Quickstart

Go from zero to a running validation site in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

Node.js 22 or later
A package manager — pnpm is recommended, npm works too

Scaffold a New Project

The fastest way to start is with the create-foundry CLI:

npx create-foundry my-project

This clones the starter template into my-project/ with everything pre-configured.

The CLI uses @nuxt/cli under the hood. You can also pass --template default explicitly, though default is the only template currently available.

Install Dependencies

cd my-project
pnpm install

Start the Dev Server

pnpm dev

Your site is now running at http://localhost:3000. Open it in your browser and you'll see the starter landing page.

First Customization

Open content/config/site.yml and change the business name:

content/config/site.yml

business:
  name: "My Startup"
  legalName: "My Startup LLC"
  foundingYear: 2026
  logo: "/favicon-96x96.png"
  mission: "We help people do amazing things."

socials:
  x: https://x.com/yourhandle
  github: https://github.com/yourrepo

Save the file. The dev server will hot-reload and you'll see the updated name in the header and footer immediately.

Configuration Checklist

After scaffolding, work through these files to make the project yours:

File	What to Change
`content/config/site.yml`	Business name, legal name, socials, mission
`content/config/navigation.yml`	Header links, footer columns, banner
`app/app.config.ts`	Title, description, logo paths
`nuxt.config.ts`	Site URL, route rules, module config
`content/pages/index.md`	Landing page content (hero, benefits, offer)
`content/team/founder.yml`	Your name, bio, avatar, social links
`app/assets/theme.css`	Brand colors — change the hue value to rebrand
`public/`	Replace favicon files with your logo
`.env`	Copy from `.env.example`, set `NUXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL`

You don't need to do all of these right now. The starter works out of the box with placeholder content. Customize as you go.

Key Commands

Command	What It Does
`pnpm dev`	Start development server
`pnpm build`	Production build
`pnpm preview`	Preview production build locally
`pnpm lint`	Run ESLint
`pnpm test`	Run unit tests

Adding to an Existing Nuxt Project

If you already have a Nuxt 4 project and want to add Foundry as a layer:

pnpm add @incubrain/foundry

Then extend it in your nuxt.config.ts:

nuxt.config.ts

export default defineNuxtConfig({
  extends: ['@incubrain/foundry'],
})

You'll also need to:

Create a content.config.ts that imports schemas from @incubrain/foundry/schemas
Set up your content/ directory with the expected structure
Configure app/app.config.ts with collection mappings

See Project Structure for the full directory layout and Configuration for all available options.

Next Steps

Now that your project is running, learn about the Project Structure to understand where everything lives.

Foundry Documentation

Learn how to validate your product idea with Foundry — a Nuxt 4 layer for technical founders.

Project Structure

Where everything lives in a Foundry project and what each file does.