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Presets are the core of PM-Auto. This guide walks you through creating presets that save time and standardize your development workflow.

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What you’ll learn

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to:
  • Identify packages that belong together
  • Structure preset JSON correctly
  • Handle interactive and non-interactive packages
  • Add version pinning and custom flags
  • Test and refine your presets
1

Identify packages you install together

Look at your recent projects and identify packages you repeatedly install as a group.For example, if you always set up Vite + React projects with the same dependencies, that’s a good candidate for a preset.Common groups:
  • Frontend frameworks (React + Vite + plugins)
  • Backend APIs (Express + TypeScript + middleware)
  • Testing setup (Vitest + Testing Library)
  • Animation libraries (GSAP + Three.js)
Start with your most frequent project type. You can always add more presets later.
2

Choose your package manager

Pick the package manager you use most often. PM-Auto supports:
  • npm - Node Package Manager (default)
  • pnpm - Fast, disk-efficient package manager
  • yarn - Classic alternative to npm
  • bun - Fast all-in-one JavaScript runtime
The package manager you choose will be used for all commands in this preset.
{
  "my-preset": {
    "packageManager": "npm"
  }
}
3

Structure your preset JSON

Create a JSON object with the basic preset structure:
config.json
{
  "my-preset": {
    "presetName": "my-preset",
    "description": "Brief description of what this preset includes",
    "packageManager": "npm",
    "packages": []
  }
}
Key fields:
  • presetName - Used in pm-auto install <name> (match the key)
  • description - Shows up in pm-auto list --desc
  • packageManager - Which package manager to use
  • packages - Array of packages to install (we’ll fill this next)
4

Add packages to your preset

Now add each package or group of packages to the packages array.For simple packages:
{
  "command": "react react-dom",
  "interactive": false
}
For dev dependencies:
{
  "command": "@types/react @types/react-dom",
  "interactive": false,
  "dev": true
}
For interactive commands (like create-react-app, create-next-app):
{
  "command": "create-next-app",
  "interactive": true,
  "flags": ["."]
}
Always set "interactive": true for commands that prompt for user input, or PM-Auto will hang waiting for input.
5

Add version pinning and flags

Lock specific versions or add custom flags when needed.Pin a specific version:
{
  "command": "gsap",
  "interactive": false,
  "version": "3.11.4"
}
Add custom flags:
{
  "command": "gsap",
  "interactive": false,
  "flags": ["--legacy-peer-deps"]
}
Combine multiple options:
{
  "command": "typescript",
  "interactive": false,
  "dev": true,
  "version": "5.9.3",
  "flags": ["--exact"]
}
6

Test your preset

Before using your preset on a real project, test it:1. Validate the JSON syntax:
cat config.json | jq .
2. Register your config:
pm-auto config ./config.json
3. Dry run to preview commands:
pm-auto install my-preset --dry-run
Review the commands that will be executed. Look for:
  • Correct package manager (npm vs pnpm vs yarn vs bun)
  • Proper dev flags (-D or -d)
  • Version strings (@version)
  • Custom flags you added
4. Test in a temporary directory:
mkdir test-preset && cd test-preset
npm init -y
pm-auto install my-preset
Verify all packages installed correctly and your package.json looks right.

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Complete example

Here’s a complete preset for a Vite + React + TypeScript project:
config.json
{
  "vite-react-ts": {
    "presetName": "vite-react-ts",
    "description": "Vite + React + TypeScript with essential dev tools",
    "packageManager": "npm",
    "packages": [
      {
        "command": "react react-dom",
        "interactive": false
      },
      {
        "command": "@types/react @types/react-dom",
        "interactive": false,
        "dev": true
      },
      {
        "command": "vite @vitejs/plugin-react",
        "interactive": false,
        "dev": true
      },
      {
        "command": "typescript",
        "interactive": false,
        "dev": true,
        "version": "5.9.3"
      }
    ]
  }
}
To use it: 
pm-auto install vite-react-ts

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Tips for creating great presets

Each preset should represent one type of project or workflow. Don’t try to make one preset that handles everything.Good: vite-react, next-app, express-api
Bad: everything-i-might-need
Preset names should be easy to type and remember.Good: next, vite, three
Bad: next-js-with-typescript-and-tailwind-setup
Put interactive commands first if you have them, then group related packages together.
[
  // Interactive scaffolding first
  { "command": "create-next-app", "interactive": true },
  // Then core packages
  { "command": "react react-dom", "interactive": false },
  // Then dev dependencies
  { "command": "@types/react", "interactive": false, "dev": true }
]
Always include a description so you remember what each preset is for:
{
  "description": "Three.js + React + GSAP for 3D web experiences"
}

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What’s next?

Now that you know how to create presets:

See examples

Browse real-world preset examples for inspiration

Config schema

View the complete configuration reference

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