Using Templates

Template sources

diecut pulls templates from local paths or any Git host.

Source	Example
Local path	diecut new ./my-template
GitHub	diecut new gh:user/repo
GitLab	diecut new gl:user/repo
Bitbucket	diecut new bb:user/repo
Sourcehut	diecut new sr:user/repo
Any Git URL	diecut new https://git.example.com/repo.git

Git templates are cached at ~/.cache/diecut/templates/. Override with DIECUT_CACHE_DIR.

Overriding variables

Pass -d key=value to skip prompts for specific variables:

diecut new gh:user/template -d project_name=foo -d license=MIT -o my-project

Variables passed with -d skip the interactive prompt. You can mix — pass some via -d and diecut prompts for the rest.

Non-interactive mode

For CI pipelines or scripting, use --defaults:

diecut new gh:user/template --defaults -o my-project

Every variable uses its default value. No prompts. Combine with -d to override specific ones:

diecut new gh:user/template --defaults -d project_name=ci-test -o output

Updating a project

You generated a project three months ago. The template author added a new CI config and updated the README. Instead of starting over:

diecut update ./my-project

Here is what happens:

1. Reads .diecut-answers.toml from your project. This file stores the template source and your original variable choices.
2. Renders the template at the original version (old snapshot).
3. Renders at the latest version (new snapshot).
4. Three-way merges against your actual files.
5. Reports files updated, added, removed, and any conflicts.

Pin to a specific version:

diecut update ./my-project --ref v2.0.0

Conflicts are saved as .rej files. You resolve them manually, like patch conflicts.

Cookiecutter compatibility

diecut auto-detects cookiecutter templates:

diecut new gh:audreyfeldroy/cookiecutter-pypackage -o my-package

It finds cookiecutter.json, translates the format on the fly, and prompts you as usual. No migration needed.

For a permanent conversion to native diecut format, see Migrating from Cookiecutter.

Managing the cache

List cached templates:

diecut list

Templates live at ~/.cache/diecut/templates/. Set DIECUT_CACHE_DIR to change the location. Delete the directory to clear the cache.