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Getting Started

Overview

Mini apps are web apps built with HTML, CSS, and Javascript that can be discovered and used within Farcaster clients. You can use an SDK to access native Farcaster features, like authentication, sending notifications, and interacting with the user's wallet.

Requirements

Before getting started, make sure you have:

  • Node.js 22.11.0 or higher (LTS version recommended)
    • Check your version: node --version
    • Download from nodejs.org
  • A package manager (npm, pnpm, or yarn)

Quick Start

For new projects, you can set up an app using the @farcaster/create-mini-app CLI. This will prompt you to set up a project for your app.

npm
npm create @farcaster/mini-app

Remember, you can use whatever your favorite web framework is to build Mini Apps so if these options aren't appealing you can setup the SDK in your own project by following the instructions below.

Manual Setup

For existing projects, install the MiniApp SDK:

Package Manager

npm
npm install @farcaster/miniapp-sdk

CDN

If you're not using a package manager, you can also use the MiniApp SDK via an ESM-compatible CDN such as esm.sh. Simply add a <script type="module"> tag to the bottom of your HTML file with the following content.

<script type="module">
  import { sdk } from 'https://esm.sh/@farcaster/miniapp-sdk'
</script>

Troubleshooting

Node.js Version Issues

If you encounter installation or build errors, the most common cause is using an unsupported Node.js version.

Common error messages:
  • npm ERR! engine Unsupported platform
  • npm ERR! peer dep missing
  • Build failures with cryptic error messages
  • Package installation failures
Solution:

  1. Check your Node.js version:

    node --version

  2. If you're using Node.js < 22.11.0, update to the latest LTS version:

    • Visit nodejs.org to download the latest LTS
    • Or use a version manager like nvm: 
      nvm install --lts
nvm use --lts

Building with AI

These docs are LLM friendly so that you use the latest models to build your applications.

  1. Use the Ask in ChatGPT buttons available on each page to interact with the documentation.
  1. Use the llms-full.txt to keep your LLM up to date with these docs:
setup mini app docs in cursor

Adding the Mini App docs to Cursor

How does this work?

This entire site is converted into a single markdown doc that can fit inside the context window of most LLMs. See The /llms.txt file standards proposal for more information.

Next Steps

You'll need to do a few more things before distributing your app to users:

  1. publish the app by providing information about who created it and how it should displayed
  2. make it sharable in feeds