Nx Import

Quick Start

• nx import brings code from a source repository or folder into the current workspace, preserving commit history.
• After nx 22.6.0, nx import responds with .ndjson outputs and follow-up questions. For earlier versions, always run with --no-interactive and specify all flags directly.
• Run nx import --help for available options.
• Make sure the destination directory is empty before importing. EXAMPLE: target has libs/utils and libs/models; source has libs/ui and libs/data-access — you cannot import libs/ into libs/ directly. Import each source library individually.

Primary docs:

• https://nx.dev/docs/guides/adopting-nx/import-project
• https://nx.dev/docs/guides/adopting-nx/preserving-git-histories

Read the nx docs if you have the tools for it.

Import Strategy

Subdirectory-at-a-time (nx import <source> apps --source=apps):

• Recommended for monorepo sources — files land at top level, no redundant config
• Caveats: multiple import commands (separate merge commits each); dest must not have conflicting directories; root configs (deps, plugins, targetDefaults) not imported
• Directory conflicts: Import into alternate-named dir (e.g. imported-apps/), then rename

Whole repo (nx import <source> imported --source=.):

• Only for non-monorepo sources (single-project repos)
• For monorepos, creates messy nested config (imported/nx.json, imported/tsconfig.base.json, etc.)
• If you must: keep imported tsconfig.base.json (projects extend it), prefix workspace globs and executor paths

Directory Conventions

• Always prefer the destination's existing conventions. Source uses libs/but dest uses packages/? Import into packages/ (nx import <source> packages/foo --source=libs/foo).
• If dest has no convention (empty workspace), ask the user.

Application vs Library Detection

Before importing, identify whether the source is an application or a library:

• Applications: Deployable end products. Common indicators:
  • Frontend: next.config.*, vite.config.* with a build entry point, framework-specific app scaffolding (CRA, Angular CLI app, etc.)
  • Backend (Node.js): Express/Fastify/NestJS server entrypoint, no "exports" field in package.json
  • JVM: Maven pom.xml with <packaging>jar</packaging> or <packaging>war</packaging> and a main class; Gradle application plugin or mainClass setting
  • .NET: .csproj/.fsproj with <OutputType>Exe</OutputType> or <OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>
  • General: Dockerfile, a runnable entrypoint, no public API surface intended for import by other projects
• Libraries: Reusable packages consumed by other projects. Common indicators: "main"/"exports" in package.json, Maven/Gradle packaging as a library jar, .NET <OutputType>Library</OutputType>, named exports intended for import by other packages.

Destination directory rules:

• Applications → apps/<name>. Check workspace globs (e.g. pnpm-workspace.yaml, workspaces in root package.json) for an existing apps/* entry.
  • If apps/* is not present, add it before importing: update the workspace glob config and commit (or stage) the change.
  • Example: nx import <source> apps/my-app --source=packages/my-app
• Libraries → follow the dest's existing convention (packages/, libs/, etc.).

Common Issues

pnpm Workspace Globs (Critical)

nx import adds the imported directory itself (e.g. apps) to pnpm-workspace.yaml, NOT glob patterns for packages within it. Cross-package imports will fail with Cannot find module.

Fix: Replace with proper globs from the source config (e.g. apps/*, libs/shared/*), then pnpm install.

Root Dependencies and Config Not Imported (Critical)

nx import does NOT merge from the source's root:

• dependencies/devDependencies from package.json
• targetDefaults from nx.json (e.g. "@nx/esbuild:esbuild": { "dependsOn": ["^build"] } — critical for build ordering)
• namedInputs from nx.json (e.g. production exclusion patterns for test files)
• Plugin configurations from nx.json

Fix: Diff source and dest package.json + nx.json. Add missing deps, merge relevant targetDefaults and namedInputs.

TypeScript Project References

After import, run nx sync --yes. If it reports nothing but typecheck still fails, nx reset first, then nx sync --yes again.

Explicit Executor Path Fixups

Inferred targets (via Nx plugins) resolve config relative to project root — no changes needed. Explicit executor targets (e.g. @nx/esbuild:esbuild) have workspace-root-relative paths (main, outputPath, tsConfig, assets, sourceRoot) that must be prefixed with the import destination directory.

Plugin Detection

• Whole-repo import: nx import detects and offers to install plugins. Accept them.
• Subdirectory import: Plugins NOT auto-detected. Manually add with npx nx add @nx/PLUGIN. Check include/exclude patterns — defaults won't match alternate directories (e.g. apps-beta/).
• Run npx nx reset after any plugin config changes.

Redundant Root Files (Whole-Repo Only)

Whole-repo import brings ALL source root files into the dest subdirectory. Clean up:

• pnpm-lock.yaml — stale; dest has its own lockfile
• pnpm-workspace.yaml — source workspace config; conflicts with dest
• node_modules/ — stale symlinks pointing to source filesystem
• .gitignore — redundant with dest root .gitignore
• nx.json — source Nx config; dest has its own
• README.md — optional; keep or remove

Don't blindly delete tsconfig.base.json — imported projects may extend it via relative paths.

Root ESLint Config Missing (Subdirectory Import)

Subdirectory import doesn't bring the source's root eslint.config.mjs, but project configs reference ../../eslint.config.mjs.

Fix order:

1. Install ESLint deps first: pnpm add -wD eslint@^9 @nx/eslint-plugin typescript-eslint (plus framework-specific plugins)
2. Create root eslint.config.mjs (copy from source or create with @nx/eslint-plugin base rules)
3. Then npx nx add @nx/eslint to register the plugin in nx.json

Install typescript-eslint explicitly — pnpm's strict hoisting won't auto-resolve this transitive dep of @nx/eslint-plugin.

ESLint Version Pinning (Critical)

Pin ESLint to v9 (eslint@^9.0.0). ESLint 10 breaks @nx/eslint and many plugins with cryptic errors like Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'version').

@nx/eslint may peer-depend on ESLint 8, causing the wrong version to resolve. If lint fails with Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'allow'), add pnpm.overrides:

{ "pnpm": { "overrides": { "eslint": "^9.0.0" } } }

Dependency Version Conflicts

After import, compare key deps (typescript, eslint, framework-specific). If dest uses newer versions, upgrade imported packages to match (usually safe). If source is newer, may need to upgrade dest first. Use pnpm.overrides to enforce single-version policy if desired.

Module Boundaries

Imported projects may lack tags. Add tags or update @nx/enforce-module-boundaries rules.

Project Name Collisions (Multi-Import)

Same name in package.json across source and dest causes MultipleProjectsWithSameNameError. Fix: Rename conflicting names (e.g. @org/api → @org/teama-api), update all dep references and import statements, pnpm install. The root package.json of each imported repo also becomes a project — rename those too.

Workspace Dep Import Ordering

pnpm install fails during nx import if a "workspace:*" dependency hasn't been imported yet. File operations still succeed. Fix: Import all projects first, then pnpm install --no-frozen-lockfile.

.gitkeep Blocking Subdirectory Import

The TS preset creates packages/.gitkeep. Remove it and commit before importing.