Skip to main content

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​

CommandPurpose
npx create-catalyst-app@latestCreate a new Catalyst project
catalyst startStart the local development environment
catalyst buildCreate a production web build
catalyst serveServe the production build

Typical npm Scripts​

Most apps wrap the CLI in package scripts:

package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "catalyst start",
    "build": "catalyst build",
    "serve": "catalyst serve",
    "devBuild": "BUILD_ENV=development catalyst build",
    "devServe": "BUILD_ENV=development catalyst serve",
    "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.

Universal App Commands​

CommandPurpose
npm run buildApp:androidBuild and run the Android debug app
npm run buildApp:iosBuild 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​

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