> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://buildcharts.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scaffolding

> Get started by automatically creating build metadata.

`buildcharts init` scaffolds the files that BuildCharts needs to generate a Bake plan.

## What scaffolding means in BuildCharts

Scaffolding is the step where BuildCharts inspects a repository, infers a reasonable starting build model, and writes the metadata files for you.

At a high level, the goal is:

* Find recognizable project files
* Infer which build stage types the repository needs
* Generate a starter `build.yml`
* Generate a matching `charts/buildcharts/Chart.yaml`

This is automatic stage wiring. Instead of starting from an empty config, BuildCharts inspects the repository shape and scaffolds the most likely target types for each project.

After running, review the generated files and adjust them as needed.

<Warning>
  Note that scaffolding currently only supports .NET applications.
</Warning>

## What the generated metadata looks like

The scaffolded `build.yml` includes:

* `VERSION` and `COMMIT` variables
* One `build` target for the solution
* Additional `test`, `nuget`, or `docker` targets when matching projects are found

BuildCharts does more than detect that a repository is `.NET`. It also maps each discovered file to an appropriate stage type automatically.

## Usage

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"plastic","dark":"plastic"}}
buildcharts init
buildcharts update
buildcharts generate
docker buildx bake --file .buildcharts/docker-bake.hcl
```

## Related pages

* [Command-line interface](/cli)
* [dotnet](/quickstart/dotnet)
* [Install](/install)