Setup

When you run the CLI, it launches an interactive wizard. You’ll be asked a series of questions, for example:

✔ Are you using TypeScript? … No / Yes

Each answer updates the final ESLint setup for your project. If you prefer to skip the questions, you can pass command-line options to configure everything in one step:

npm

$ npx create-airbnb-x-config --lang typescript --runtime react --pm pnpm

yarn

$ yarn dlx create-airbnb-x-config --lang typescript --runtime react --pm pnpm

pnpm

$ pnpx create-airbnb-x-config --lang typescript --runtime react --pm pnpm

This example sets up ESLint with TypeScript + React rules and installs dependencies using pnpm.

Options

Here’s the full list of options you can use:

General

• -v, --version → Show the current CLI version.
• -h, --help → Display help info.

Config

The following values are available for --config:

• extended → Use extended configuration (modern, TypeScript-first, opinionated defaults).
• legacy → Use legacy configuration (1:1 Airbnb replacement in flat config).

Language

The following values are available for --lang:

• typescript → Setup for a TypeScript project.
• javascript → Setup for a JavaScript project.

Formatter

The following values are available for --formatter:

• prettier → Add Prettier integration (eslint-plugin-prettier, eslint-config-prettier).

Runtime

The following values are available for --runtime:

• react → Add React rules (eslint-plugin-react, eslint-plugin-react-hooks, and eslint-plugin-jsx-a11y).
• remix → Same as react runtime rules.
• react-router → Same as react runtime rules.
• next → Add Next.js rules (@next/eslint-plugin-next).
• node → Add Node.js rules (eslint-plugin-n).

Strict Rules

The following values are available for --strict:

• import → Enable strict Import rules.
• react → Enable strict React rules.
• typescript → Enable strict TypeScript rules.

Legacy Config Variants

The following values are available for --legacy:

• base → Legacy Base config.
• react → Legacy React config.
• react-hooks → Legacy React Hooks config.

Package Managers

The following values are available for --pm:

• npm → Use npm for installs.
• yarn → Use Yarn for installs.
• pnpm → Use pnpm for installs.
• bun → Use Bun for installs.

File & Install Options

• --create-eslint-file → Generate eslint.config.mjs automatically.
• --skip-install → Skip dependency installation (you’ll need to install them manually).

Why use Options instead of Interactive Prompts?

While the interactive mode is great for first-time setup (because it guides you step by step), the options (flags) are better when:

1. Speed → You can skip all prompts and generate a config instantly with a single command.
2. Consistency → Perfect for teams/projects where everyone should use the same ESLint setup without relying on different answers in prompts.
3. Automation → Options can be used in scripts, CI pipelines, or project generators (like create-* tools) to auto-generate ESLint configs.
4. Repeatability → If you’re setting up multiple projects, you don’t need to click through prompts each time, just reuse the same command.
5. Customization → Options give you more fine-grained control (e.g., picking strict configs, skipping install, forcing a package manager) without extra steps.

TIP

Interactive mode is great for learning and trying things out. Options are great for speed, automation, and team-wide consistency.