Init Command

The init command initializes a new Melos workspace. It creates the necessary configuration files and directory structure for your monorepo.

melos init [workspace_name]

If no workspace name is provided, you'll be prompted to enter one. By default, it uses the current directory name.

Specifies the directory where the workspace should be created. If not provided, you'll be prompted to enter one. Defaults to the workspace name, or current directory ('.') if the workspace name matches the current directory name.

melos init my_workspace --directory custom_dir

Defines additional glob patterns for package directories to include in the workspace. Accepts comma-separated values and can be specified multiple times.

melos init --packages "modules/*" --packages "libs/*"

When running melos init, you'll be guided through an interactive setup process that will:

1. Prompt for a workspace name (if not provided, defaults to current directory name)
2. Ask for a directory location (defaults to workspace name, or '.' if matching current directory)
3. Ask if you want to include an apps directory (defaults to true)

The command creates the following structure:

<directory>/
├── melos.yaml    # Workspace configuration
├── pubspec.yaml  # Root package configuration
├── packages/     # Packages directory (always created)
└── apps/         # Apps directory (created if confirmed during setup)

Contains the workspace configuration with:

• Workspace name
• Package locations (defaults to ['packages/'] and optionally 'apps/')
• Additional package glob patterns (if specified via --packages)

Contains the root package configuration with:

• Project name (same as workspace name)
• Dart SDK constraints (based on current Dart version)
• Melos as a dev dependency

# Basic initialization
melos init my_workspace

# Custom initialization with options
melos init my_workspace \
  --directory custom_dir \
  --packages "modules/*"

After initialization, you can bootstrap your workspace by running:

cd <directory>
melos bootstrap