Commands

diecut new

Generate a new project from a template.

diecut new <TEMPLATE> [OPTIONS]

Arguments

Argument	Description
<TEMPLATE>	Template source — local path, Git URL, or abbreviation (gh:, gl:, bb:, sr:)

Options

Option	Description
-o, --output <PATH>	Output directory
-d, --data <KEY=VALUE>	Override variable values (repeatable)
--defaults	Use default values without prompting
--overwrite	Overwrite output directory if it exists
--no-hooks	Skip running hooks

Examples

# Local template
diecut new ./my-template --output my-project

# GitHub shorthand
diecut new gh:user/template-repo --output my-project

# Skip prompts with defaults
diecut new gh:user/repo --defaults --output my-project

# Override specific variables
diecut new ./my-template -d project_name=foo -d license=MIT

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diecut check

Validate a template directory. Reports format detection, variable definitions, and any warnings or errors.

diecut check [PATH]

Exits with code 1 if errors are found.

Examples

diecut check ./my-template

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diecut ready

Check if a template is ready for distribution. Validates template structure and provides distribution-specific warnings.

diecut ready [PATH]

Exits with code 1 if issues are found that would prevent distribution.

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diecut update

Update a previously generated project when the upstream template has changed. Reads .diecut-answers.toml from the project to recover original template choices, then performs a three-way merge.

diecut update <PATH> [OPTIONS]

Options

Option	Description
--ref <TAG>	Update to a specific Git ref (tag, branch, or commit)

How it works

1. Reads .diecut-answers.toml to find the original template source and variables
2. Re-renders the template at the original ref (old snapshot)
3. Re-renders at the new ref (new snapshot)
4. Three-way merges against your actual files
5. Reports files updated, added, removed, and any conflicts (saved as .rej files)

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diecut migrate

Convert a cookiecutter template to native diecut format.

diecut migrate <PATH> [OPTIONS]

Options

Option	Description
--output <DIR>	Write to a new directory instead of migrating in-place
--dry-run	Show what would change without writing

Examples

# Preview changes
diecut migrate ./cookiecutter-template --dry-run

# Migrate to a new directory
diecut migrate ./cookiecutter-template --output ./diecut-template

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diecut list

List all cached templates.

diecut list

Templates cloned from Git are cached at ~/.cache/diecut/templates/ (overridable via DIECUT_CACHE_DIR).