Explore and understand Nx workspaces. USE WHEN answering any questions about the nx workspace, the projects in it or tasks to run. EXAMPLES: 'What projects are in this workspace?', 'How is project X configured?', 'What targets can I run?', 'What's affected by my changes?', 'Which projects depend on library Y?', or any questions about Nx workspace structure, project configuration, or available tasks.
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Quick Install
npxskills add nrwl/nx--skill nx-workspace
Instructions
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Tags & Topics
nxangularreactmonoreponodejscypress
Nx Workspace Exploration
This skill provides read-only exploration of Nx workspaces. Use it to understand workspace structure, project configuration, available targets, and dependencies.
Keep in mind that you might have to prefix commands with npx/pnpx/yarn if nx isn't installed globally. Check the lockfile to determine the package manager in use.
Listing Projects
Use nx show projects to list projects in the workspace.
# List all projects
nx show projects
# Filter by pattern (glob)
nx show projects --projects "apps/*"
nx show projects --projects "shared-*"
# Filter by project type
nx show projects --type app
nx show projects --type lib
nx show projects --type e2e
# Filter by target (projects that have a specific target)
nx show projects --withTarget build
nx show projects --withTarget e2e
# Find affected projects (changed since base branch)
nx show projects --affected
nx show projects --affected --base=main
nx show projects --affected --type app
# Combine filters
nx show projects --type lib --withTarget test
nx show projects --affected --exclude="*-e2e"
# Output as JSON
nx show projects --json
Project Configuration
Use nx show project <name> --json to get the full resolved configuration for a project.
Important: Do NOT read project.json directly - it only contains partial configuration. The nx show project command returns the full resolved config including inferred targets from plugins.
You can read the full project schema at node_modules/nx/schemas/project-schema.json to understand nx project configuration options.
# Get full project configuration
nx show project my-app --json
# Extract specific parts from the JSON
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets'
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build'
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets | keys'
# Check project metadata
nx show project my-app --json | jq '{name, root, sourceRoot, projectType, tags}'
Target Information
Targets define what tasks can be run on a project.
# List all targets for a project
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets | keys'
# Get full target configuration
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build'
# Check target executor/command
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.executor'
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.command'
# View target options
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.options'
# Check target inputs/outputs (for caching)
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.inputs'
nx show project my-app --json | jq '.targets.build.outputs'
# Find projects with a specific target
nx show projects --withTarget serve
nx show projects --withTarget e2e
Workspace Configuration
Read nx.json directly for workspace-level configuration.
You can read the full project schema at node_modules/nx/schemas/nx-schema.json to understand nx project configuration options.
# Read the full nx.json
cat nx.json
# Or use jq for specific sections
cat nx.json | jq '.targetDefaults'
cat nx.json | jq '.namedInputs'
cat nx.json | jq '.plugins'
cat nx.json | jq '.generators'
Key nx.json sections:
targetDefaults - Default configuration applied to all targets of a given name
namedInputs - Reusable input definitions for caching
plugins - Nx plugins and their configuration
...and much more, read the schema or nx.json for details
Affected Projects
Find projects affected by changes in the current branch.
# Affected since base branch (auto-detected)
nx show projects --affected
# Affected with explicit base
nx show projects --affected --base=main
nx show projects --affected --base=origin/main
# Affected between two commits
nx show projects --affected --base=abc123 --head=def456
# Affected apps only
nx show projects --affected --type app
# Affected excluding e2e projects
nx show projects --affected --exclude="*-e2e"
# Affected by uncommitted changes
nx show projects --affected --uncommitted
# Affected by untracked files
nx show projects --affected --untracked
Common Exploration Patterns
"What's in this workspace?"
nx show projects
nx show projects --type app
nx show projects --type lib
"How do I build/test/lint project X?"
nx show project X --json | jq '.targets | keys'
nx show project X --json | jq '.targets.build'
"What depends on library Y?"
# Find projects that may depend on Y by searching for imports
# (Nx doesn't have a direct "dependents" command via CLI)
grep -r "from '@myorg/Y'" --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx" apps/ libs/
