start-new-sdk-project

Always use speakeasy quickstart to initialize a new SDK project. This is the ONLY correct command for new projects - it creates both the SDK and the essential .speakeasy/workflow.yaml configuration file.

⚠️ Never use speakeasy generate sdk for new projects - it does not create the workflow file needed for maintainable SDK development.

When to Use

Generating any SDK from an OpenAPI spec (TypeScript, Python, Go, Java, etc.)
Starting a brand new SDK project
No .speakeasy/workflow.yaml exists yet
First-time Speakeasy setup
User says: "generate SDK", "TypeScript SDK", "Python SDK", "Go SDK", "create SDK", "new SDK"

Inputs

Input	Required	Description
OpenAPI spec	Yes	Local file, URL, or registry source
Target language	Yes	typescript, python, go, java, csharp, php, ruby, kotlin, terraform
SDK name	Yes (non-interactive)	PascalCase name (e.g., `AcmeSDK`)
Package name	Yes (non-interactive)	Package identifier (e.g., `acme-sdk`)

Outputs

Output	Location
Workflow config	`.speakeasy/workflow.yaml`
Generated SDK	Output directory (default: current dir)

Prerequisites

For non-interactive environments (CI/CD, automation), set:

export SPEAKEASY_API_KEY="<your-api-key>"

Run speakeasy auth login to authenticate interactively, or set the SPEAKEASY_API_KEY environment variable.

Command

speakeasy quickstart --skip-interactive --output console -s <schema> -t <target> -n <name> -p <package-name>

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--skip-interactive`		Required for automation. Skips all prompts
`--schema`	`-s`	OpenAPI spec source (see Schema Sources below)
`--target`	`-t`	Target language (see Supported Targets)
`--name`	`-n`	SDK name in PascalCase (e.g., `MyCompanySDK`)
`--package-name`	`-p`	Package name (language variants auto-inferred)
`--out-dir`	`-o`	Output directory (default: current dir)
`--output`		Output format: `summary`, `console`, `mermaid`. Use `console` for automation
`--init-git`		Initialize git repo (omit to skip in non-interactive mode)

Schema Sources

The --schema flag accepts multiple source types:

Type	Format	Example
Local file	Path	`./api/openapi.yaml`
URL	HTTP(S)	`https://api.example.com/openapi.json`
Registry source	`source-name`	`my-api`
Registry source (tagged)	`source-name@tag`	`my-api@latest`
Registry source (full)	`org/workspace/source@tag`	`acme/prod/my-api@v2`

Registry sources are OpenAPI specs you manage in your Speakeasy workspace. Use speakeasy pull --list --format json to see available sources. This lets you generate SDKs from specs managed in Speakeasy without needing local files.

Supported Targets

Language	Target Flag
TypeScript	`typescript`
Python	`python`
Go	`go`
Java	`java`
C#	`csharp`
PHP	`php`
Ruby	`ruby`
Kotlin	`kotlin`
Terraform	`terraform`

Example

# From local OpenAPI file
speakeasy quickstart --skip-interactive --output console \
  -s ./api/openapi.yaml \
  -t typescript \
  -n "AcmeSDK" \
  -p "acme-sdk"

# From URL
speakeasy quickstart --skip-interactive --output console \
  -s "https://api.example.com/openapi.json" \
  -t python \
  -n "AcmeSDK" \
  -p "acme-sdk"

# From registry source (managed in your Speakeasy workspace)
speakeasy quickstart --skip-interactive --output console \
  -s "my-api@latest" \
  -t go \
  -n "AcmeSDK" \
  -p "acme-sdk"

# With custom output directory and git init
speakeasy quickstart --skip-interactive --output console \
  -s ./api/openapi.yaml \
  -t python \
  -n "AcmeSDK" \
  -p "acme-sdk" \
  -o ./sdks/python \
  --init-git

What It Creates

Workflow configuration: .speakeasy/workflow.yaml
Generated SDK: Full SDK in the output directory, ready to use

Next Steps After Quickstart

Review the generated SDK in the output directory
Add more targets to .speakeasy/workflow.yaml for multi-language support
Run speakeasy run to regenerate after spec or config changes

Essential CLI Commands

Command	Purpose
`speakeasy quickstart ...`	Initialize new SDK project
`speakeasy run -y --output console`	Regenerate SDK from workflow
`speakeasy lint openapi --non-interactive -s spec.yaml`	Validate OpenAPI spec
`speakeasy auth login`	Authenticate with Speakeasy
`speakeasy pull --list --format json`	List registry sources

What NOT to Do

Do NOT use speakeasy generate sdk for new projects. This low-level command generates code but does NOT create .speakeasy/workflow.yaml. Without a workflow file, you lose:
- Reproducible builds via speakeasy run
- Multi-target SDK generation
- CI/CD integration
- Version tracking and upgrade paths
Do NOT skip --skip-interactive in automated environments. The command will hang waiting for user input.
Do NOT omit --output console in automated environments. You need structured output to verify success.

quickstart vs generate sdk

Command	Creates workflow.yaml	Use case
`speakeasy quickstart`	✅ Yes	New projects - Always use this
`speakeasy generate sdk`	❌ No	One-off generation (rare, advanced use only)

Always use quickstart for new SDK projects. The workflow file it creates is essential for maintainable SDK development.

Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Solution
Workflow already exists	`.speakeasy/workflow.yaml` already present	Run `speakeasy run` to regenerate the existing SDK instead
Unauthorized	Missing or invalid API key	Run `speakeasy auth login` or set `SPEAKEASY_API_KEY`
Schema not found	Invalid path, URL, or source name	Verify path exists or use `speakeasy pull --list` for sources

Related Skills

diagnose-generation-failure - When generation fails
manage-openapi-overlays - Customize spec with overlays
configure-sdk-options - Language-specific gen.yaml configuration for all supported languages