cpp-gen

Modern C++ project generator with CMake, package managers, IDE configurations and development tools.

About

cpp-gen is a CLI tool written in Go that automates the creation of modern C++ projects, eliminating the time spent on the initial configuration of:

CMake hierarchical with best practices (CMake 3.20+, CMakePresets.json)
Package managers: VCPKG (manifest mode) or native FetchContent
IDEs: Visual Studio Code, CLion or Neovim with complete configurations
Quality tools: Clangd LSP, Clang-Format, warning flags
Git: initialized repository, comprehensive .gitignore and README

Installation

Arch Linux (AUR) — recommended

# With yay
yay -S cpp-gen-bin

# With paru
paru -S cpp-gen-bin

macOS / Linux — Homebrew

brew tap matpdev/tap
brew install cpp-gen

Binary (Linux / macOS)

Download the latest pre-compiled binary from GitHub Releases:

# Linux x86_64
curl -LO https://github.com/matpdev/cpp-gen/releases/latest/download/cpp-gen_linux_amd64.tar.gz
tar -xzf cpp-gen_linux_amd64.tar.gz
install -m755 cpp-gen ~/.local/bin/

# Verify checksum
sha256sum -c checksums.txt

Go install

go install github.com/matpdev/cpp-gen@latest

From source

git clone https://github.com/matpdev/cpp-gen.git
cd cpp-gen
go mod tidy
go build -o cpp-gen .

Usage

Interactive mode (recommended)

# Opens the step-by-step TUI form
cpp-gen new

# With pre-filled name
cpp-gen new meu-projeto

The form guides you through all the options:

⚡ cpp-gen  v0.1.0
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  ◆  Modern CMake project structure (3.20+)
  ◆  Package managers: VCPKG or FetchContent
  ◆  Configurations for VSCode, CLion and Neovim
  ◆  Git, .gitignore and README ready
  ◆  Clangd and Clang-Format pre-configured
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Usage:  cpp-gen new [project-name]

Non-interactive mode (CI/CD and scripts)

cpp-gen new meu-projeto \
  --no-interactive \
  --description "My C++ application" \
  --author "John Doe" \
  --std 20 \
  --type executable \
  --pkg vcpkg \
  --ide vscode

Other commands

# Display version
cpp-gen version

# General help
cpp-gen --help

# Help for the new subcommand
cpp-gen new --help

What is generated

Example: executable project with VSCode and VCPKG

meu-projeto/
├── CMakeLists.txt              ← Main CMake configuration
├── CMakePresets.json           ← debug/release/sanitize/vcpkg presets
├── vcpkg.json                  ← VCPKG dependencies (manifest mode)
├── vcpkg-configuration.json   ← Version baseline (reproducible builds)
├── README.md                  ← Generated project README
├── .gitignore                 ← Comprehensive C++/CMake/IDE patterns
├── .clangd                    ← LSP configuration (compile_commands.json)
├── .clang-format              ← Formatting rules (LLVM-based)
│
├── cmake/
│   ├── CompilerWarnings.cmake  ← Warning flags (GCC/Clang/MSVC)
│   ├── Vcpkg.cmake            ← VCPKG integration helper module
│   └── Dependencies.cmake     ← (if FetchContent) declared dependencies
│
├── src/
│   ├── CMakeLists.txt         ← add_executable() or add_library() target
│   └── main.cpp               ← Initial source code
│
├── include/
│   └── meu-projeto/           ← Public headers (include namespace)
│
├── tests/
│   ├── CMakeLists.txt         ← Test target with CTest
│   └── test_main.cpp          ← Initial tests with CHECK() macro
│
├── docs/                      ← Documentation (empty, ready for Doxygen)
│
└── .vscode/
    ├── tasks.json             ← Configure, Build, Clean, Test, Format
    ├── launch.json            ← Debug with CodeLLDB and cppdbg/GDB
    ├── settings.json          ← Clangd, CMake Tools, automatic formatting
    ├── extensions.json        ← Recommended extensions
    └── c_cpp_properties.json  ← IntelliSense fallback

Generated CMakePresets.json

Configure Preset	Description
`debug`	Debug with full symbols
`release`	Release with optimizations, no tests
`release-with-debug`	RelWithDebInfo (profiling)
`sanitize`	Debug + AddressSanitizer + UBSanitizer
`vcpkg-debug`	Debug with VCPKG toolchain (if VCPKG selected)
`vcpkg-release`	Release with VCPKG (if VCPKG selected)

# List all presets
cmake --list-presets

# Quick build
cmake --preset debug
cmake --build --preset build-debug
ctest --preset test-debug --output-on-failure

Options and flags

`cpp-gen new`

Flag	Default	Description
`--output`, `-o`	`.`	Directory where the project folder will be created
`--no-interactive`, `-n`	`false`	Disables the TUI; uses only the flags below
`--name`	—	Project name (alternative to the positional argument)
`--description`	—	Brief project description
`--author`	—	Author or organization name
`--version`	`1.0.0`	Initial version (SemVer)
`--std`	`20`	C++ standard: `17` \| `20` \| `23`
`--type`	`executable`	`executable` \| `static-lib` \| `header-only`
`--pkg`	`none`	`none` \| `vcpkg` \| `fetchcontent`
`--ide`	`none`	`none` \| `vscode` \| `clion` \| `nvim`
`--no-git`	`false`	Do not initialize a Git repository
`--no-clangd`	`false`	Do not generate `.clangd`
`--no-clang-format`	`false`	Do not generate `.clang-format`

Global flags

Flag	Description
`--verbose`, `-v`	Displays each file generated during the process
`--help`, `-h`	Displays command help

Project structure

cpp-gen/
├── main.go                         ← Entry point
├── go.mod                          ← Go module and dependencies
│
├── cmd/
│   ├── root.go                     ← Root command (banner, version)
│   └── new.go                      ← `new` subcommand (flags, handler, TUI)
│
└── internal/
    ├── config/
    │   └── config.go               ← Enumerated types and ProjectConfig
    │
    ├── tui/
    │   ├── form.go                 ← Interactive form (charmbracelet/huh)
    │   └── styles.go               ← lipgloss styles (colors, layout)
    │
    └── generator/
        ├── generator.go            ← Orchestrator, TemplateData, utilities
        ├── structure.go            ← Folder structure and initial C++ files
        ├── cmake.go                ← CMakeLists.txt, CMakePresets.json, helpers
        ├── git.go                  ← Git init, .gitignore, README.md
        ├── clang.go                ← .clangd, .clang-format
        │
        ├── ide/
        │   ├── ide.go              ← Data interface, public functions, utilities
        │   ├── vscode.go           ← tasks.json, launch.json, settings, extensions
        │   └── clion.go            ← .idea/, cmake.xml, run configs, .nvim.lua
        │
        └── packages/
            ├── vcpkg.go            ← vcpkg.json, vcpkg-configuration.json, Vcpkg.cmake
            └── fetchcontent.go     ← cmake/Dependencies.cmake with commented examples

Execution flow

main()
  └── cmd.Execute()
        └── newCmd.RunE  (cmd/new.go)
              ├── tui.RunForm()          ← interactive form
              ├── cfg.Validate()
              ├── printProjectSummary()
              └── generator.New(cfg).Generate()
                    ├── generateStructure()   → src/, include/, tests/, docs/
                    ├── generateCMake()       → CMakeLists.txt, presets, helpers
                    ├── runPackages()         → vcpkg.json  | Dependencies.cmake
                    ├── runIDE()              → .vscode/    | .idea/  | .nvim.lua
                    ├── generateClang()       → .clangd     | .clang-format
                    └── generateGit()         → .gitignore  | README.md | git init

Development

Set up the environment

git clone https://github.com/matpdev/cpp-gen.git
cd cpp-gen
go mod tidy

Run without installing

go run . new meu-projeto

Build

go build -o cpp-gen .
./cpp-gen new --help

Tests

go test ./...
go test ./... -v          # verbose
go test ./... -count=1    # disable test cache

Check errors and lint

go vet ./...
# With golangci-lint installed:
golangci-lint run

Direct dependencies

Package	Version	Usage
`github.com/spf13/cobra`	v1.8.1	CLI framework (commands and flags)
`github.com/charmbracelet/huh`	v0.6.0	Interactive TUI forms
`github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss`	v1.0.0	Terminal styles and colors

Internal architecture

Separation of responsibilities

Package	Responsibility
`cmd`	CLI interface: flag parsing, validation, orchestration
`internal/config`	Pure data types, no I/O logic
`internal/tui`	Interactive user interface (no generation logic)
`internal/generator`	All file generation logic
`internal/generator/ide`	IDE-specific configurations (isolated per IDE)
`internal/generator/packages`	Package manager configurations (isolated per pkg)

Adding support for a new IDE

Create internal/generator/ide/myide.go with the generateMyIDE() function
Add the IDEMyIDE constant in internal/config/config.go
Add the option in the TUI form in internal/tui/form.go
Add the case in generator.runIDE() in internal/generator/generator.go
Add the parser in cmd/new.go in parseIDE()

Adding support for a new package manager

Create internal/generator/packages/mypkg.go with GenerateMyPkg()
Add the PkgMyPkg constant in internal/config/config.go
Add the case in the TUI form and in generator.runPackages()

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
Commit: git commit -m 'feat: add support for XYZ'
Push: git push origin feature/my-feature
Open a Pull Request

Commit convention (Conventional Commits)

feat: — new feature
fix: — bug fix
docs: — documentation
refactor: — refactoring without behavior change
test: — adding or fixing tests
chore: — maintenance tasks

License

Made with ❤️ and Go.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 23 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
aur		aur
cmd		cmd
homebrew		homebrew
internal		internal
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
.goreleaser.yaml		.goreleaser.yaml
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
cliff.toml		cliff.toml
go.mod		go.mod
go.sum		go.sum
main.go		main.go

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

cpp-gen

Table of Contents

About

Installation

Arch Linux (AUR) — recommended

macOS / Linux — Homebrew

Binary (Linux / macOS)

Go install

From source

Usage

Interactive mode (recommended)

Non-interactive mode (CI/CD and scripts)

Other commands

What is generated

Example: executable project with VSCode and VCPKG

Generated CMakePresets.json

Options and flags

cpp-gen new

Global flags

Project structure

Execution flow

Development

Set up the environment

Run without installing

Build

Tests

Check errors and lint

Direct dependencies

Internal architecture

Separation of responsibilities

Adding support for a new IDE

Adding support for a new package manager

Contributing

Commit convention (Conventional Commits)

License

About

Topics

Resources

License

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