clockworklabs/SpacetimeDB · error · anyhow::Error

Template definition missing

Error message

Template definition missing

What it means

Builtin-template scaffolding expects a resolved template definition (parsed from the embedded catalog) alongside the builtin template type. Reaching `init_builtin` without one means an internal invariant broke — the chosen path didn't attach a definition. This is a CLI defect or catalog/build mismatch, not a user-input error you can fix by changing flags.

Source

Thrown at crates/cli/src/subcommands/init.rs:1378

    // Install AI assistant rules for multiple editors/tools
    install_ai_rules(config, project_path)?;

    println!("{}", "Project initialized successfully!".green());

    Ok(())
}

fn init_builtin(
    config: &TemplateConfig,
    project_path: &Path,
    is_server_only: bool,
    dotnet_major: Option<u8>,
) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
    let template_def = config
        .template_def
        .as_ref()
        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("Template definition missing"))?;

    let template_files = embedded::get_template_files();

    if !is_server_only {
        println!(
            "Setting up client ({})...",
            config.client_lang.map(|l| l.as_str()).unwrap_or("none")
        );
        let client_source = &template_def.client_source;
        if let Some(files) = template_files.get(client_source.as_str()) {
            copy_embedded_files(files, project_path)?;
        } else {
            anyhow::bail!("Client template not found: {}", client_source);
        }

        // Update client name
        match config.client_lang {
            Some(ClientLanguage::TypeScript) => {

View on GitHub (pinned to 524b4487d9)

Solutions

1. Update the SpacetimeDB CLI to the latest stable release
2. Work around it: scaffold with `--lang` (empty project) or `--template owner/repo` (git clone)
3. If it persists on the latest release, report it with the template id and CLI version

Example fix

# before — builtin template path loses its definition
spacetime init my-app --non-interactive --template rust-quickstart

# after — update and use the language path (no builtin template needed)
spacetime update
spacetime init my-app --non-interactive --project-name my-app --lang rust

When it happens

Trigger: Selecting a builtin template whose catalog entry failed to resolve into a TemplateDefinition; a CLI build where the template-type routing and catalog parsing disagree; catalog format changes between CLI builds.

Common situations: Pre-release or nightly CLI versions; templates newly added to an embedded catalog your build partially understands.

Related errors

• Client template not found: {}
• Server template not found: {}
• Unknown client language: {}
• Either --template or --lang must be provided in non-interact
• No templates found for selected language

AI-assisted analysis of clockworklabs/SpacetimeDB@524b4487d9 (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/70279a831a69bf12. Report an issue: GitHub.