Getting Started with Ignite UI CLI

    The Ignite UI CLI is a standalone global command-line tool for scaffolding Angular, React, and jQuery projects pre-configured for Ignite UI components. It provides a guided step-by-step wizard for first-time setup, non-interactive new and add commands for scripted workflows, a development server, and a built-in MCP server for connecting AI coding assistants to live Ignite UI documentation.

    The CLI does not replace the Angular CLI - it works alongside it. Projects created with the Ignite UI CLI are standard Angular workspaces and are fully compatible with ng commands after scaffolding.

    Install the Ignite UI CLI

    Install the Ignite UI CLI globally using npm:

    npm install -g igniteui-cli

    Or, using yarn:

    yarn global add igniteui-cli

    Verify the installation:

    ig version

    Create a New Project

    The Ignite UI CLI provides two modes for project creation: a guided interactive wizard and a direct command with arguments.

    Use the guided wizard

    The guided wizard is the recommended starting point for new projects. It prompts you to choose a project type, name, template, and theme, then scaffolds and commits the project automatically.

    To activate the wizard:

    ig

    or:

    ig new
    Play video: Building Your First Ignite UI CLI App

    Building Your First Ignite UI CLI App

    For a step-by-step walkthrough of the wizard options, see Step-by-Step Guide Using Ignite UI CLI.

    Create a project directly

    To create an Angular project non-interactively, provide angular as the framework and igx-ts as the project type:

    ig new <project-name> --framework=angular --type=igx-ts --template=side-nav
    Note

    As of Ignite UI CLI v13.1.0, the igx-ts project type generates a project with standalone components by default. To use NgModule-based bootstrapping instead, set --type=igx-ts-legacy.

    The new application is created in a directory named after the project. The following project templates are available for Angular:

    Template ID Description
    empty Project structure with routing and a home page
    side-nav Project structure with a side navigation drawer
    side-nav-auth Side navigation project extended with a user authentication module. See Angular Authentication Project Template for details.

    The following arguments are available when creating a project:

    name

    name (alias: -n)

    The name of the application. The application is created inside a directory with the same name.

    framework (Ignite UI CLI only)

    --framework (alias: -f) default value: "jquery"

    Framework to set up the project for. Supported values are: jquery, angular, react.

    type (Ignite UI CLI only)

    --type (alias: -t)

    The available project types depend on the selected framework.

    theme

    --theme (alias: -th)

    Project theme (depends on project type).

    skip-git

    --skip-git (alias: --sg)

    Skips automatic Git repository initialization. If omitted, the global skip-git configuration property is used.

    skip-install

    --skip-install (alias: --si)

    Skips the initial npm package installation on project creation.

    template

    --template

    Specifies the project template when multiple templates exist for a framework type. Currently available for Ignite UI for Angular igx-ts project types.

    Add a Component Template

    To add an available Ignite UI for Angular template to an existing project, provide the template ID and a name for the new component:

    ig add grid newGrid

    To list all available templates in your project directory:

    ig list

    Template addition is supported in projects created with the Ignite UI CLI, Angular Schematics, or any Angular CLI project where Ignite UI for Angular was added with ng add. For the guided component wizard, see Step-by-Step Guide Using Ignite UI CLI.

    The following arguments are available when adding a template:

    module

    --module (alias: -m)

    Applicable only in Angular projects.

    Path to the module.ts file, relative to /src/app/, where the new component should be registered:

    ig add combo newCombo --module=myModule/myModule.module.ts
    skip-route

    --skip-route (alias: -srk)

    Skips auto-generation of an app navigation route for the new component.

    Run the Application

    The start command builds the application, starts a local web server, and opens it in your default browser:

    ig start

    AI Assistant Integration (MCP)

    The Ignite UI CLI includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that connects AI coding assistants - GitHub Copilot, Claude, Cursor - to live Ignite UI component documentation and API references. Once configured, your AI assistant can query component APIs, retrieve setup guides, and generate accurate Ignite UI for Angular code without switching context.

    If your project was created with ig new, the VS Code MCP configuration is already generated in .vscode/mcp.json during scaffolding, and the Ignite UI for Angular Agent Skills are copied to .claude/skills/. If you are working with an existing project that is missing either or both of these, run ig ai-config from the project root to set up both the MCP configuration and the skills in one step.

    ig ai-config
If you want to configure your AI client manually, or use a client other than VS Code, start the MCP server directly:

```cmd
ig mcp

    For client configuration (VS Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and others) and a full description of available tools, see Ignite UI CLI MCP.

    Ignite UI CLI Commands

    A complete list of available Ignite UI CLI commands is maintained on the Ignite UI CLI wiki:

    Command Alias Description
    ig start Builds the application, starts a web server, and opens it in the default browser.
    ig build Builds the application into an output directory.
    ig generate g Generates a new custom template for supported frameworks and project types.
    ig help -h Lists available commands with brief descriptions.
    ig config Reads and writes Ignite UI CLI configuration settings.
    ig doc Searches the Infragistics knowledge base for a given term.
    ig list l Lists all templates for the specified framework and type. When run inside a project folder, lists templates for the project's framework and type even if different values are provided as arguments.
    ig test Executes the tests for the current project.
    ig version -v Shows the Ignite UI CLI version installed locally, or globally if no local installation is found.
    ig mcp Starts the Ignite UI MCP server, providing component documentation search and API reference tools to connected AI assistants. See Ignite UI CLI MCP.
    ig ai-config Sets up AI integration for an existing project by copying Ignite UI for Angular Agent Skills into .claude/skills/ and writing the Ignite UI MCP server configuration to .vscode/mcp.json.