bivvy init

Initialize Bivvy configuration for your project.

Usage

bivvy init

bivvy init --minimal

bivvy init --template=ruby

bivvy init --from=../other-project

Options

Option	Description
--minimal	Generate config without prompts, using only auto-detected templates
--template <name>	Start from a specific template or category (skips auto-detection). Accepts a template name (e.g., bundle-install) or a category (e.g., ruby) to include all templates in that category.
--from <path>	Copy .bivvy/config.yml from another project directory into the current project
--force	Overwrite existing configuration

What It Does

1. Scans your project for technologies
2. Detects package managers and version managers
3. Identifies potential conflicts
4. Generates .bivvy/config.yml
5. Updates .gitignore for local overrides
6. Offers to run setup immediately (interactive mode only)

When running interactively, after generating the config Bivvy prompts “Run setup now?” with options to run immediately or exit. Choosing “Yes” chains directly into bivvy run. Choosing “No” (the default) shows a hint to run bivvy run later.

Examples

Interactive setup:

bivvy init

Quick setup for CI:

bivvy init --minimal

Force overwrite existing config:

bivvy init --force

Start from the Ruby template:

bivvy init --template=bundle-install

Include all Ruby-category templates:

bivvy init --template=ruby

Clone config from a sibling project:

bivvy init --from=../other-project

Detection

Bivvy automatically detects technologies and maps them to built-in templates:

Category	Detected via	Template
System	Brewfile	brew-bundle
Ruby	Gemfile	bundle-install
Ruby (Rails)	bin/rails, config/routes.rb	rails-db
Node.js	yarn.lock, package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, bun.lockb	yarn-install, npm-install, pnpm-install, bun-install
Node.js (Next.js)	next.config.js, next.config.mjs	nextjs-build
Node.js (Vite)	vite.config.ts, vite.config.js	vite-build
Node.js (Remix)	remix.config.js	remix-build
Python	requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock	pip-install, poetry-install, uv-sync
Python (Django)	manage.py	django-migrate
Python (Alembic)	alembic.ini	alembic-migrate
Rust	Cargo.toml	cargo-build
Rust (Diesel)	diesel.toml	diesel-migrate
Go	go.mod	go-mod-download
Swift	Package.swift	swift-resolve
Java (Maven)	pom.xml	maven-resolve
Java (Spring Boot)	application.properties, application.yml	spring-boot-build
.NET	*.sln, *.csproj	dotnet-restore
Dart / Flutter	pubspec.yaml	dart-pub-get, flutter-pub-get
Deno	deno.json, deno.jsonc	deno-install
Database (Prisma)	prisma/schema.prisma	prisma-migrate
Containers	compose.yml, docker-compose.yml	docker-compose-up
Kubernetes	Chart.yaml	helm-deps
IaC (Pulumi)	Pulumi.yaml	pulumi-install
IaC (Ansible)	ansible.cfg, playbook.yml	ansible-install
Cross-cutting	.env.example	env-copy
Cross-cutting	.pre-commit-config.yaml	pre-commit-install
Monorepo	nx.json	nx-build
Monorepo	turbo.json	turbo-build
Monorepo	lerna.json	lerna-bootstrap
Version managers	.mise.toml, .tool-versions, volta	mise-tools, asdf-tools, volta-setup
Version managers	.nvmrc, .node-version	nvm-node, fnm-node
Version managers	.ruby-version	rbenv-ruby
Version managers	.python-version	pyenv-python

Enriched Output

The generated config includes commented-out template details so you can see what Bivvy will do and how to customize it:

# Bivvy configuration for my-app
# Docs: https://bivvy.dev/configuration
#
# Override any template field per-step:
#   steps:
#     example:
#       template: bundle-install
#       env:
#         BUNDLE_WITHOUT: "production"
#
# Add custom steps:
#   steps:
#     setup_db:
#       title: "Set up database"
#       command: "bin/rails db:setup"
#       completed_check:
#         type: command_succeeds
#         command: "bin/rails db:version"
#
# Create named workflows:
#   workflows:
#     ci:
#       steps: [bundle-install, yarn-install]
#       settings:
#         default_output: quiet

app_name: "my-app"

settings:
  default_output: verbose  # verbose | quiet | silent

steps:
  bundle-install:
    template: bundle-install
    # command: bundle install
    # completed_check:
    #   type: command_succeeds
    #   command: "bundle check"
    # watches: [Gemfile, Gemfile.lock]

  yarn-install:
    template: yarn-install
    # command: yarn install
    # completed_check:
    #   type: command_succeeds
    #   command: "yarn check --verify-tree"
    # watches: [yarn.lock, package.json]

workflows:
  default:
    steps: [bundle-install, yarn-install]

Conflicts

When conflicts are detected (e.g., multiple lock files), Bivvy will:

1. Show a warning about the conflict
2. Suggest a resolution
3. Allow you to choose which to include