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Remove Recipe Generator

Remove a recipe from an existing project. The generator removes dependencies, configuration, environment variables, and AI context cleanly.

Usage

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

Examples

# Remove Swagger documentation
nx g spoonfeed:remove --recipe=swagger

# Remove JWT authentication
nx g spoonfeed:remove --recipe=jwt-auth

# Remove TypeORM with PostgreSQL
nx g spoonfeed:remove --recipe=typeorm-postgres

What It Does

  1. Validates dependencies — Checks that no other installed recipe requires the one being removed
  2. Removes dependencies — Removes recipe-specific packages from package.json
  3. Updates app.module.ts — Removes the recipe's module import from the root application module
  4. Updates main.ts — Removes the recipe's setup block and associated imports (if any)
  5. Removes environment variables — Cleans up recipe-specific variables from .env.example
  6. Updates AI context — Removes recipe documentation from CLAUDE.md, .cursor/rules/<recipe-id>.mdc, and .github/copilot-instructions.md
  7. Updates manifest — Removes the recipe entry from .spoonfeed.json

What Gets Cleaned Up

Every artifact the add generator created is reversed:

  • [ ] package.json — recipe-specific dependencies removed (shared dependencies kept if another recipe still uses them)
  • [ ] src/app.module.ts — module import and registration removed
  • [ ] src/main.ts — setup block and associated imports removed
  • [ ] .env.example — recipe-specific variable section removed
  • [ ] .spoonfeed.json — recipe entry removed from the manifest
  • [ ] CLAUDE.md — recipe documentation section removed
  • [ ] .github/copilot-instructions.md — recipe documentation section removed
  • [ ] .cursor/rules/<recipe-id>.mdc — cursor rules file deleted

Shared dependencies are preserved

If two recipes share a dependency (for example, @nestjs/swagger is used by both swagger and pagination), removing one recipe will not remove the shared package. The generator checks all other installed recipes before deleting any dependency from package.json.

Example Walkthrough: Removing Swagger

Suppose your project currently has jwt-auth, health-checks, and swagger installed. You decide to remove Swagger.

1. Run the generator

nx g spoonfeed:remove --recipe=swagger

2. What happens

Files deleted:

  • .cursor/rules/swagger.mdc

Files modified:

  • package.json — @nestjs/swagger and @fastify/static removed from dependencies
  • src/main.ts — the DocumentBuilder / SwaggerModule setup block and its imports removed
  • .env.example — the # --- Swagger / OpenAPI --- section removed
  • CLAUDE.md — the <!-- @spoonfeed:swagger --> section removed
  • .github/copilot-instructions.md — the <!-- @spoonfeed:swagger --> section removed
  • .spoonfeed.json — the swagger entry removed from recipes

src/main.ts after removal:

// The swagger block is gone — main.ts returns to its pre-swagger state
async function bootstrap() {
  const app = await NestFactory.create<NestFastifyApplication>(AppModule, new FastifyAdapter());
  await app.listen(process.env.PORT ?? 3000, '0.0.0.0');
}

.env.example after removal:

PORT=3000
JWT_SECRET=change-me-in-production
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=3600s
# The "Swagger / OpenAPI" section is gone

3. Clean up

pnpm install   # removes unused packages from node_modules
pnpm build     # verify the project still compiles
pnpm test      # verify no tests reference removed modules

Dependency Protection

If another installed recipe depends on the one you are removing, the generator will reject the operation. For example, removing jwt-auth while auth-flows is still installed will fail because auth-flows requires jwt-auth.

Remove dependent recipes first, then remove the base recipe.

Dependent recipes block removal

The generator checks the requires field of every installed recipe. If any installed recipe lists the one you are removing as a requirement, the operation is rejected. For example:

$ nx g spoonfeed:remove --recipe=jwt-auth

Error: Cannot remove 'jwt-auth': the following installed recipes depend
on it: 'Auth Flows' (auth-flows). Use --force to remove anyway.

To fix this, remove auth-flows first, then remove jwt-auth. Alternatively, pass --force to skip the check — but this will leave auth-flows in a broken state with missing dependencies.

Options

Option Type Required Description
--recipe string Yes The recipe ID to remove
--force boolean No Skip dependency protection check (use with caution)