mknou

mknou is an open-source command-line utility designed to generate project scaffolding and manage reusable templates. It emphasizes simplicity, minimal dependencies, and extensibility, allowing users to create consistent starter structures for software projects, documentation, and educational materials.

The tool was developed in the 2010s to address recurring setup tasks across programming languages and workflows. Its architecture centers on template repositories, variable interpolation, and lightweight plugin hooks. Templates can include files, directories, and conditional logic, and are often stored locally or pulled from remote template registries and version control systems.

Features commonly associated with mknou include multi-language support, configurable template parameters, integrations with version control workflows, and the ability to run post-generation scripts. Extensions and community-contributed templates enable use cases ranging from web applications and libraries to course assignments and research reproducibility bundles.

mknou is used by individual developers, classroom instructors, and small teams who prioritize fast, reproducible project bootstrapping without complex configuration. It is distributed under a permissive open-source license and has an ecosystem of community templates and plugins maintained through public repositories and package indexes.

Related tools include project scaffolding generators and template engines; users typically choose between such tools based on language support, templating flexibility, and community template availability. Documentation and community support for mknou are available through its project website and associated code hosting platforms.