Beta modeInstall commands on this page use lvcn@beta, which installs from the beta registry and may change before the stable release.What’s in beta

Installation

How to install lvcn and structure your Expo app.

Choose the setup that matches your starting point. Or, you can perform a Manual Installation to configure dependencies and styles yourself.

New project

Scaffold a new Expo app with lvcn configured (NativeWind or Uniwind, style pack, and base color):

npx lvcn-ui@latest init -n my-app

You will be prompted for:

  1. Style engine — nativewind or uniwind
  2. Style — e.g. nova, new-york, mira
  3. Base color — e.g. zinc, neutral, slate

Then install dependencies and start the app:

cd my-app
npx expo start

Existing project

If you already have an Expo project, run init in that directory:

npx lvcn-ui@latest init

This will:

  • Detect or ask for your style engine (NativeWind / Uniwind)
  • Write lvcn.json with your style and base color
  • Configure CSS variables and utilities
  • Add the cn helper and theme plumbing

Then add components:

npx lvcn-ui@latest add button
npx lvcn-ui@latest add card input label

Requirements

  • Expo SDK 57+ (expo-router, native tabs APIs as used by the templates)
  • Node 18+
  • A package manager: npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun

Configuration

After init, your project includes lvcn.json:

{
  "style": "nova",
  "styleEngine": "nativewind",
  "baseColor": "neutral",
  "aliases": {
    "components": "@/components",
    "utils": "@/lib/utils"
  }
}

The CLI uses this file when you run lvcn add. See the lvcn.json reference for all options.

Next steps