## Summary
### Externalize `twenty-client-sdk` from `twenty-sdk`
Previously, `twenty-client-sdk` was listed as a `devDependency` of
`twenty-sdk`, which caused Vite to bundle it inline into the dist
output. This meant end-user apps had two copies of `twenty-client-sdk`:
one hidden inside `twenty-sdk`'s bundle, and one installed explicitly in
their `node_modules`. These copies could drift apart since they weren't
guaranteed to be the same version.
**Change:** Moved `twenty-client-sdk` from `devDependencies` to
`dependencies` in `twenty-sdk/package.json`. Vite's `external` function
now recognizes it and keeps it as an external `require`/`import` in the
dist output. End users get a single deduplicated copy resolved by their
package manager.
### Externalize `twenty-sdk` from `create-twenty-app`
Similarly, `create-twenty-app` had `twenty-sdk` as a `devDependency`
(bundled inline). After refactoring `create-twenty-app` to
programmatically import operations from `twenty-sdk` (instead of
shelling out via `execSync`), it became a proper runtime dependency.
**Change:** Moved `twenty-sdk` from `devDependencies` to `dependencies`
in `create-twenty-app/package.json`.
### Switch E2E CI to `yarn npm publish`
The `workspace:*` protocol in `dependencies` is a Yarn-specific feature.
`npm publish` publishes it as-is (which breaks for consumers), while
`yarn npm publish` automatically replaces `workspace:*` with the
resolved version at publish time (e.g., `workspace:*` becomes `=1.2.3`).
**Change:** Replaced `npm publish` with `yarn npm publish` in
`.github/workflows/ci-create-app-e2e.yaml`.
### Replace `execSync` with programmatic SDK calls in
`create-twenty-app`
`create-twenty-app` was shelling out to `yarn twenty remote add` and
`yarn twenty server start` via `execSync`, which assumed the `twenty`
binary was already installed in the scaffolded app. This was fragile and
created an implicit circular dependency.
**Changes:**
- Replaced `execSync('yarn twenty remote add ...')` with a direct call
to `authLoginOAuth()` from `twenty-sdk/cli`
- Replaced `execSync('yarn twenty server start')` with a direct call to
`serverStart()` from `twenty-sdk/cli`
- Deleted the duplicated `setup-local-instance.ts` from
`create-twenty-app`
### Centralize `serverStart` as a dedicated operation
The Docker server start logic was previously inline in the `server
start` CLI command handler (`server.ts`), and `setup-local-instance.ts`
was shelling out to `yarn twenty server start` to invoke it -- meaning
`twenty-sdk` was calling itself via a child process.
**Changes:**
- Extracted the Docker container management logic into a new
`serverStart` operation (`cli/operations/server-start.ts`)
- Merged the detect-or-start flow from `setup-local-instance.ts` into
`serverStart` (detect across multiple ports, start Docker if needed,
poll for health)
- Deleted `setup-local-instance.ts` from `twenty-sdk`
- Added `onProgress` callback (consistent with other operations like
`appBuild`) instead of direct `console.log` calls
- Both the `server start` CLI command and `create-twenty-app` now call
`serverStart()` programmatically
related to https://github.com/twentyhq/twenty-infra/pull/525
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| .. | ||
| .storybook | ||
| scripts | ||
| src | ||
| .gitignore | ||
| .oxlintrc.json | ||
| .prettierignore | ||
| package.json | ||
| project.json | ||
| README.md | ||
| tsconfig.json | ||
| tsconfig.lib.json | ||
| vite.config.browser.ts | ||
| vite.config.node.ts | ||
| vite.config.sdk.ts | ||
| vitest.config.ts | ||
| vitest.e2e.config.ts | ||
| vitest.integration.config.ts | ||
| vitest.storybook.config.ts | ||
| vitest.unit.config.ts | ||
A CLI and SDK to develop, build, and publish applications that extend Twenty CRM.
- Typed GraphQL clients:
CoreApiClient(auto-generated per app for workspace data) andMetadataApiClient(pre-built with the SDK for workspace configuration & file uploads) - Built‑in CLI for auth, dev mode (watch & sync), uninstall, and function management
Getting Started
The recommended way to start building a Twenty app is with create-twenty-app, which scaffolds a project with everything preconfigured:
npx create-twenty-app@latest my-app
cd my-app
yarn twenty dev
See the create-twenty-app README or the full documentation for details.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 24+ (recommended) and Yarn 4
- Docker (for the local Twenty dev server) or a remote Twenty workspace
Manual Installation
If you're adding twenty-sdk to an existing project instead of using create-twenty-app:
npm install twenty-sdk
# or
yarn add twenty-sdk
Usage
Usage: twenty [options] [command]
CLI for Twenty application development
Options:
-V, --version output the version number
-r, --remote <name> Use a specific remote (overrides the default set by remote switch)
-h, --help display help for command
Commands:
dev [appPath] Watch and sync local application changes
build [appPath] Build, sync, and generate API client into .twenty/output/
deploy [appPath] Build and deploy to a Twenty server
publish [appPath] Build and publish to npm
typecheck [appPath] Run TypeScript type checking on the application
uninstall [appPath] Uninstall application from Twenty
remote Manage remote Twenty servers
server Manage a local Twenty server instance
add [entityType] Add a new entity to your application
exec [appPath] Execute a logic function with a JSON payload
logs [appPath] Watch application function logs
help [command] display help for command
In a project created with create-twenty-app (recommended), use yarn twenty <command> instead of calling twenty directly. For example: yarn twenty help, yarn twenty dev, etc.
Global Options
--remote <name>(or-r <name>): Use a specific remote configuration. Defaults tolocal. See Configuration for details.
Commands
Server
Manage a local Twenty dev server (all-in-one Docker image).
twenty server start— Start the local server (pulls image if needed). Automatically configures thelocalremote.- Options:
-p, --port <port>: HTTP port (default:2020).
- Options:
twenty server stop— Stop the local server.twenty server logs— Stream server logs.- Options:
-n, --lines <lines>: Number of initial lines to show (default:50).
- Options:
twenty server status— Show server status (running/stopped/healthy).twenty server reset— Delete all data and start fresh.
The server comes pre-seeded with a workspace and user (tim@apple.dev / tim@apple.dev).
Examples:
# Start the local server
twenty server start
# Check if it's ready
twenty server status
# Follow logs during first startup
twenty server logs
# Stop the server (data is preserved)
twenty server stop
# Wipe everything and start over
twenty server reset
Remote
Manage remote server connections and authentication.
-
twenty remote add [nameOrUrl]— Add a new remote or re-authenticate an existing one.- Options:
--token <token>: API key for non-interactive auth.--url <url>: Server URL (alternative to positional arg).--as <name>: Name for this remote (otherwise derived from URL hostname).
- Behavior: If
nameOrUrlmatches an existing remote name, re-authenticates it. Otherwise, creates a new remote and authenticates via OAuth (with API key fallback).
- Options:
-
twenty remote remove <name>— Remove a remote and its credentials. -
twenty remote list— List all configured remotes with their auth status and URLs. -
twenty remote switch [name]— Set the default remote.- If omitted, shows an interactive selection.
-
twenty remote status— Print the current remote name, server URL, and auth status.
Examples:
# Add a remote interactively (recommended)
twenty remote add
# Provide values in flags (non-interactive, for CI)
twenty remote add https://api.twenty.com --token $TWENTY_API_KEY
# Name a remote explicitly
twenty remote add https://api.twenty.com --as production
# Re-authenticate an existing remote by name
twenty remote add production
# Check status
twenty remote status
# List all configured remotes
twenty remote list
# Switch default remote
twenty remote switch production
# Remove a remote
twenty remote remove production
App
Application development commands.
-
twenty dev [appPath]— Start development mode: watch and sync local application changes.- Behavior: Builds your application (functions and front components), computes the manifest, syncs everything to your remote, then watches the directory for changes and re-syncs automatically. Displays an interactive UI showing build and sync status in real time. Press Ctrl+C to stop.
-
twenty build [appPath]— Build the application, sync to the server, generate the typed API client, then rebuild with the real client.- Options:
--tarball: Also pack the output into a.tgztarball.
- Options:
-
twenty publish [appPath]— Build and publish the application to npm.- Behavior: Builds the application and runs
npm publishon the output directory. - Options:
--tag <tag>: npm dist-tag (e.g.beta,next).
- Behavior: Builds the application and runs
-
twenty deploy [appPath]— Build and deploy the application to a Twenty server.- Behavior: Builds the tarball, uploads it to the server, and installs the application.
- Options:
--server <url>: Target Twenty server URL.--token <token>: Auth token for the server.
-
twenty typecheck [appPath]— Run TypeScript type checking on the application (runstsc --noEmit). Exits with code 1 if type errors are found. -
twenty uninstall [appPath]— Uninstall the application from the current remote.
Entity
twenty add [entityType]— Add a new entity to your application.- Arguments:
entityType: one ofobject,field,function,front-component,role,view,navigation-menu-item, orskill. If omitted, an interactive prompt is shown.
- Options:
--path <path>: The path where the entity file should be created (relative to the current directory).
- Behavior:
object: prompts for singular/plural names and labels, then creates a*.object.tsdefinition file.field: prompts for name, label, type, and target object, then creates a*.field.tsdefinition file.function: prompts for a name and scaffolds a*.function.tslogic function file.front-component: prompts for a name and scaffolds a*.front-component.tsxfile.role: prompts for a name and scaffolds a*.role.tsrole definition file.view: prompts for a name and target object, then creates a*.view.tsdefinition file.navigation-menu-item: prompts for a name and scaffolds a*.navigation-menu-item.tsfile.skill: prompts for a name and scaffolds a*.skill.tsskill definition file.
- Arguments:
Function
-
twenty logs [appPath]— Stream application function logs.- Options:
-u, --functionUniversalIdentifier <id>: Only show logs for a specific function universal ID.-n, --functionName <name>: Only show logs for a specific function name.
- Options:
-
twenty exec [appPath]— Execute a logic function with a JSON payload.- Options:
--preInstall: Execute the pre-install logic function defined in the application manifest (required if--postInstall,-n, and-unot provided).--postInstall: Execute the post-install logic function defined in the application manifest (required if--preInstall,-n, and-unot provided).-n, --functionName <name>: Name of the function to execute (required if--postInstalland-unot provided).-u, --functionUniversalIdentifier <id>: Universal ID of the function to execute (required if--postInstalland-nnot provided).-p, --payload <payload>: JSON payload to send to the function (default:{}).
- Options:
Examples:
# Start dev mode (watch, build, and sync)
twenty dev
# Start dev mode with a custom remote
twenty dev --remote my-custom-remote
# Type check the application
twenty typecheck
# Add a new entity interactively
twenty add
# Add a new function
twenty add function
# Add a new front component
twenty add front-component
# Add a new view
twenty add view
# Add a new navigation menu item
twenty add navigation-menu-item
# Add a new skill
twenty add skill
# Build the app (output in .twenty/output/)
twenty build
# Build and create a tarball
twenty build --tarball
# Publish to npm
twenty publish
# Publish with a dist-tag
twenty publish --tag beta
# Deploy directly to a Twenty server (builds, uploads, and installs)
twenty deploy --server https://app.twenty.com
# Uninstall the app from the remote
twenty uninstall
# Watch all function logs
twenty logs
# Watch logs for a specific function by name
twenty logs -n my-function
# Execute a function by name (with empty payload)
twenty exec -n my-function
# Execute a function with a JSON payload
twenty exec -n my-function -p '{"name": "test"}'
# Execute a function by universal identifier
twenty exec -u e56d363b-0bdc-4d8a-a393-6f0d1c75bdcf -p '{"key": "value"}'
# Execute the pre-install function
twenty exec --preInstall
# Execute the post-install function
twenty exec --postInstall
Configuration
The CLI stores configuration per user in a JSON file:
- Location:
~/.twenty/config.json - Structure: Remotes keyed by name. The active remote is selected with
--remote <name>or by thedefaultRemotesetting.
Example configuration file:
{
"defaultRemote": "production",
"remotes": {
"local": {
"apiUrl": "http://localhost:2020",
"apiKey": "<your-api-key>"
},
"production": {
"apiUrl": "https://api.twenty.com",
"accessToken": "<oauth-token>",
"refreshToken": "<refresh-token>",
"oauthClientId": "<client-id>"
}
}
}
Notes:
- If a remote is missing,
apiUrldefaults tohttp://localhost:2020. twenty remote addwrites credentials for the active remote (OAuth tokens or API key).twenty remote add --as my-remotesaves under a custom name.twenty remote switchsets thedefaultRemotefield, used when-ris not specified.twenty remote listshows all configured remotes and their authentication status.
How to use a local Twenty instance
If you're already running a local Twenty instance, you can connect to it instead of using Docker:
twenty remote add http://localhost:3000 --as local
Troubleshooting
- Auth errors: run
twenty remote addagain (or add a new remote) and ensure the API key has the required permissions. - Typings out of date: restart
twenty devto refresh the client and types. - Not seeing changes in dev: make sure dev mode is running (
twenty dev).
Contributing
Development Setup
To contribute to the twenty-sdk package, clone the repository and install dependencies:
git clone https://github.com/twentyhq/twenty.git
cd twenty
yarn install
Development Mode
Run the SDK build in watch mode to automatically rebuild on file changes:
npx nx run twenty-sdk:dev
This will watch for changes and rebuild the dist folder automatically.
Production Build
Build the SDK for production:
npx nx run twenty-sdk:build
Running the CLI Locally
After building, you can run the CLI directly:
npx nx run twenty-sdk:start -- <command>
# Example: npx nx run twenty-sdk:start -- remote status
Or run the built CLI directly:
node packages/twenty-sdk/dist/cli.cjs <command>