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mxcli init & mxcli new

mxcli new — Create a project from scratch

If you don’t have a Mendix project yet, mxcli new creates one with everything configured in a single command:

mxcli new MyApp --version 11.8.0
mxcli new MyApp --version 10.24.0 --output-dir ./projects/my-app
mxcli new MyApp --version 11.8.0 --skip-init   # Skip AI tooling setup

This downloads MxBuild, creates a blank Mendix project via mx create-project, runs mxcli init to set up AI tooling and Dev Container, and downloads the correct Linux mxcli binary for the container. The result is a ready-to-open folder.

FlagDescription
--versionMendix version (required, e.g., 11.8.0)
--output-dirOutput directory (default: ./<app-name>)
--skip-initSkip AI tooling initialization

mxcli init — Add tooling to an existing project

The mxcli init command prepares an existing Mendix project for AI-assisted development. It creates configuration files, installs skills, sets up a dev container, and optionally installs the VS Code extension.

Basic Usage

# Initialize with Claude Code (default)
mxcli init /path/to/my-mendix-project

# Initialize for a specific AI tool
mxcli init --tool cursor /path/to/my-mendix-project

# Initialize for multiple tools
mxcli init --tool claude --tool cursor /path/to/my-mendix-project

# Initialize for all supported tools
mxcli init --all-tools /path/to/my-mendix-project

# List supported tools
mxcli init --list-tools

Supported AI Tools

ToolFlagConfig Files Created
Claude Code (default)--tool claude.claude/settings.json, CLAUDE.md, commands, lint rules
OpenCode--tool opencode.opencode/, opencode.json, commands, skills, lint rules
Cursor--tool cursor.cursorrules
Continue.dev--tool continue.continue/config.json
Windsurf--tool windsurf.windsurfrules
Aider--tool aider.aider.conf.yml
Mistral Vibe--tool vibe.vibe/config.toml, .vibe/prompts/, .vibe/skills/
GitHub Copilot--tool copilot.github/copilot-instructions.md

All tools also receive the universal files (AGENTS.md, .ai-context/).

What Happens During Init

  1. Detect the Mendix project – finds the .mpr file in the target directory
  2. Create universal AI context – AGENTS.md and .ai-context/skills/ with MDL pattern guides
  3. Create tool-specific configuration – based on the selected --tool flag(s)
  4. Set up dev container – .devcontainer/ with Dockerfile and configuration
  5. Copy mxcli binary – places the mxcli executable in the project root
  6. Install VS Code extension – copies and installs the bundled .vsix file

Adding a Tool Later

To add support for an additional AI tool to an existing project:

mxcli add-tool cursor

This creates only the tool-specific files without overwriting existing configuration.