Cookiecutter
OfficialAgent-readyAbout Cookiecutter
Cookiecutter is a command-line tool that generates projects from predefined templates using interactive prompts to collect variables. Developers and coding agents can automate project initialization and eliminate repetitive manual setup steps.
Key features
- 01Load project templates from local or remote Git repositories
- 02Collect user input through interactive prompts to populate template variables
- 03Generate complete project directory structures, configuration files and boilerplate code
- 04Support conditional logic and dynamic file generation within templates
Use cases
- 01Rapidly scaffold new Python packages, web applications or microservices
- 02Create and maintain standardized project templates for teams
- 03Integrate into coding agent workflows to automatically generate project skeletons
Install
Pick your OS or package manager and run the command in a terminal.
Once installed, runcookiecutter --versionto confirm it works.
Example commands
Common commands in the order you’d use them.
Details
From the project README
Cookiecutter
Create projects swiftly from cookiecutters (project templates) with this command-line utility. Ideal for generating Python package projects and more.
Installation
Install Cookiecutter as a CLI tool with uv:
uv tool install cookiecutter
Features
- Cross-Platform: Supports Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- User-Friendly: No Python knowledge required.
- Versatile: Compatible with Python 3.10 to 3.14.
- Multi-Language Support: Use templates in any language or markup format.
For Users
Quickstart
The most common way to use Cookiecutter is as a command line utility with a GitHub-hosted Cookiecutter template such as https://github.com/audreyfeldroy/cookiecutter-pypackage
Use a GitHub-hosted Cookiecutter template
# You'll be prompted to enter values.
# Then it'll create your Python package in the current working directory,
# based on those values.
# For the sake of brevity, repos on GitHub can just use the 'gh' prefix
$ uvx cookiecutter gh:audreyfeldroy/cookiecutter-pypackage
Use a local template
$ uvx cookiecutter cookiecutter-pypackage/
Use it from Python
If you plan to use Cookiecutter programmatically, please run uv add cookiecutter to add it to your project. Then you can import and use it like this:
from cookiecutter.main import cookiecutter
# Create project from the cookiecutter-pypackage/ template
cookiecutter('cookiecutter-pypackage/')
# Create project from the cookiecutter-pypackage.git repo template
cookiecutter('gh:audreyfeldroy/cookiecutter-pypackage')
If Cookiecutter saves you time, star it on GitHub so other developers can find it too.
Detailed Usage
- Generate projects from local or remote templates.
- Customize projects with
cookiecutter.jsonprompts. - Utilize pre-prompt, pre- and post-generate hooks.
For Template Creators
- Any language, any framework. A Cookiecutter template is just a directory with variables. It works for Python, Rust, Terraform, docs sites, whatever you build repeatedly.
- Hooks for the rest of the setup. Pre- and post-generate scripts (shell or Python) handle git init, dependency installs, or anything else your boilerplate needs.
- One file defines the interface.
cookiecutter.jsondeclares every variable and its default. Users answer prompts; the template does the rest.
Available Templates
Discover a variety of ready-to-use templates on GitHub.
Special Templates
Community
Join the community, contribute, or seek assistance.
Feedback
We value your feedback. Share your criticisms or complaints constructively to help us improve.
Waiting for a Response?
- Be patient and consider reaching out to the community for assistance.
- For enterprise support, contact [email protected].
Code of Conduct
Adhere to the PyPA Code of Conduct during all interactions in the project's ecosystem.
Acknowledgements
Created and led by Audrey M. Roy Greenfeld, supported by a dedicated team of maintainers and contributors.