Project Layout

Chirp does not enforce a project layout. This page shows where files go in an app generated bychirp new— handlers, templates, static assets, and tests.

Routing follows the filesystem underpages/, so directory structure is part of your app's behavior, not just housekeeping. New to that idea? See how pages map to URLs.

Recommended Structure

The defaultchirp new myappscaffold generates an auth-and-dashboard starter:

myapp/
  app.py              # App instance, middleware, auth routes, entry point
  models.py           # User model + password verification helpers
  pyproject.toml      # Project metadata and dependencies
  AGENTS.md           # Guidance for coding agents working in this app
  pages/
    _layout.html      # Shared page layout (defines {% block content %})
    page.py           # Home route handler
    page.html         # Home template
    login/
      page.py         # Login page handler
      page.html       # Login template
    dashboard/
      page.py         # Protected dashboard handler
      page.html       # Dashboard template
  static/
    style.css         # CSS, JS, images
    theme.css         # Optional ChirpUI token overrides
  migrations/         # SQL migration files (empty to start)
    README.md
  tests/
    conftest.py       # Test import setup
    test_app.py       # Auth flow + smoke tests

Thepages/ tree also recognizes other special files — _context.py, _meta.py, and _actions.py— that the default scaffold does not write but the filesystem router reads when present. See filesystem routing for the full set.

Key Directories

Directory	Purpose
`app.py`	App creation, middleware setup, auth routes,`if __name__ == "__main__": app.run()`
`models.py`	User model and credential verification helpers for scaffolded auth
`pages/`	Filesystem routes. Paths are relative to`AppConfig(template_dir="pages")`.
`static/`	CSS, JS, images. Served at`/static`by default.
`migrations/`	SQL migration files.`chirp makemigrations`writes here.
`tests/`	Pytest tests. Use`TestClient(app)`for requests.

Scaffold Variants

chirp newaccepts flags that change the starting layout. Every variant still writespyproject.toml, AGENTS.md, and an empty migrations/directory.

The auth + dashboard starter above (chirp new myapp). Filesystem routing under pages/, a login flow, and a protected dashboard. This is the recommended starting point for a real app.

chirp new myapp --minimal— a single-file app with one template:

myapp/
  app.py
  templates/
    index.html

Drops thepages/tree, models, and scaffolded auth routes. Good for a quick prototype or a one-route service.

chirp new myapp --sse— adds a Server-Sent Events starter:

myapp/
  app.py            # Adds an EventStream route at /stream
  templates/
    index.html      # Extends the boost layout, calls sse_scope(...)
  static/
    style.css
  tests/
    test_app.py

The template extendschirp/layouts/boost.htmland wires the SSE connection with thesse_scopemacro.

chirp new myapp --shell— a persistent app shell (topbar, sidebar) with a nested items/ section and a cascading _context.py. Use this for dashboard-style apps where the chrome stays put across navigations.

Customizing

These are fields on AppConfig, a frozen dataclass:

Template directory:AppConfig(template_dir="pages")
Static directory:AppConfig(static_dir="assets")
Component libraries:AppConfig(component_dirs=("components",))for shared partials

Next Steps

Installation — Install Chirp
Quickstart — Build your first app
First Fragment App — Build the smallest complete htmx-backed app

Filesystem routing — how directory structure maps to URLs
Configuration — the full AppConfig field catalog
Auth hardening — the secure-by-default middleware stack