ind-kit — Summary

Indie Kit is a Next.js 16 SaaS starter kit with AI-first architecture — not a generic Claude Code plugin, but a production template whose .claude/ folder ships 6 domain skills (auth-handler, db-handler, env-handler, form-creator, stripe-handler, ui-handler), 1 command (/bootstrap), and 3 lifecycle hooks (PreToolUse for use client detection and package validation, PostToolUse for loading.tsx/error.tsx suggestions + Prettier formatting, Stop for upgrade prompt). The skills encode project-specific conventions (authentication via withAuthRequired, schema patterns, Drizzle ORM patterns) that prevent AI agents from inventing incompatible patterns. The /bootstrap command orchestrates a 7-phase project setup from requirements gathering to final review. Cursor rules (.cursor/rules) and Windsurf rules (.windsurf/) are also included for multi-IDE portability.

Differs from seeds: Closest to agent-os (skill files embedded in a project template) but where agent-os ships abstract methodology standards, Indie Kit ships concrete technology-specific skills (Next.js 16 + Better Auth + Drizzle + Stripe). The hooks detect Next.js-specific patterns (use client directive, loading.tsx presence) — a domain-specific hook strategy not present in any seed.

ind-kit — Overview

Origin

Created by Indie Kit (indiekit.pro), a SaaS starter kit product. The open source version is a subset of the commercial Indie Kit Pro, which adds multi-tenancy, RBAC, user impersonation, and a super admin dashboard. Licensed MIT.

Philosophy

"This is the Open Source / Lite Version of Indie Kit Pro. It combines a production-grade tech stack with 'AI Context Rules' that empower LLMs (Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot) to understand your codebase, write bug-free code, and navigate your project autonomously."

"Self-Documenting Code: Your AI knows exactly where auth lives (.claude/skills/auth-handler), how to migrate the DB (.cursor/rules), and where to put new components."

"No Hallucinations: We force the AI to use existing patterns (like withAuthRequired) instead of inventing broken ones."

The Stop hook promotes the paid product:

🚀 Want more features? Upgrade to Pro: https://indiekit.pro/

Tech Stack

• Next.js 16 (App Router)
• Tailwind CSS v4 + Shadcn UI
• Better Auth (Social + Magic Link)
• Drizzle ORM + any Postgres provider
• Stripe subscriptions
• UploadThing

Multi-IDE Support

• .claude/ — Claude Code
• .cursor/rules — Cursor
• .windsurf/ — Windsurf

Tip from README: "To use this kit with Google's Antigravity or other AI agents that expect a .agent folder, simply rename .claude to .agent."

ind-kit — Architecture

Distribution

GitHub template repository. Clone directly or use the npx indiekit@latest scaffolding CLI.

# Scaffolding CLI
npx indiekit@latest   # Interactive setup + auto-install
# or
pnpm dlx indiekit@latest

Directory Tree (relevant to AI context)

.
├── .claude/
│   ├── commands/
│   │   └── bootstrap.md           # 7-phase project scaffolding command
│   ├── hooks/
│   │   └── hooks.json             # PreToolUse/PostToolUse/Stop hooks
│   ├── settings.json              # Permissions allow/deny list
│   └── skills/
│       ├── auth-handler/          # Better Auth patterns
│       │   ├── SKILL.md
│       │   └── reference.md
│       ├── db-handler/            # Drizzle ORM patterns
│       ├── env-handler/           # Environment variables conventions
│       ├── form-creator/          # react-hook-form + zod patterns
│       ├── stripe-handler/        # Stripe webhooks and subscriptions
│       └── ui-handler/            # Shadcn UI component conventions
├── .cursor/rules                  # Cursor AI rules
├── .windsurf/                     # Windsurf AI rules
├── src/
│   ├── app/                       # Next.js App Router
│   ├── components/
│   ├── db/                        # Drizzle schema
│   └── lib/
│       └── auth/withAuthRequired.ts
└── package.json

Required Runtime

• Node.js
• pnpm (preferred)
• Postgres database (Supabase, Neon, or any provider)

Target AI Tools

• Claude Code (.claude/)
• Cursor (.cursor/rules)
• Windsurf (.windsurf/)
• Any agent with .agent/ folder convention

ind-kit — Components

Skills (6)

Commands (1)

Hooks (3 events in hooks.json)

PreToolUse (Edit|MultiEdit|Write)

• Detects React hooks in .tsx/.jsx files; warns if 'use client' directive missing
• Detects package install commands; announces compatibility check

PostToolUse (Write|MultiEdit)

• On app/**/page.tsx creation: suggests adding loading.tsx and error.tsx
• On .ts/.tsx file write: auto-runs Prettier if available

Stop

• Prints upgrade prompt: "Want more features? Upgrade to Pro: https://indiekit.pro/"

Settings

settings.json allow/deny list:

• Allow: npm run dev/build/lint/test/type-check, npx next, Write in src/, components/, lib/, public/
• Deny: .env.production, .env.local reads, .env writes, rm -rf, npm publish

ind-kit — Uniqueness

Differs from Seeds

Closest to agent-os (skills embedded in a project template) but where agent-os provides abstract methodology standards, Indie Kit provides concrete technology-specific skills encoding exact import paths (src/lib/auth-client.ts), anti-hallucination guards ("Do NOT use NextAuth imports"), and project-specific conventions for a specific tech stack (Next.js 16 + Better Auth + Drizzle + Stripe). The PostToolUse hooks detect Next.js-specific patterns ('use client' directive, loading.tsx/error.tsx file naming) — domain-specific automation not present in any seed. The multi-IDE support (Claude Code + Cursor + Windsurf) is shared with openspec but Indie Kit's instructions are project-embedded rather than framework-agnostic.

Positioning

A SaaS starter kit where the Claude Code skills are a product feature. The skills prevent AI agents from breaking the kit's conventions — the value proposition is "no hallucinations" from day one on a pre-scaffolded codebase. The commercial version (Pro) adds more features; the Stop hook promotes the upsell.

Observable Failure Modes

1. Technology lock-in: Skills are hard-coded to Better Auth, Drizzle, Stripe, shadcn/ui — forking to a different auth library requires rewriting the auth-handler skill.
2. Hook brittleness: The 'use client' detection uses a shell one-liner with jq parsing $STDIN — fragile to Claude Code input format changes.
3. Commercial stop hook: The Stop hook always prints the Pro upgrade URL, which may annoy developers using the free version.
4. No automated tests: Phase 7 asks developers to run npm run lint and npm run build manually; no automated test execution.

Explicit Antipatterns

• Using NextAuth imports (use @/lib/auth-client instead)
• Not wrapping API routes with withAuthRequired
• Relying solely on middleware for auth (defense in depth required)
• Writing to .env or reading .env.production (blocked by settings.json)