile-typescript

Supported Extensions: .ts, .tsx

Implied Packages: modules, ecmascript-runtime, babel-runtime, promise, dynamic-import

Features:

• Transpiles TypeScript before Babel processing
• Supports client/server/legacy browser targets
• Integrates with React Fast Refresh for HMR

Limitations:

• Per-file transpilation (no cross-file type analysis)
• No tsconfig.json support (Meteor manages settings)
• No type checking during compilation
• No .d.ts generation

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WebApp & Express (/packages/webapp)

HTTP server integration using Express.js 5.x framework.

Key APIs

import { WebApp } from 'meteor/webapp';

// Middleware registration
WebApp.connectHandlers.use('/api', myMiddleware);
WebApp.handlers.use(compression());

// Direct Express access
WebApp.expressApp.get('/health', (req, res) => res.send('OK'));

// Server instance
WebApp.httpServer;

// Hooks
WebApp.onListening(() => console.log('Server ready'));

Express Exports

Property	Description
WebApp.connectHandlers	Express middleware registry (legacy name)
WebApp.handlers	Current middleware registry
WebApp.rawConnectHandlers	Raw Express handlers
WebApp.expressApp	Direct Express app instance
WebApp.httpServer	HTTP server instance
WebApp.express	Express module export

Dependencies: express@5.1.0, cookie-parser@1.4.6, compression@1.7.4, errorhandler@1.5.1