remix-project-layout

name	remix-project-layout
description	Describe the ideal layout of a Remix application, including canonical directories, route ownership, naming conventions, and file locations on disk. When asked to bootstrap that layout in a new directory, run the repo-local Remix CLI.

Remix Project Layout

Use this skill when defining, reviewing, or bootstrapping the on-disk layout of a Remix application.

This skill is about structure and conventions. It defines where code belongs, how route ownership maps to files on disk, and how a Remix app should be organized as it grows. When the user wants a new app scaffolded, run the repo-local Remix CLI instead of recreating the starter files by hand.

Root Layout

Use these root directories consistently:

• app/ for runtime application code
• db/ for database artifacts such as migrations and SQLite files
• public/ for static files served as-is
• test/ for shared test helpers, fixtures, and cross-app integration coverage
• tmp/ for runtime scratch files such as uploads, caches, or local session files

App Layout

Inside app/, organize code by responsibility:

• assets/ for client entrypoints and client-owned behavior
• controllers/ for route-owned handlers and route-local UI
• data/ for schema, queries, persistence setup, and runtime data initialization
• middleware/ for request lifecycle concerns such as auth, sessions, database injection, and uploads
• ui/ for shared cross-route UI primitives
• utils/ for genuinely cross-layer runtime helpers
• routes.ts for the route contract
• router.ts for router setup and route wiring

Placement Precedence

When code could plausibly live in more than one place, use this order of precedence:

1. Put code in the narrowest owner first.
2. If it belongs to one route, keep it with that route.
3. If it is reused across route areas but is still UI, move it to app/ui/.
4. If it is part of request lifecycle setup, keep it in app/middleware/.
5. If it is schema, query, persistence, or startup data logic, keep it in app/data/.
6. Use app/utils/ only when the code is genuinely cross-layer and does not clearly belong to one of the other app layers.

Prefer moving code to a narrower owner over introducing generic shared buckets.

Route Ownership

The disk layout should make it possible to start from a route key in app/routes.ts and find the implementation immediately.

Flat Leaf Routes

Use a flat file in app/controllers/ when a route is implemented by one exported BuildAction.

Examples:

• routes.home -> app/controllers/home.tsx
• routes.about -> app/controllers/about.tsx
• routes.search -> app/controllers/search.tsx
• routes.uploads -> app/controllers/uploads.tsx

Flat leaf route files are self-contained. If a helper component is used only by that route, keep it in the same module.

Controller Folders

Use a folder with controller.tsx when the route is implemented by a Controller, owns nested child routes, or owns multiple actions such as index, action, show, or update.

Examples:

• routes.contact -> app/controllers/contact/controller.tsx
• routes.auth -> app/controllers/auth/controller.tsx
• routes.account -> app/controllers/account/controller.tsx
• routes.cart -> app/controllers/cart/controller.tsx

Nested Route Objects

If a route is nested in app/routes.ts, mirror that nesting on disk.

Examples:

• routes.auth.login -> app/controllers/auth/login/controller.tsx
• routes.account.settings -> app/controllers/account/settings/controller.tsx
• routes.account.orders -> app/controllers/account/orders/controller.tsx
• routes.cart.api -> app/controllers/cart/api/controller.tsx
• routes.admin.users -> app/controllers/admin/users/controller.tsx

Shared UI

If UI is reused across route areas, it belongs in app/ui/, not under app/controllers/.

Examples:

• app/ui/document.tsx
• app/ui/layout.tsx
• app/ui/form-field.tsx
• app/ui/restful-form.tsx

Only keep a component inside a controller folder when that UI is owned by that route or controller feature.

Route-Local UI

If a page component or helper is used only by one action or controller feature, keep it next to the owning route.

Examples:

• app/controllers/contact/page.tsx
• app/controllers/auth/login/page.tsx
• app/controllers/admin/books/form.tsx
• app/controllers/books/index-page.tsx

For flat leaf actions, route-local UI lives in the same file as the action.

Promotion Rule

If a route starts as a flat leaf file and later grows child routes or multiple actions, promote it from:

• app/controllers/home.tsx

to:

• app/controllers/home/controller.tsx

Do this only when the route actually needs it. Do not create controller folders preemptively for every leaf route.

Naming Conventions

Use predictable file names so route ownership is obvious without opening files:

• controller.tsx for controller entrypoints
• page.tsx for a single controller-owned page module
• index-page.tsx, show-page.tsx, edit-page.tsx, and form.tsx for resource-style controller UI
• flat action files named after the route key, such as home.tsx, about.tsx, search.tsx, or uploads.tsx
• colocated tests named after the route owner, such as home.test.ts or controller.test.ts

Do not invent one-off naming schemes when an existing convention already fits.

Bootstrap

When the user wants this layout scaffolded into a new directory, run this from the Remix repository root:

node packages/remix/src/cli-entry.ts new <target-dir>

Optional flags:

• --app-name <name> to override the generated app name
• --force to write into a non-empty target directory

The CLI generates the starter app, including README.md, route handlers, shared UI, test helpers, and the root directory structure described in this skill.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not create app/lib/ as a generic dumping ground.
• Do not create app/components/ as a second shared UI bucket when app/ui/ already owns that role.
• Do not put shared cross-route UI in app/controllers/.
• Do not put route-owned page modules in app/ui/.
• Do not put middleware, session, auth, or database lifecycle helpers in app/utils/ when they belong in app/middleware/.
• Do not put schema, query, or database setup code in app/utils/ when it belongs in app/data/.
• Do not create folders for simple leaf actions unless they are real controllers.
• Do not split solo actions across multiple files.
• Do not create vague files like helpers.ts, common.ts, or misc.ts unless the name is truly accurate for the module's ownership.