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The CommandKit CLI provides a powerful development experience for building Discord bots with built-in TypeScript, JSX, and hot module reloading support.

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What is the CommandKit CLI?

The CommandKit CLI is a modern build tool that handles the entire lifecycle of your Discord bot development:
  • Zero-config TypeScript/JSX - Write TypeScript and JSX out of the box with no configuration
  • Hot Module Reloading - Commands and events reload instantly during development
  • Production Builds - Optimized bundling for deployment
  • Code Generators - Scaffold commands, events, and custom templates
  • Auto Type Generation - Automatic TypeScript types for your project
The CLI uses tsdown under the hood for fast, optimized bundling.

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Available Commands

The CommandKit CLI provides these main commands:

dev

Start development server with hot reloading

build

Build optimized production bundle

start

Run production build

create

Generate commands, events, and more

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Installation

The CLI is included with the CommandKit package: 
npm install commandkit
Once installed, you can use the commandkit command in your project: 
commandkit dev

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Basic Usage

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Development

Start your bot in development mode with hot reloading: 
commandkit dev

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Production Build

Build your bot for production: 
commandkit build
Then start the production server: 
commandkit start

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Generate Files

Create a new command: 
commandkit create command ping
Create a new event: 
commandkit create event ready

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Global Options

All commands support these options:

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Config Path

Specify a custom config file location: 
commandkit dev --config ./custom-config.js
commandkit build -c ./custom-config.js
By default, the CLI looks for commandkit.js or commandkit.ts in your project root.

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Environment Variables

The CLI automatically loads environment variables from:
  • .env - Base environment variables
  • .env.local - Local overrides (gitignored)
  • .env.development - Development-specific variables
  • .env.production - Production-specific variables
Variables prefixed with COMMANDKIT_PUBLIC_ are available in your code at runtime.

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Zero-Config Features

The CommandKit CLI works out of the box with:
  • TypeScript - Full TypeScript support with no tsconfig needed
  • JSX/TSX - Write Discord components with JSX syntax
  • ESM - Modern ES modules by default
  • Auto-imports - CommandKit exports are automatically available
  • Source Maps - Full debugging support in development and production

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Project Structure

The CLI expects this project structure: 
project/
├── src/
│   ├── app/
│   │   ├── commands/     # Bot commands
│   │   ├── events/       # Event handlers
│   │   └── locales/      # i18n files (optional)
│   └── app.ts            # Main bot file
├── commandkit.js         # Config file (optional)
└── package.json
The CLI will automatically detect TypeScript if tsconfig.json exists in your project.

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Next Steps

Learn more about specific CLI commands:

Development Mode

Learn about hot reloading and the development workflow

Production Builds

Optimize and bundle your bot for deployment

Code Generators

Scaffold new commands and events quickly

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