Scaffold Project Skill

Overview

This skill creates new Aptos dApp projects by bootstrapping directly from official templates using

degit

. This approach provides clean copies of production-ready templates without git history.

Project Types

Type	Template	Use Case
Fullstack dApp	`boilerplate-template`	Frontend + smart contracts
Contract-only	`contract-boilerplate-template`	Smart contracts without frontend

Fullstack dApp Scaffolding

Step 1: Bootstrap with degit

bash

# Bootstrap fullstack template (no git history)
npx degit aptos-labs/create-aptos-dapp/templates/boilerplate-template my-dapp

cd my-dapp

Note: The degit command references a specific template path in the aptos-labs/create-aptos-dapp repository. If you encounter errors, verify the template path exists at https://github.com/aptos-labs/create-aptos-dapp/tree/main/templates

Step 2: Configure Environment

Create
.env
file with the following variables:

bash

# Create .env file
cat > .env << 'EOF'
PROJECT_NAME=my-dapp
VITE_APP_NETWORK=devnet
VITE_APTOS_API_KEY=""
VITE_MODULE_PUBLISHER_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS=
# This is the module publisher account's private key.
# Be cautious about who you share it with, and ensure it is not exposed when deploying your dApp.
VITE_MODULE_PUBLISHER_ACCOUNT_PRIVATE_KEY=
EOF

Configure the values:

```
PROJECT_NAME
```
- Your project name
```
VITE_APP_NETWORK
```
- Network to use (
```
devnet
```
,
```
testnet
```
, or
```
mainnet
```
)
```
VITE_APTOS_API_KEY
```
- Optional API key from Aptos Labs

VITE_MODULE_PUBLISHER_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS

- Your deployer account address (set after

aptos init

)

VITE_MODULE_PUBLISHER_ACCOUNT_PRIVATE_KEY

- Your deployer private key (from

~/.aptos/config.yaml

)

⚠️ CRITICAL: Ensure
.env
is in
.gitignore
:

bash

# Verify .env is gitignored (should already be there)
grep -q "^\.env$" .gitignore || echo ".env" >> .gitignore

Step 3: Update Move.toml

Edit

contract/Move.toml

with your project name:

toml

[package]
name = "my_dapp"  # Your project name
version = "1.0.0"
authors = []

[addresses]
my_dapp_addr = "_"  # Will be set during deployment

[dev-addresses]
my_dapp_addr = "0xCAFE"  # For testing

[dependencies]
AptosFramework = { git = "https://github.com/aptos-labs/aptos-framework.git", rev = "mainnet", subdir = "aptos-framework" }

Step 4: Install Dependencies

bash

npm install

Step 5: Initialize Git

bash

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit: Bootstrap Aptos dApp from boilerplate template"

Step 6: Verify Setup

bash

# Compile Move contracts
npm run move:compile

# Run Move tests
npm run move:test

# Start frontend development server
npm run dev

Fullstack Project Structure

my-dapp/
├── frontend/
│   ├── components/           # React UI components
│   ├── entry-functions/      # Write operations (transactions)
│   ├── view-functions/       # Read operations (queries)
│   ├── lib/                  # Shared libraries (wallet, aptos client)
│   ├── utils/                # Helpers
│   ├── App.tsx
│   ├── constants.ts
│   └── main.tsx
├── contract/
│   ├── sources/              # Move modules
│   ├── tests/                # Move tests
│   └── Move.toml
├── scripts/move/             # Deployment scripts
├── package.json              # npm scripts for move:compile, move:test, etc.
├── .env                      # Environment variables (NEVER commit!)
├── .gitignore                # Must include .env
└── [config files]            # vite, tailwind, typescript, etc.

Key Directories Explained

Directory	Purpose
`frontend/entry-functions/`	Transaction payloads for write operations
`frontend/view-functions/`	Queries for read operations
`frontend/lib/`	Aptos client and wallet provider setup
`contract/sources/`	Move smart contract modules
`scripts/move/`	Deployment and utility scripts

Contract-Only Scaffolding

Step 1: Bootstrap with degit

bash

# Bootstrap contract-only template
npx degit aptos-labs/create-aptos-dapp/templates/contract-boilerplate-template my-contract

cd my-contract

Step 2: Configure Environment

Create
.env
file with the following variables:

bash

# Create .env file
cat > .env << 'EOF'
PROJECT_NAME=my-contract
VITE_APP_NETWORK=devnet
VITE_APTOS_API_KEY=""
VITE_MODULE_PUBLISHER_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS=
# This is the module publisher account's private key.
# Be cautious about who you share it with, and ensure it is not exposed when deploying your dApp.
VITE_MODULE_PUBLISHER_ACCOUNT_PRIVATE_KEY=
EOF

# Ensure .env is gitignored
grep -q "^\.env$" .gitignore || echo ".env" >> .gitignore

Step 3: Update Move.toml

Edit

contract/Move.toml

toml

[package]
name = "my_contract"
version = "1.0.0"

[addresses]
my_contract_addr = "_"

[dev-addresses]
my_contract_addr = "0xCAFE"

[dependencies]
AptosFramework = { git = "https://github.com/aptos-labs/aptos-framework.git", rev = "mainnet", subdir = "aptos-framework" }

Step 4: Install & Verify

bash

npm install

# Compile
npm run move:compile

# Test
npm run move:test

Step 5: Initialize Git

bash

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit: Bootstrap Aptos contract from template"

Contract-Only Project Structure

my-contract/
├── contract/
│   ├── sources/              # Move modules
│   ├── tests/                # Move tests
│   └── Move.toml
├── scripts/move/             # Deployment scripts
├── package.json              # npm scripts
├── .env                      # Environment variables (NEVER commit!)
└── .gitignore                # Must include .env

Available npm Scripts

Both templates include these npm scripts:

bash

# Move development
npm run move:compile    # Compile Move contracts
npm run move:test       # Run Move tests
npm run move:publish    # Publish to network (uses .env)

# Fullstack only
npm run dev             # Start frontend dev server
npm run build           # Build for production

Alternative: Manual Move-Only Setup

For pure Move development without the npm wrapper, use

aptos move init

bash

# Initialize Move project
aptos move init --name my_module

# Configure Move.toml manually
# Create sources/ and tests/ directories

See the "Move-Only Reference" section below for detailed manual setup.

Quick Reference Commands

Fullstack dApp (Recommended)

bash

# Bootstrap and setup
npx degit aptos-labs/create-aptos-dapp/templates/boilerplate-template my-dapp
cd my-dapp
npm install
git init

# Then create .env manually (see Step 2 above) - NEVER commit .env!

Contract-Only

bash

# Bootstrap and setup
npx degit aptos-labs/create-aptos-dapp/templates/contract-boilerplate-template my-contract
cd my-contract
npm install
git init

# Then create .env manually (see Step 2 above) - NEVER commit .env!

Post-Scaffolding Checklist

After bootstrapping, complete these steps:

Create
```
.env
```
file with required variables (see Step 2)
Verify
```
.env
```
is in
```
.gitignore
```
Update
```
Move.toml
```
with project name and address alias
Run
```
aptos init
```
to create deployer account
Add account address and private key to
```
.env
```
Verify compilation:
```
npm run move:compile
```
Verify tests pass:
```
npm run move:test
```
Initialize git repository
(Fullstack) Verify frontend runs:
```
npm run dev
```

⚠️ Before committing: Double-check that

.env

is NOT staged (

git status

)

Move-Only Reference (Manual Setup)

For cases where you need manual Move setup without templates:

Initialize

bash

aptos move init --name my_module

Configure Move.toml

toml

[package]
name = "my_module"
version = "1.0.0"

[addresses]
my_addr = "_"

[dev-addresses]
my_addr = "0xCAFE"

[dependencies]
AptosFramework = { git = "https://github.com/aptos-labs/aptos-framework.git", rev = "mainnet", subdir = "aptos-framework" }

Create Module

move

// sources/main.move
module my_addr::main {
    use std::signer;

    struct Counter has key {
        value: u64
    }

    public entry fun init_counter(account: &signer) {
        move_to(account, Counter { value: 0 });
    }

    public entry fun increment(account: &signer) acquires Counter {
        let counter = borrow_global_mut<Counter>(signer::address_of(account));
        counter.value = counter.value + 1;
    }
}

Verify

bash

aptos move compile
aptos move test

ALWAYS Rules

✅ ALWAYS use
```
degit
```
for bootstrapping (clean copy, no git history)
✅ ALWAYS use the boilerplate-template for fullstack dApps
✅ ALWAYS update Move.toml with your project name and address alias
✅ ALWAYS create
```
.env
```
file with required environment variables
✅ ALWAYS ensure
```
.env
```
is listed in
```
.gitignore
```
✅ ALWAYS run
```
npm install
```
after bootstrapping
✅ ALWAYS verify compilation and tests pass
✅ ALWAYS initialize git after setup
✅ ALWAYS use named addresses (myaddr = "")

NEVER Rules

❌ NEVER commit
```
.env
```
to git (contains private keys!)
❌ NEVER push
```
.env
```
to GitHub or any remote repository

❌ NEVER share your

VITE_MODULE_PUBLISHER_ACCOUNT_PRIVATE_KEY

❌ NEVER skip Move.toml configuration
❌ NEVER use hardcoded addresses in code
❌ NEVER skip verifying compilation after scaffolding
❌ NEVER read
```
.env
```
files after creation — to verify existence, use
```
ls -la .env
```
not
```
cat .env
```

❌ NEVER display

VITE_MODULE_PUBLISHER_ACCOUNT_PRIVATE_KEY

values in responses

❌ NEVER run
```
git add .
```
or
```
git add -A
```
until
```
.gitignore
```
contains
```
.env
```
— always verify first

Template Sources

Template	GitHub URL
Fullstack	https://github.com/aptos-labs/create-aptos-dapp/tree/main/templates/boilerplate-template
Contract-only	https://github.com/aptos-labs/create-aptos-dapp/tree/main/templates/contract-boilerplate-template

References

Official Documentation:

CLI Reference: https://aptos.dev/build/cli
Move.toml: https://aptos.dev/build/cli/working-with-move-contracts
TypeScript SDK: https://aptos.dev/sdks/ts-sdk

Related Skills:

```
write-contracts
```
- Write Move modules after scaffolding
```
generate-tests
```
- Create test suite
```
connect-contract-to-frontend
```
- Wire up frontend to contracts
```
integrate-wallet-adapter
```
- Add wallet connection

Remember: Use

degit

for clean bootstrapping. The boilerplate template provides the best starting point for custom dApps.

scaffold-project

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Scaffold Project Skill

Overview

Project Types

Fullstack dApp Scaffolding

Step 1: Bootstrap with degit

Step 2: Configure Environment

Step 3: Update Move.toml

Step 4: Install Dependencies

Step 5: Initialize Git

Step 6: Verify Setup

Fullstack Project Structure

Key Directories Explained

Contract-Only Scaffolding

Step 1: Bootstrap with degit

Step 2: Configure Environment

Step 3: Update Move.toml

Step 4: Install & Verify

Step 5: Initialize Git

Contract-Only Project Structure

Available npm Scripts

Alternative: Manual Move-Only Setup

Quick Reference Commands

Fullstack dApp (Recommended)

Contract-Only

Post-Scaffolding Checklist

Move-Only Reference (Manual Setup)

Initialize

Configure Move.toml

Create Module

Verify

ALWAYS Rules

NEVER Rules

Template Sources

References