diff --git a/.changeset/scaffold-shipping-ux.md b/.changeset/scaffold-shipping-ux.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b2dfe7d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/scaffold-shipping-ux.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+---
+'@tanstack/cli': minor
+'@tanstack/create': minor
+---
+
+feat(cli, create): close the gap between `tanstack create` and shipping a real app
+
+A bundle of UX improvements aimed at beginners (especially those coming from Next.js) and the AI agents they pair with:
+
+- **Tailored post-creation next steps.** The scaffold completion message now lists the env vars you still need to fill in `.env.local`, links the docs for each shipping-critical integration you picked (auth, database, ORM, deployment), and surfaces the Intent-wired AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md with concrete prompt examples.
+- **Pre-creation review screen.** After interactive prompts, the CLI shows a categorized summary (auth, database, ORM, deploy, other) and asks for confirmation before writing files. Conflicting selections (two auth providers, two ORMs, etc.) are flagged in the same step.
+- **`.env.example` generation.** A checked-in `.env.example` is now derived from the env-var schemas of selected add-ons, with descriptions and a `(required)` marker. Plays nicely with add-ons that ship their own `_dot_env.example.append`.
+- **Better add-on descriptions.** Concept-first one-liners replace generic "Add X to your application." Reads like a menu instead of a list of brand names.
+- **Deployment quickstarts.** Each `--deployment` host (Netlify, Cloudflare, Railway, Nitro) now contributes its own README section explaining the actual steps to ship — push, dashboard URL, env var sync.
+- **Clerk demo route parity.** Clerk's scaffold now ships a proper sign-in flow (matching Better Auth's depth) using Clerk's prebuilt components, plus a richer README with route-protection patterns and a production checklist.
+- **Intent install passes `--map`.** The auto-invoked `intent install` now writes explicit task→skill mappings into the agent config instead of relying on runtime discovery, so agents see directly which skill matches which task.
+- **`tanstack clean-demos` command.** A new subcommand removes leftover `demo.*` and `example.*` files (and prunes empty `routes/demo`/`routes/example` directories) so a beginner can ship without the scaffold's training wheels.
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/cli.ts b/packages/cli/src/cli.ts
index 164a1f5f..2a96e36c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/cli.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import fs from 'node:fs'
-import { resolve } from 'node:path'
+import { relative, resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { Command, InvalidArgumentError, Option } from 'commander'
 import { cancel, confirm, intro, isCancel, log } from '@clack/prompts'
 import chalk from 'chalk'
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import {
   getFrameworks,
   initAddOn,
   initStarter,
+  isDemoFilePath,
 } from '@tanstack/create'
 import {
   LIBRARY_GROUPS,
@@ -290,6 +291,159 @@ export function cli({
     }
   }
 
+  async function confirmCreateOptions(finalOptions: Options) {
+    const lines: Array<string> = []
+    lines.push(`  Project:         ${finalOptions.projectName}`)
+    lines.push(`  Location:        ${finalOptions.targetDir}`)
+    lines.push(`  Framework:       ${finalOptions.framework.name}`)
+    lines.push(`  Mode:            ${finalOptions.mode}`)
+    lines.push(`  Package manager: ${finalOptions.packageManager}`)
+    if (finalOptions.starter) {
+      lines.push(`  Template:        ${finalOptions.starter.name}`)
+    }
+
+    const auth: Array<string> = []
+    const database: Array<string> = []
+    const orm: Array<string> = []
+    const deploy: Array<string> = []
+    const otherAddOns: Array<string> = []
+    for (const addOn of finalOptions.chosenAddOns) {
+      switch (addOn.category) {
+        case 'auth':
+          auth.push(addOn.name)
+          break
+        case 'database':
+          database.push(addOn.name)
+          break
+        case 'orm':
+          orm.push(addOn.name)
+          break
+        case 'deploy':
+          deploy.push(addOn.name)
+          break
+        default:
+          otherAddOns.push(addOn.name)
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (
+      auth.length +
+        database.length +
+        orm.length +
+        deploy.length +
+        otherAddOns.length >
+      0
+    ) {
+      lines.push('')
+    }
+    if (auth.length > 0) {
+      lines.push(`  Auth:            ${auth.join(', ')}`)
+    }
+    if (database.length > 0) {
+      lines.push(`  Database:        ${database.join(', ')}`)
+    }
+    if (orm.length > 0) {
+      lines.push(`  ORM:             ${orm.join(', ')}`)
+    }
+    if (deploy.length > 0) {
+      lines.push(`  Deploy:          ${deploy.join(', ')}`)
+    }
+    if (otherAddOns.length > 0) {
+      lines.push(`  Other add-ons:   ${otherAddOns.join(', ')}`)
+    }
+
+    lines.push('')
+    lines.push(`  Initialize git:  ${finalOptions.git ? 'yes' : 'no'}`)
+    lines.push(
+      `  Install deps:    ${finalOptions.install === false ? 'no' : 'yes'}`,
+    )
+    lines.push(`  Agent skills:    ${finalOptions.intent ? 'yes' : 'no'}`)
+
+    log.info(`About to create:\n\n${lines.join('\n')}`)
+
+    const conflicts = findExclusiveConflicts(finalOptions.chosenAddOns)
+    if (conflicts.length > 0) {
+      log.warn(
+        `Conflicting selections detected:\n${conflicts
+          .map((c) => `  • ${c.category}: ${c.names.join(', ')}`)
+          .join('\n')}`,
+      )
+    }
+
+    const shouldContinue = await confirm({
+      message: 'Continue with these settings?',
+      initialValue: true,
+    })
+
+    if (isCancel(shouldContinue) || !shouldContinue) {
+      cancel('Operation cancelled.')
+      process.exit(0)
+    }
+  }
+
+  const CLEAN_DEMOS_SKIP_DIRS = new Set([
+    'node_modules',
+    '.git',
+    'dist',
+    '.output',
+    '.tanstack',
+    '.nitro',
+    '.wrangler',
+  ])
+
+  function findDemoFiles(root: string): Array<string> {
+    const results: Array<string> = []
+    function walk(dir: string) {
+      let entries: Array<fs.Dirent>
+      try {
+        entries = fs.readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true })
+      } catch {
+        return
+      }
+      for (const entry of entries) {
+        const full = resolve(dir, entry.name)
+        if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+          if (CLEAN_DEMOS_SKIP_DIRS.has(entry.name)) continue
+          walk(full)
+        } else if (entry.isFile() && isDemoFilePath(full)) {
+          results.push(full)
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    walk(root)
+    return results.sort()
+  }
+
+  function pruneEmptyDemoDirs(root: string) {
+    const candidates = ['src/routes/demo', 'src/routes/example']
+    for (const rel of candidates) {
+      const dir = resolve(root, rel)
+      if (!fs.existsSync(dir)) continue
+      try {
+        if (fs.readdirSync(dir).length === 0) {
+          fs.rmdirSync(dir)
+        }
+      } catch {
+        // ignore
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  function findExclusiveConflicts(
+    addOns: Options['chosenAddOns'],
+  ): Array<{ category: string; names: Array<string> }> {
+    const buckets: Record<string, Array<string>> = {}
+    for (const addOn of addOns) {
+      for (const exclusive of addOn.exclusive || []) {
+        buckets[exclusive] ??= []
+        buckets[exclusive].push(addOn.name)
+      }
+    }
+    return Object.entries(buckets)
+      .filter(([_, names]) => names.length > 1)
+      .map(([category, names]) => ({ category, names }))
+  }
+
   const availableFrameworks = getFrameworks().map((f) => f.name)
 
   function resolveBuiltInDevWatchPath(frameworkId: string): string {
@@ -694,6 +848,7 @@ export function cli({
             )
           }
 
+          let cameFromPrompts = false
           if (finalOptions) {
             intro(`Creating a new ${appName} app in ${projectName}...`)
           } else {
@@ -711,6 +866,7 @@ export function cli({
                 ? getFrameworkByName(defaultFramework)?.id
                 : undefined,
             })
+            cameFromPrompts = true
           }
 
           if (!finalOptions) {
@@ -734,6 +890,9 @@ export function cli({
             finalOptions.targetDir = resolve(process.cwd(), finalOptions.projectName)
           }
 
+          if (cameFromPrompts) {
+            await confirmCreateOptions(finalOptions)
+          }
           await confirmTargetDirectorySafety(finalOptions.targetDir, options.force)
           await createApp(environment, finalOptions)
         },
@@ -1388,6 +1547,87 @@ Remove your node_modules directory and package lock file and re-install.`,
       }
     })
 
+  // === CLEAN-DEMOS SUBCOMMAND ===
+  program
+    .command('clean-demos')
+    .description('Remove demo/example files from a scaffolded TanStack project')
+    .argument('[target-dir]', 'project directory (default: current directory)', '.')
+    .addOption(
+      new Option(AGENT_FLAG, 'internal: invocation originated from an agent').hideHelp(),
+    )
+    .option('-y, --yes', 'skip confirmation prompt', false)
+    .option('--dry-run', 'list files without deleting', false)
+    .action(
+      async (
+        targetDir: string,
+        cmdOptions: { yes: boolean; dryRun: boolean },
+      ) => {
+        try {
+          await runWithTelemetry(
+            'clean-demos',
+            {
+              properties: {
+                yes: cmdOptions.yes,
+                dry_run: cmdOptions.dryRun,
+              },
+            },
+            async (telemetry) => {
+              const root = resolve(targetDir)
+              if (!fs.existsSync(root)) {
+                throw new Error(`Directory not found: ${root}`)
+              }
+              if (!fs.existsSync(resolve(root, '.cta.json'))) {
+                log.warn(
+                  `No .cta.json in ${root} — this may not be a TanStack scaffold. Continuing anyway.`,
+                )
+              }
+
+              const demoFiles = findDemoFiles(root)
+              telemetry.mergeProperties({ result_count: demoFiles.length })
+
+              if (demoFiles.length === 0) {
+                log.info('No demo or example files found.')
+                return
+              }
+
+              log.info(
+                `Found ${demoFiles.length} demo/example file(s):\n${demoFiles
+                  .map((f) => `  • ${relative(root, f)}`)
+                  .join('\n')}`,
+              )
+
+              if (cmdOptions.dryRun) {
+                log.info('(dry run — nothing deleted)')
+                return
+              }
+
+              if (!cmdOptions.yes) {
+                const ok = await confirm({
+                  message: 'Delete these files?',
+                  initialValue: false,
+                })
+                if (isCancel(ok) || !ok) {
+                  cancel('Operation cancelled.')
+                  process.exit(0)
+                }
+              }
+
+              for (const file of demoFiles) {
+                fs.rmSync(file, { force: true })
+              }
+              pruneEmptyDemoDirs(root)
+              log.info(
+                `Deleted ${demoFiles.length} file(s). Run your dev server to regenerate routeTree.gen.ts.`,
+              )
+            },
+          )
+        } catch (error) {
+          log.error(formatErrorMessage(error))
+          process.exit(1)
+        }
+      },
+    )
+
   const telemetryCommand = program.command('telemetry')
   telemetryCommand
     .command('status')
diff --git a/packages/create/src/create-app.ts b/packages/create/src/create-app.ts
index a0cc4d50..f2371c9b 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/create-app.ts
+++ b/packages/create/src/create-app.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { basename, resolve } from 'node:path'
 
-import { isBase64 } from './file-helpers.js'
+import { isBase64, isDemoFilePath } from './file-helpers.js'
 import { formatCommand } from './utils.js'
 import { writeConfigFileToEnvironment } from './config-file.js'
 import {
@@ -18,26 +18,6 @@ import { runSpecialSteps } from './special-steps/index.js'
 
 import type { Environment, FileBundleHandler, Options } from './types.js'
 
-function isDemoFilePath(path?: string) {
-  if (!path) return false
-  const normalized = path.replace(/\\/g, '/')
-
-  if (
-    normalized.includes('/routes/demo/') ||
-    normalized.includes('/routes/example/')
-  ) {
-    return true
-  }
-
-  const filename = normalized.split('/').pop() || ''
-  return (
-    filename.startsWith('demo.') ||
-    filename.startsWith('demo-') ||
-    filename.startsWith('example.') ||
-    filename.startsWith('example-')
-  )
-}
-
 function stripExamplesFromOptions(options: Options): Options {
   if (options.includeExamples !== false) {
     return options
@@ -325,6 +305,87 @@ async function seedEnvValues(environment: Environment, options: Options) {
   await environment.writeFile(envLocalPath, envContents)
 }
 
+async function writeEnvExample(environment: Environment, options: Options) {
+  const envExamplePath = resolve(options.targetDir, '.env.example')
+  const existing = environment.exists(envExamplePath)
+    ? await environment.readFile(envExamplePath)
+    : ''
+
+  const declared = new Set<string>()
+  for (const match of existing.matchAll(/^([A-Z_][A-Z0-9_]*)=/gm)) {
+    declared.add(match[1])
+  }
+
+  const sections: Array<string> = []
+  for (const addOn of options.chosenAddOns) {
+    const lines: Array<string> = []
+    for (const envVar of addOn.envVars || []) {
+      if (declared.has(envVar.name)) continue
+      declared.add(envVar.name)
+      if (envVar.description) {
+        const required = envVar.required ? ' (required)' : ''
+        lines.push(`# ${envVar.description}${required}`)
+      }
+      lines.push(`${envVar.name}=`)
+    }
+    if (lines.length > 0) {
+      sections.push(`# ${addOn.name}\n${lines.join('\n')}`)
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (sections.length === 0) return
+
+  const additions = sections.join('\n\n')
+  const newContent = existing
+    ? `${existing.trimEnd()}\n\n${additions}\n`
+    : `${additions}\n`
+
+  await environment.writeFile(envExamplePath, newContent)
+}
+
+const SHIPPING_CATEGORIES = new Set(['auth', 'database', 'orm', 'deploy'])
+
+function buildNextSteps(options: Options): string {
+  const collectedEnv = new Set(Object.keys(options.envVarValues || {}))
+  const listedEnvVars = new Set<string>()
+  const envVarLines: Array<string> = []
+  const docLines: Array<string> = []
+
+  for (const addOn of options.chosenAddOns) {
+    if (addOn.link && addOn.category && SHIPPING_CATEGORIES.has(addOn.category)) {
+      docLines.push(`  • ${addOn.name} (${addOn.category}) — ${addOn.link}`)
+    }
+
+    for (const envVar of addOn.envVars || []) {
+      if (listedEnvVars.has(envVar.name)) continue
+      listedEnvVars.add(envVar.name)
+      const required = envVar.required ? ' (required)' : ''
+      const status = collectedEnv.has(envVar.name)
+        ? ' — already set from your input'
+        : ' — needs a value'
+      const desc = envVar.description ? ` — ${envVar.description}` : ''
+      envVarLines.push(`  • ${envVar.name}${required}${desc}${status}`)
+    }
+  }
+
+  const sections: Array<string> = []
+  if (envVarLines.length > 0) {
+    sections.push(
+      `Environment variables (review/fill in .env.local before deploying):\n${envVarLines.join('\n')}`,
+    )
+  }
+  if (docLines.length > 0) {
+    sections.push(`Docs for the integrations you picked:\n${docLines.join('\n')}`)
+  }
+  if (options.intent) {
+    sections.push(
+      `Working with an AI agent? Your agent config (AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md) was wired up by TanStack Intent\nwith explicit skill mappings for the libraries you installed. Try asking your agent:\n  • "migrate this Next.js page to TanStack Start"\n  • "add a protected /dashboard route"\n  • "show me how to use TanStack Router search params"`,
+    )
+  }
+
+  return sections.length > 0 ? `\nNext steps:\n\n${sections.join('\n\n')}\n` : ''
+}
+
 function report(environment: Environment, options: Options) {
   const warnings: Array<string> = []
   for (const addOn of options.chosenAddOns) {
@@ -358,6 +419,8 @@ ${environment.getErrors().join('\n')}`
     : `% cd ${options.projectName}
 `
 
+  const nextSteps = buildNextSteps(options)
+
   // Use the force luke! :)
   environment.outro(
     `${locationMessage}
@@ -366,7 +429,7 @@ Use the following commands to start your app:
 ${cdInstruction}% ${formatCommand(
       getPackageManagerScriptCommand(options.packageManager, ['dev']),
     )}
-
+${nextSteps}
 Please read the README.md file for information on testing, styling, adding routes, etc.${errorStatement}`,
   )
 }
@@ -377,6 +440,7 @@ export async function createApp(environment: Environment, options: Options) {
   environment.startRun()
   await writeFiles(environment, effectiveOptions)
   await seedEnvValues(environment, effectiveOptions)
+  await writeEnvExample(environment, effectiveOptions)
   await runCommandsAndInstallDependencies(environment, effectiveOptions)
   environment.finishRun()
 
diff --git a/packages/create/src/file-helpers.ts b/packages/create/src/file-helpers.ts
index 8dd7b780..38149bf9 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/file-helpers.ts
+++ b/packages/create/src/file-helpers.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,26 @@ export function isDirectory(path: string): boolean {
   return statSync(path).isDirectory()
 }
 
+export function isDemoFilePath(path?: string): boolean {
+  if (!path) return false
+  const normalized = path.replace(/\\/g, '/')
+
+  if (
+    normalized.includes('/routes/demo/') ||
+    normalized.includes('/routes/example/')
+  ) {
+    return true
+  }
+
+  const filename = normalized.split('/').pop() || ''
+  return (
+    filename.startsWith('demo.') ||
+    filename.startsWith('demo-') ||
+    filename.startsWith('example.') ||
+    filename.startsWith('example-')
+  )
+}
+
 export function findFilesRecursively(
   path: string,
   files: Record<string, string>,
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/ai/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/ai/info.json
index 55da3ba2..7d8d6edb 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/ai/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/ai/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "AI",
-  "description": "TanStack AI integration and examples.",
+  "description": "Streaming chat UI with model-agnostic backend (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router"],
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/better-auth/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/better-auth/info.json
index d93971b3..4a02bcf4 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/better-auth/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/better-auth/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Better Auth",
-  "description": "Add Better Auth authentication to your application.",
+  "description": "Self-hosted user accounts and sessions (open source, full control).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
   "category": "auth",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/README.md
index be48584a..0a9b45ec 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/README.md
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,44 @@
 ## Setting up Clerk
 
-- Set the `VITE_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` in your `.env.local`.
+1. Sign up at [clerk.com](https://clerk.com) and create an application
+2. Copy the **Publishable Key** from the Clerk dashboard
+3. Set it in your `.env.local`:
+   ```bash
+   VITE_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...
+   ```
+4. Visit the demo route at `/demo/clerk` once `npm run dev` is running
+
+### What's wired up
+
+- **`<ClerkProvider>`** at the app root (`src/integrations/clerk/provider.tsx`) handles auth context for the whole tree
+- **`<SignInButton>` / `<UserButton>`** in the header swap based on auth state
+- **`/demo/clerk`** shows Clerk's prebuilt sign-in UI and a signed-in greeting
+
+### Protecting a route
+
+Wrap any component in `<SignedIn>` / `<SignedOut>`:
+
+```tsx
+import { SignedIn, SignedOut, RedirectToSignIn } from '@clerk/clerk-react'
+
+function ProtectedPage() {
+  return (
+    <>
+      <SignedIn>
+        <YourPageContent />
+      </SignedIn>
+      <SignedOut>
+        <RedirectToSignIn />
+      </SignedOut>
+    </>
+  )
+}
+```
+
+For server-side checks (route loaders, server functions), see the Clerk docs on [`auth()`](https://clerk.com/docs/references/backend/auth).
+
+### Production checklist
+
+- Replace the test keys with **production keys** from a dedicated production Clerk instance
+- Configure your production domain under **Domains** in the Clerk dashboard
+- Set up social providers (Google, GitHub, etc.) under **User & Authentication → Social Connections**
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/assets/src/routes/demo/clerk.tsx b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/assets/src/routes/demo/clerk.tsx
index 14676584..5bc51c63 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/assets/src/routes/demo/clerk.tsx
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/assets/src/routes/demo/clerk.tsx
@@ -1,20 +1,103 @@
 import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
-import { useUser } from '@clerk/clerk-react'
+import {
+  SignIn,
+  SignedIn,
+  SignedOut,
+  useUser,
+} from '@clerk/clerk-react'
 
 export const Route = createFileRoute('/demo/clerk')({
-  component: App,
+  component: ClerkDemo,
 })
 
-function App() {
-  const { isSignedIn, user, isLoaded } = useUser()
+function ClerkDemo() {
+  return (
+    <div className="flex justify-center py-10 px-4">
+      <div className="w-full max-w-md p-6 space-y-6">
+        <SignedOut>
+          <div className="space-y-1.5">
+            <h1 className="text-lg font-semibold leading-none tracking-tight">
+              Sign in to continue
+            </h1>
+            <p className="text-sm text-neutral-500 dark:text-neutral-400">
+              Clerk renders the sign-in UI, manages sessions, and handles social providers for you.
+            </p>
+          </div>
+          <div className="flex justify-center pt-2">
+            <SignIn routing="hash" />
+          </div>
+          <p className="text-xs text-center text-neutral-400 dark:text-neutral-500">
+            Built with{' '}
+            <a
+              href="https://clerk.com"
+              target="_blank"
+              rel="noopener noreferrer"
+              className="font-medium hover:text-neutral-600 dark:hover:text-neutral-300"
+            >
+              CLERK
+            </a>
+            .
+          </p>
+        </SignedOut>
 
-  if (!isLoaded) {
-    return <div className="p-4">Loading...</div>
-  }
+        <SignedIn>
+          <SignedInGreeting />
+        </SignedIn>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+function SignedInGreeting() {
+  const { user } = useUser()
+  if (!user) return null
+
+  const email = user.primaryEmailAddress?.emailAddress
+  const initial = (user.firstName || email || 'U').charAt(0).toUpperCase()
+
+  return (
+    <div className="space-y-6">
+      <div className="space-y-1.5">
+        <h1 className="text-lg font-semibold leading-none tracking-tight">
+          Welcome back
+        </h1>
+        <p className="text-sm text-neutral-500 dark:text-neutral-400">
+          You're signed in as {email}
+        </p>
+      </div>
 
-  if (!isSignedIn) {
-    return <div className="p-4">Sign in to view this page</div>
-  }
+      <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
+        {user.imageUrl ? (
+          <img src={user.imageUrl} alt="" className="h-10 w-10 rounded-full" />
+        ) : (
+          <div className="h-10 w-10 bg-neutral-200 dark:bg-neutral-800 flex items-center justify-center rounded-full">
+            <span className="text-sm font-medium text-neutral-600 dark:text-neutral-400">
+              {initial}
+            </span>
+          </div>
+        )}
+        <div className="flex-1 min-w-0">
+          <p className="text-sm font-medium truncate">
+            {user.firstName} {user.lastName}
+          </p>
+          <p className="text-xs text-neutral-500 dark:text-neutral-400 truncate">
+            {email}
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      </div>
 
-  return <div className="p-4">Hello {user.firstName}!</div>
+      <p className="text-xs text-center text-neutral-400 dark:text-neutral-500">
+        Manage your account from the avatar in the header. Built with{' '}
+        <a
+          href="https://clerk.com"
+          target="_blank"
+          rel="noopener noreferrer"
+          className="font-medium hover:text-neutral-600 dark:hover:text-neutral-300"
+        >
+          CLERK
+        </a>
+        .
+      </p>
+    </div>
+  )
 }
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/info.json
index 3d1143bb..f3d8f41a 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/clerk/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Clerk",
-  "description": "Add Clerk authentication to your application.",
+  "description": "Hosted user accounts with prebuilt sign-in UI and social providers (managed).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router"],
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/compiler/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/compiler/info.json
index 0d59fd53..f9107656 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/compiler/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/compiler/info.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "Compiler",
   "phase": "setup",
-  "description": "Add React Compiler",
+  "description": "Auto-memoize components and hooks (fewer re-renders, no manual useMemo/useCallback).",
   "link": "https://react.dev/learn/react-compiler",
   "modes": ["code-router", "file-router"],
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/convex/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/convex/info.json
index 18491b2e..7a3da454 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/convex/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/convex/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Convex",
-  "description": "Add the Convex database to your application.",
+  "description": "Reactive document database with real-time queries and serverless functions.",
   "link": "https://convex.dev",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/drizzle/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/drizzle/info.json
index 60f51f70..983885a5 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/drizzle/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/drizzle/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Drizzle",
-  "description": "Add Drizzle ORM to your application.",
+  "description": "Type-safe SQL query builder for Postgres, SQLite, or MySQL.",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
   "category": "orm",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/mcp/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/mcp/info.json
index b9bb3ca2..9ab8f42b 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/mcp/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/mcp/info.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "MCP",
   "phase": "setup",
-  "description": "Add Model Context Protocol (MCP) support.",
+  "description": "Expose your app as an MCP server so AI clients (Claude, Cursor) can call into it.",
   "link": "https://mcp.dev",
   "modes": ["file-router"],
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/neon/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/neon/info.json
index a1f1d644..5d2cd96d 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/neon/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/neon/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Neon",
-  "description": "Add the Neon database to your application.",
+  "description": "Serverless Postgres (auto-scales to zero, branchable per environment).",
   "link": "https://neon.com",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/paraglide/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/paraglide/info.json
index b7d7ff4f..d9a231ef 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/paraglide/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/paraglide/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Paraglide (i18n)",
-  "description": "i18n with localized routing",
+  "description": "Type-safe i18n with localized routing and message bundles.",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router"],
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/prisma/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/prisma/info.json
index 2db494ca..8e495a6d 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/prisma/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/prisma/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Prisma",
-  "description": "Add Prisma Postgres, or Prisma ORM with other DBs to your application.",
+  "description": "Type-safe database client with schema migrations (Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
   "category": "orm",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/shadcn/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/shadcn/info.json
index 72e922ca..958b2d2b 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/shadcn/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/shadcn/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Shadcn",
-  "description": "Add Shadcn UI to your application.",
+  "description": "Copy-paste accessible UI components (Tailwind + Radix primitives).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
   "link": "https://ui.shadcn.com/",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/strapi/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/strapi/info.json
index e7840573..42bd6e88 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/strapi/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/strapi/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Strapi",
-  "description": "Use the Strapi CMS to manage your content.",
+  "description": "Headless CMS with admin UI (self-hosted, content models in TypeScript).",
   "link": "https://strapi.io/",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/t3env/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/t3env/info.json
index 83ce2290..55a3b856 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/t3env/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/t3env/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "T3Env",
-  "description": "Add type safety to your environment variables",
+  "description": "Validate process.env at build time (catch missing/wrong env vars before runtime).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
   "category": "tooling",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/workos/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/workos/info.json
index e2da998f..f051f7ee 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/workos/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/add-ons/workos/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "WorkOS",
-  "description": "Add WorkOS authentication to your application.",
+  "description": "Enterprise SSO, SAML, and directory sync (good for B2B apps).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router"],
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/cloudflare/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/cloudflare/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..12554547
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/cloudflare/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+## Deploy to Cloudflare Workers
+
+This project uses the Cloudflare Vite plugin (configured in `vite.config.ts`) and `wrangler.jsonc`:
+
+1. Install Wrangler: `npm install -g wrangler`
+2. Authenticate: `wrangler login`
+3. Deploy: `npx wrangler deploy`
+
+For production env vars, run `wrangler secret put MY_VAR` for each secret listed in `.env.example`. Public (non-secret) vars go in `wrangler.jsonc` under `vars`.
+
+KV, D1, R2, and Durable Object bindings are configured in `wrangler.jsonc` — see https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/wrangler/configuration/.
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/cloudflare/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/cloudflare/info.json
index fc3e5621..fcd27332 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/cloudflare/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/cloudflare/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Cloudflare",
-  "description": "Cloudflare deployment setup",
+  "description": "Deploy to Cloudflare Workers (edge runtime, KV/D1/R2 bindings).",
   "link": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/vite-plugin/",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/netlify/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/netlify/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a00ad80f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/netlify/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+## Deploy to Netlify
+
+This project ships with `netlify.toml` configured for a Netlify site:
+
+1. Push this repo to GitHub
+2. Visit https://app.netlify.com/start and import the repo
+3. Netlify auto-detects the build (`vite build` → `dist/client`)
+4. Open **Site settings → Environment variables** and add anything from `.env.example` that needs a real value in production
+5. Trigger the first deploy
+
+Server functions and API routes run on Netlify Functions. For lower-latency request handling, see Netlify Edge Functions: https://docs.netlify.com/edge-functions/overview.
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/netlify/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/netlify/info.json
index f0d67092..8da171fd 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/netlify/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/netlify/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Netlify",
-  "description": "Netlify deployment setup",
+  "description": "Deploy to Netlify (Functions and Edge Functions, GitHub-driven).",
   "link": "https://docs.netlify.com",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/nitro/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/nitro/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..027037df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/nitro/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+## Deploy with Nitro
+
+This project uses Nitro as a generic server adapter, so it can run on any Node-compatible host.
+
+```bash
+npm run build
+node dist/server/index.mjs
+```
+
+The build output is a self-contained Node server. To deploy, push the `dist/` directory to your host (Render, Fly.io, your own VPS, etc.) and run the server command above.
+
+For host-specific presets (Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare, AWS Lambda, etc.) and tuning, see https://v3.nitro.build/deploy.
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/nitro/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/nitro/info.json
index 4d85cdf4..685cf4e9 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/nitro/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/nitro/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Nitro (agnostic)",
-  "description": "Nitro deployment setup",
+  "description": "Generic Nitro adapter (deploy to any Node-compatible host).",
   "link": "https://v3.nitro.build/",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/railway/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/railway/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d60c1f46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/railway/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+## Deploy to Railway
+
+This project ships with `nixpacks.toml` so Railway detects the build automatically:
+
+1. Push this repo to GitHub
+2. Visit https://railway.com/new and create a project from your repo
+3. In the **Variables** tab, add the entries from `.env.example` with their production values
+4. Railway runs `vite build` and serves from `dist/client`
+
+Need a database? Click **+ New** in your project to provision Postgres, MySQL, or Redis directly into the same environment — the connection string is auto-injected as `DATABASE_URL`.
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/railway/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/railway/info.json
index 3a1ff709..5eeaff0a 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/railway/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/react/hosts/railway/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Railway",
-  "description": "Railway deployment setup",
+  "description": "Deploy to Railway (full-stack PaaS for Node + databases).",
   "link": "https://railway.com/",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/better-auth/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/better-auth/info.json
index 8e47292b..c6f9db43 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/better-auth/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/better-auth/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Better Auth",
-  "description": "Add Better Auth authentication to your application.",
+  "description": "Self-hosted user accounts and sessions (open source, full control).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
   "category": "auth",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/convex/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/convex/info.json
index 50c3a089..ff1c558a 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/convex/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/convex/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Convex",
-  "description": "Add the Convex database to your application.",
+  "description": "Reactive document database with real-time queries and serverless functions.",
   "link": "https://convex.dev",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/solid-ui/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/solid-ui/info.json
index d2171f0b..242b5b58 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/solid-ui/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/solid-ui/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Solid-UI",
-  "description": "Add Solid-UI to your application.",
+  "description": "Copy-paste accessible UI components for Solid (Tailwind + Radix-style primitives).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "link": "https://ui.shadcn.com/",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/strapi/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/strapi/info.json
index 86c85c2e..dae5a9c1 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/strapi/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/strapi/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Strapi",
-  "description": "Use the Strapi CMS to manage your content.",
+  "description": "Headless CMS with admin UI (self-hosted, content models in TypeScript).",
   "link": "https://strapi.io/",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/t3env/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/t3env/info.json
index e2b9a018..17124866 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/t3env/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/add-ons/t3env/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "T3Env",
-  "description": "Add type safety to your environment variables",
+  "description": "Validate process.env at build time (catch missing/wrong env vars before runtime).",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "link": "https://github.com/t3-oss/t3-env",
   "type": "add-on",
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/cloudflare/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/cloudflare/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..12554547
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/cloudflare/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+## Deploy to Cloudflare Workers
+
+This project uses the Cloudflare Vite plugin (configured in `vite.config.ts`) and `wrangler.jsonc`:
+
+1. Install Wrangler: `npm install -g wrangler`
+2. Authenticate: `wrangler login`
+3. Deploy: `npx wrangler deploy`
+
+For production env vars, run `wrangler secret put MY_VAR` for each secret listed in `.env.example`. Public (non-secret) vars go in `wrangler.jsonc` under `vars`.
+
+KV, D1, R2, and Durable Object bindings are configured in `wrangler.jsonc` — see https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/wrangler/configuration/.
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/cloudflare/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/cloudflare/info.json
index fc3e5621..fcd27332 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/cloudflare/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/cloudflare/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Cloudflare",
-  "description": "Cloudflare deployment setup",
+  "description": "Deploy to Cloudflare Workers (edge runtime, KV/D1/R2 bindings).",
   "link": "https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/vite-plugin/",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/netlify/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/netlify/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a00ad80f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/netlify/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+## Deploy to Netlify
+
+This project ships with `netlify.toml` configured for a Netlify site:
+
+1. Push this repo to GitHub
+2. Visit https://app.netlify.com/start and import the repo
+3. Netlify auto-detects the build (`vite build` → `dist/client`)
+4. Open **Site settings → Environment variables** and add anything from `.env.example` that needs a real value in production
+5. Trigger the first deploy
+
+Server functions and API routes run on Netlify Functions. For lower-latency request handling, see Netlify Edge Functions: https://docs.netlify.com/edge-functions/overview.
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/netlify/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/netlify/info.json
index f0d67092..8da171fd 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/netlify/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/netlify/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Netlify",
-  "description": "Netlify deployment setup",
+  "description": "Deploy to Netlify (Functions and Edge Functions, GitHub-driven).",
   "link": "https://docs.netlify.com",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/nitro/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/nitro/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..027037df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/nitro/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+## Deploy with Nitro
+
+This project uses Nitro as a generic server adapter, so it can run on any Node-compatible host.
+
+```bash
+npm run build
+node dist/server/index.mjs
+```
+
+The build output is a self-contained Node server. To deploy, push the `dist/` directory to your host (Render, Fly.io, your own VPS, etc.) and run the server command above.
+
+For host-specific presets (Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare, AWS Lambda, etc.) and tuning, see https://v3.nitro.build/deploy.
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/nitro/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/nitro/info.json
index 9f89d465..1a564ec0 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/nitro/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/nitro/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Nitro (agnostic)",
-  "description": "Nitro deployment setup",
+  "description": "Generic Nitro adapter (deploy to any Node-compatible host).",
   "link": "https://v3.nitro.build/",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/railway/README.md b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/railway/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d60c1f46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/railway/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+## Deploy to Railway
+
+This project ships with `nixpacks.toml` so Railway detects the build automatically:
+
+1. Push this repo to GitHub
+2. Visit https://railway.com/new and create a project from your repo
+3. In the **Variables** tab, add the entries from `.env.example` with their production values
+4. Railway runs `vite build` and serves from `dist/client`
+
+Need a database? Click **+ New** in your project to provision Postgres, MySQL, or Redis directly into the same environment — the connection string is auto-injected as `DATABASE_URL`.
diff --git a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/railway/info.json b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/railway/info.json
index cfd55309..df437f53 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/railway/info.json
+++ b/packages/create/src/frameworks/solid/hosts/railway/info.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "Railway",
-  "description": "Railway deployment setup",
+  "description": "Deploy to Railway (full-stack PaaS for Node + databases).",
   "link": "https://railway.com/",
   "phase": "add-on",
   "modes": ["file-router", "code-router"],
diff --git a/packages/create/src/index.ts b/packages/create/src/index.ts
index 3f681c7d..ff2c43c5 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/create/src/index.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ export {
 export {
   cleanUpFiles,
   cleanUpFileArray,
+  isDemoFilePath,
   readFileHelper,
   getBinaryFile,
   recursivelyGatherFiles,
diff --git a/packages/create/src/integrations/intent.ts b/packages/create/src/integrations/intent.ts
index 208078e3..0dd6212f 100644
--- a/packages/create/src/integrations/intent.ts
+++ b/packages/create/src/integrations/intent.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export async function setupIntent(
       resolve(targetDir),
       options.packageManager,
       '@tanstack/intent',
-      ['install'],
+      ['install', '--map'],
     )
     environment.finishStep('setup-intent', 'TanStack Intent configured')
     s.stop('TanStack Intent configured')
diff --git a/packages/create/tests/create-app.test.ts b/packages/create/tests/create-app.test.ts
index 6d77f1c5..e0182183 100644
--- a/packages/create/tests/create-app.test.ts
+++ b/packages/create/tests/create-app.test.ts
@@ -194,4 +194,99 @@ describe('createApp', () => {
 
     expect(output.files['/src/components/demo-AIAssistant.tsx']).toBeDefined()
   })
+
+  it('writes .env.example from add-on envVars metadata', async () => {
+    const { environment, output } = createMemoryEnvironment()
+
+    await createApp(environment, {
+      ...simpleOptions,
+      chosenAddOns: [
+        {
+          id: 'fake-auth',
+          name: 'Fake Auth',
+          type: 'add-on',
+          phase: 'add-on',
+          packageAdditions: { dependencies: {}, devDependencies: {} },
+          routes: [],
+          integrations: [],
+          envVars: [
+            {
+              name: 'AUTH_SECRET',
+              description: 'Random secret used to sign sessions',
+              required: true,
+            },
+            {
+              name: 'AUTH_URL',
+              description: 'Base URL for auth callbacks',
+              required: false,
+            },
+          ],
+          getFiles: () => [],
+          getFileContents: () => '',
+          getDeletedFiles: () => [],
+        } as unknown as AddOn,
+      ],
+    } as Options)
+
+    const envExample = output.files['/.env.example']
+    expect(envExample).toBeDefined()
+    expect(envExample).toContain('# Fake Auth')
+    expect(envExample).toContain(
+      '# Random secret used to sign sessions (required)',
+    )
+    expect(envExample).toContain('AUTH_SECRET=')
+    expect(envExample).toContain('# Base URL for auth callbacks')
+    expect(envExample).toContain('AUTH_URL=')
+  })
+
+  it('does not write .env.example when no add-on declares envVars', async () => {
+    const { environment, output } = createMemoryEnvironment()
+
+    await createApp(environment, {
+      ...simpleOptions,
+      chosenAddOns: [],
+    } as Options)
+
+    expect(output.files['/.env.example']).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
+  it('dedupes env vars across add-ons in .env.example', async () => {
+    const { environment, output } = createMemoryEnvironment()
+
+    await createApp(environment, {
+      ...simpleOptions,
+      chosenAddOns: [
+        {
+          id: 'addon-a',
+          name: 'Addon A',
+          type: 'add-on',
+          phase: 'add-on',
+          packageAdditions: { dependencies: {}, devDependencies: {} },
+          routes: [],
+          integrations: [],
+          envVars: [{ name: 'SHARED_KEY', required: true }],
+          getFiles: () => [],
+          getFileContents: () => '',
+          getDeletedFiles: () => [],
+        } as unknown as AddOn,
+        {
+          id: 'addon-b',
+          name: 'Addon B',
+          type: 'add-on',
+          phase: 'add-on',
+          packageAdditions: { dependencies: {}, devDependencies: {} },
+          routes: [],
+          integrations: [],
+          envVars: [{ name: 'SHARED_KEY', required: true }],
+          getFiles: () => [],
+          getFileContents: () => '',
+          getDeletedFiles: () => [],
+        } as unknown as AddOn,
+      ],
+    } as Options)
+
+    const envExample = output.files['/.env.example'] || ''
+    const occurrences = envExample.match(/^SHARED_KEY=/gm) || []
+    expect(occurrences.length).toBe(1)
+  })
 })