Add Recipe Generator

Add a recipe to an existing project. The generator installs dependencies, updates configuration, and wires everything into the application module.

Usage

nx g spoonfeed:add --recipe=<recipe-id>

Examples

# Add Swagger documentation
nx g spoonfeed:add --recipe=swagger

# Add JWT authentication
nx g spoonfeed:add --recipe=jwt-auth

# Add TypeORM with PostgreSQL
nx g spoonfeed:add --recipe=typeorm-postgres

# Add OpenTelemetry
nx g spoonfeed:add --recipe=opentelemetry

What It Does

1. Validates compatibility — Checks that the recipe is compatible with your project type and does not conflict with already-installed recipes
2. Installs dependencies — Adds runtime and dev dependencies to package.json with exact versions
3. Updates app.module.ts — Adds the recipe's module import to the root application module
4. Updates main.ts — Inserts the recipe's setup block (if the recipe defines one)
5. Adds environment variables — Appends recipe-specific variables to .env.example
6. Updates AI context — Adds recipe documentation to CLAUDE.md, .cursor/rules/<recipe-id>.mdc, and .github/copilot-instructions.md
7. Updates manifest — Adds the recipe entry to .spoonfeed.json

What Gets Modified

Use this checklist to understand every file the generator touches:

• [ ] package.json — new dependencies added with exact versions
• [ ] src/app.module.ts — module import and registration added
• [ ] src/main.ts — setup block inserted (if the recipe defines one)
• [ ] .env.example — recipe-specific variables appended in a marked section
• [ ] .spoonfeed.json — recipe entry added to the manifest
• [ ] CLAUDE.md — recipe documentation section appended
• [ ] .github/copilot-instructions.md — recipe documentation section appended
• [ ] .cursor/rules/<recipe-id>.mdc — cursor rules file created

Example Walkthrough: Adding Swagger

Suppose you have an http-api project that was scaffolded with jwt-auth and health-checks, and you now want to add OpenAPI documentation.

1. Run the generator

nx g spoonfeed:add --recipe=swagger

2. Before and after

package.json

// Before
{
  "dependencies": {
    "@nestjs/common": "11.1.19",
    "@nestjs/core": "11.1.19",
    "@nestjs/jwt": "10.2.0",
    "@nestjs/passport": "10.0.3",
    "@nestjs/platform-fastify": "11.1.19"
  }
}

// After — two dependencies added
{
  "dependencies": {
    "@fastify/static": "8.1.0",
    "@nestjs/common": "11.1.19",
    "@nestjs/core": "11.1.19",
    "@nestjs/jwt": "10.2.0",
    "@nestjs/passport": "10.0.3",
    "@nestjs/platform-fastify": "11.1.19",
    "@nestjs/swagger": "11.4.2"
  }
}

src/main.ts

// Before
async function bootstrap() {
  const app = await NestFactory.create<NestFastifyApplication>(AppModule, new FastifyAdapter());
  await app.listen(process.env.PORT ?? 3000, '0.0.0.0');
}

// After — swagger setup block inserted
import { DocumentBuilder, SwaggerModule } from '@nestjs/swagger';

async function bootstrap() {
  const app = await NestFactory.create<NestFastifyApplication>(AppModule, new FastifyAdapter());

  const swaggerEnabled = process.env.SWAGGER_ENABLED !== 'false';
  if (swaggerEnabled) {
    const config = new DocumentBuilder()
      .setTitle('API')
      .setDescription('API documentation')
      .setVersion('1.0')
      .addBearerAuth()
      .build();
    const document = SwaggerModule.createDocument(app, config);
    SwaggerModule.setup(process.env.SWAGGER_PATH ?? 'api/docs', app, document);
  }

  await app.listen(process.env.PORT ?? 3000, '0.0.0.0');
}

.env.example

# Before
PORT=3000
JWT_SECRET=change-me-in-production
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=3600s

# After — swagger section appended
PORT=3000
JWT_SECRET=change-me-in-production
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=3600s

# --- Swagger / OpenAPI ---
# Enable Swagger UI
SWAGGER_ENABLED=true
# Swagger UI URL path
SWAGGER_PATH=api/docs
# --- end Swagger / OpenAPI ---

.spoonfeed.json

{
  "projectType": "http-api",
  "cloudProvider": "none",
  "spoonfeedVersion": "0.1.0",
  "generatedAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
  "recipes": {
    "jwt-auth": {
      "installedAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "version": "0.1.0",
      "files": ["src/shared/auth/jwt.strategy.ts", "src/shared/auth/jwt-auth.guard.ts"]
    },
    "health-checks": {
      "installedAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "version": "0.1.0",
      "files": ["src/health/health.controller.ts", "src/health/health.module.ts"]
    },
    "swagger": {
      "installedAt": "2026-05-17T14:30:00.000Z",
      "version": "0.1.0",
      "files": [],
      "mainTsBlocks": ["swagger"],
      "envSection": "Swagger / OpenAPI"
    }
  }
}

3. Install dependencies and verify

pnpm install
pnpm start:dev
# Visit http://localhost:3000/api/docs to confirm Swagger UI loads

Conflict Handling

If the recipe you are adding conflicts with an already-installed recipe, the generator will reject the operation with a clear error message. For example, adding prisma when typeorm-postgres is already installed will fail because they conflict.

To switch between conflicting recipes, use the migrate generator or remove the existing recipe first.

Recipe conflicts are mutual

Conflict relationships are bidirectional. If prisma conflicts with typeorm-postgres, then typeorm-postgres also conflicts with prisma. The same applies to typeorm-mysql, mongoose, and drizzle-postgres — all database ORM recipes are mutually exclusive. Attempting to add any of them when another is already installed will fail. Use nx g spoonfeed:migrate to switch between them.

Requirement Resolution

If a recipe has requirements (e.g., auth-flows requires jwt-auth), the generator will check that the required recipe is already installed. If not, you will need to add the required recipe first.

Missing requirements block the operation

The generator will not auto-install required recipes. If you run nx g spoonfeed:add --recipe=auth-flows without jwt-auth installed, the command fails with: Missing requirements: 'auth-flows' requires 'jwt-auth'. Install jwt-auth first, then add auth-flows.

Options

Option	Type	Required	Description
--recipe	string	Yes	The recipe ID to add (e.g., swagger, jwt-auth)
--skip-install	boolean	No	Skip running pnpm install after adding the recipe