Move core-cli-utils to private/ as a reference implementation (#56922)

packages/react-native/react-native.config.js

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import type {Command} from '@react-native-community/cli-types';
 // depending on and injecting:
 // - @react-native-community/cli-platform-android
 // - @react-native-community/cli-platform-ios
-// - @react-native/community-cli-plugin (via the @react-native/core-cli-utils package)
+// - @react-native/community-cli-plugin
 // - codegen command should be inhoused into @react-native-community/cli
 //
 // This is a temporary workaround.

packages/rn-tester/cli.js

@@ -12,30 +12,11 @@
 import {Command} from 'commander';
 */
 
-// eslint-disable-next-line @react-native/monorepo/sort-imports
-const {patchCoreCLIUtilsPackageJSON} = require('./scripts/monorepo');
-
-function injectCoreCLIUtilsRuntimePatch() {
-  patchCoreCLIUtilsPackageJSON(true);
-  const cleared = {
-    status: false,
-  };
-  ['exit', 'SIGUSR1', 'SIGUSR2', 'uncaughtException'].forEach(event => {
-    if (cleared.status) {
-      return;
-    }
-    patchCoreCLIUtilsPackageJSON(false);
-    cleared.status = true;
-  });
-}
-
 if (process.env.BUILD_EXCLUDE_BABEL_REGISTER == null) {
   // $FlowFixMe[cannot-resolve-module]
   require('../../scripts/shared/babelRegister').registerForMonorepo();
 }
 
-injectCoreCLIUtilsRuntimePatch();
-
 const program /*: Command */ = require('./cli.flow.js').default;
 
 if (require.main === module) {

packages/rn-tester/package.json

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
     "@react-native-community/cli": "20.0.0",
     "@react-native-community/cli-platform-android": "20.0.0",
     "@react-native-community/cli-platform-ios": "20.0.0",
+    "@react-native/core-cli-utils": "*",
     "commander": "^12.0.0",
     "listr2": "^6.4.1",
     "rxjs": "npm:@react-native-community/rxjs@6.5.4-custom"

private/core-cli-utils/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# @react-native/core-cli-utils
+
+A reference implementation of React Native CLI tooling. This package provides composable, ordered `Task` objects for common CLI operations including Android Gradle builds, iOS Xcode/CocoaPods workflows, Metro bundling with Hermes support, and cache cleaning.
+
+This is not published to npm. Framework authors can use this code as a starting point for their own CLI tooling, but should not depend on it as a versioned API.
+
+## Modules
+
+- **`android`** — Gradle-based Android build tasks (assemble, build, install)
+- **`apple`** — Xcode/CocoaPods-based iOS tasks (bootstrap, build, install)
+- **`app`** — Metro bundler tasks (watch mode, bundle mode, Hermes bytecode compilation)
+- **`clean`** — Cache-cleaning tasks (Android/Gradle, Metro, npm, Watchman, Yarn, CocoaPods)
+- **`version`** — Semver version requirements for platform toolchains (Android NDK/SDK, Xcode, Node, etc.)
+
+## Consumers
+
+- [`private/helloworld/`](../helloworld/) — the primary consumer, using Android, iOS, and Metro modules
+- [`packages/rn-tester/`](../../packages/rn-tester/) — uses iOS bootstrap for CocoaPods setup

private/core-cli-utils/package.json

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+{
+  "name": "@react-native/core-cli-utils",
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "description": "Reference implementation of React Native CLI tooling",
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "main": "./src/index.flow.js",
+  "exports": {
+    ".": "./src/index.js",
+    "./package.json": "./package.json",
+    "./version.js": "./src/public/version.js"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "metro-babel-register": "^0.84.3"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {},
+  "engines": {
+    "node": "^22.13.0 || ^24.3.0 || >= 26.0.0"
+  }
+}

packages/core-cli-utils/src/index.js → private/core-cli-utils/src/index.js

@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@
 export type * from './index.flow';
 */
 
-if (process.env.BUILD_EXCLUDE_BABEL_REGISTER == null) {
-  require('../../../scripts/shared/babelRegister').registerForMonorepo();
-}
+const {register} = require('metro-babel-register');
+register([__dirname]);
 
 module.exports = require('./index.flow');

private/helloworld/cli.js

@@ -12,30 +12,11 @@
 import {Command} from 'commander';
 */
 
-// eslint-disable-next-line @react-native/monorepo/sort-imports
-const {patchCoreCLIUtilsPackageJSON} = require('./scripts/monorepo');
-
-function injectCoreCLIUtilsRuntimePatch() {
-  patchCoreCLIUtilsPackageJSON(true);
-  const cleared = {
-    status: false,
-  };
-  ['exit', 'SIGUSR1', 'SIGUSR2', 'uncaughtException'].forEach(event => {
-    if (cleared.status) {
-      return;
-    }
-    patchCoreCLIUtilsPackageJSON(false);
-    cleared.status = true;
-  });
-}
-
 if (process.env.BUILD_EXCLUDE_BABEL_REGISTER == null) {
   // $FlowFixMe[cannot-resolve-module]
   require('../../scripts/shared/babelRegister').registerForMonorepo();
 }
 
-injectCoreCLIUtilsRuntimePatch();
-
 const program /*: Command */ = require('./cli.flow.js').default;
 
 if (require.main === module) {

private/helloworld/package.json

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
     "@babel/preset-env": "^7.25.3",
     "@babel/runtime": "^7.25.0",
     "@react-native/babel-preset": "0.87.0-main",
-    "@react-native/core-cli-utils": "0.87.0-main",
+    "@react-native/core-cli-utils": "*",
     "@react-native/eslint-config": "0.87.0-main",
     "@react-native/metro-config": "0.87.0-main",
     "@react-native/typescript-config": "0.87.0-main",

scripts/build/config.js

@@ -41,10 +41,6 @@ const buildConfig: BuildConfig = {
     'community-cli-plugin': {
       target: 'node',
     },
-    'core-cli-utils': {
-      emitTypeScriptDefs: true,
-      target: 'node',
-    },
     'debugger-shell': {
       emitTypeScriptDefs: true,
       target: 'node',

scripts/e2e/init-project-e2e.js

@@ -219,12 +219,18 @@ function _prepareHelloWorld(
   // and update the dependencies and devDependencies of packages scoped as @react-native
   // to the version passed as parameter
   for (const key of Object.keys(packageJson.dependencies)) {
-    if (key.startsWith('@react-native/')) {
+    if (
+      key.startsWith('@react-native/') &&
+      packageJson.dependencies[key] !== '*'
+    ) {
       packageJson.dependencies[key] = version;
     }
   }
   for (const key of Object.keys(packageJson.devDependencies)) {
-    if (key.startsWith('@react-native/')) {
+    if (
+      key.startsWith('@react-native/') &&
+      packageJson.devDependencies[key] !== '*'
+    ) {
       packageJson.devDependencies[key] = version;
     }
   }