CLI Reference

Catalyst workflows are split between the framework CLI and project-level npm scripts. The CLI handles web app lifecycle commands, while native builds are usually exposed as scripts in the generated app.

Core Commands

These commands apply to Catalyst 0.3.x:

Command	Purpose
`npx create-catalyst-app@latest`	Create a new Catalyst project
`catalyst start`	Start the local development environment
`catalyst build`	Create a production web build
`catalyst serve`	Serve the production build

Typical npm Scripts

Most apps wrap the CLI in package scripts:

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "catalyst start",
    "build": "catalyst build",
    "serve": "catalyst serve",
    "buildApp": "catalyst buildApp",
    "buildApp:android": "catalyst buildApp:android",
    "buildApp:ios": "catalyst buildApp:ios"
  }
}

Your exact script names can differ, but the flow should remain clear and predictable for the team.

Legacy Catalyst 0.2.x

devBuild and devServe are webpack-era commands available to legacy 0.2.x applications. They were removed in 0.3.x; use start for Vite development and build followed by serve for a production-style run.

Universal App Commands

Command	Purpose
`npm run buildApp:android`	Build and run the Android debug app
`npm run buildApp:ios`	Build and run the iOS app using the configured build type

For native builds, the scripts read WEBVIEW_CONFIG from config/config.json. Release behavior is driven by the configured buildType, not by a separate built-in :release command.

Production Web Flow

Run catalyst build.
Start the server with catalyst serve or your process manager.
In production deployments, teams commonly run the server through PM2 or a container entrypoint.

In 0.3.x, catalyst build emits separate Vite client and SSR outputs and generates the offline manifest. Service workers and route offline snapshots are not enabled by catalyst start.