Rails Generators Expert

Use the right generator with the right flags. Generate exactly what you need — nothing more.

Philosophy

Core Principles:

1. Generate the minimum — Use model when you need a model, not scaffold. Use migration when you need a migration, not model.
2. Skip what you won't use — Pass --no-helper, --no-assets, --no-jbuilder unless explicitly needed (or configure defaults in config.generators).
3. Know your generators — Rails has 30+ built-in generators. Learn them before writing code by hand.
4. Check project defaults first — Read config/application.rb for config.generators before running anything.
5. Destroy before regenerating — Use bin/rails destroy to cleanly undo a generator before re-running with different options.

When To Use This Skill

• Running any bin/rails generate command
• Deciding which generator fits the task
• Customizing generator defaults in config/application.rb
• Creating custom generators for project-specific patterns
• Overriding built-in generator templates
• Understanding what files a generator will create

Instructions

Step 1: Check Project Generator Config

Check existing generator configuration first — the project may already skip helpers, use UUIDs, or set other defaults:

# Check for custom generator config
grep -A 20 "config.generators" config/application.rb

# See all available generators
bin/rails generate --help

# See specific generator options
bin/rails generate model --help

Match project conventions. If the project disables helpers or uses UUIDs, your generators should too.

Step 2: Choose the Right Generator

Pick the most specific generator that does what you need:

Need	Generator	NOT
Database column change	migration	model
New model with table	model	scaffold
New controller + views	controller	scaffold
Full CRUD resource	scaffold	—
API-only resource	scaffold --api	scaffold
Background job	job	Writing by hand
Mailer	mailer	Writing by hand
Database table change	migration	Writing by hand

The Generator Hierarchy (most → least specific):

migration → model → resource → scaffold
                  ↗
controller ------/

Each level adds more files. Always pick the lowest level that satisfies the requirement.

Step 3: Use the Right Flags

Essential flags to know:

# Skip unwanted files
--no-helper          # Skip helper file (almost always want this)
--no-assets          # Skip CSS/JS files
--no-jbuilder        # Skip JSON builder views
--no-test-framework  # Skip test files (if writing tests separately)
--no-fixture         # Skip fixture file only

# Control behavior
--skip-migration     # Generate model without migration
--skip-routes        # Don't add to routes.rb
--force              # Overwrite existing files
--pretend            # Dry run — show what would happen

# Field types
title:string         # Default type, can omit :string
body:text            # Long text
price:decimal        # Decimal number
published:boolean    # Boolean
published_at:datetime # Timestamp
user:references      # Foreign key + belongs_to
tags:jsonb           # JSON column (PostgreSQL)

Step 4: Run with --pretend First

For any generator that creates multiple files, dry-run first — it's easier to verify than to clean up:

# See what would be created without creating it
bin/rails generate scaffold Post title body:text --pretend

This prevents generating unwanted files you'll have to clean up.

Step 5: Destroy Before Regenerating

If you made a mistake, destroy first:

# Undo a generator completely
bin/rails destroy model Post
bin/rails destroy scaffold Post
bin/rails destroy controller Posts

destroy removes exactly what generate created. Don't manually delete files.

Step 6: Configure Defaults

Set project-wide defaults in config/application.rb:

config.generators do |g|
  g.orm :active_record, primary_key_type: :uuid
  g.test_framework :test_unit, fixture: true
  g.helper false                    # Never generate helpers
  g.assets false                    # Never generate assets
  g.jbuilder false                  # Never generate jbuilder views
  g.system_tests :test_unit         # Or nil to skip
  g.template_engine :erb            # Or :slim, :haml
  g.stylesheets false               # Skip stylesheets
  g.javascripts false               # Skip JS files
end

Once configured, you don't need --no-helper etc. on every command.

Built-In Generators Quick Reference

Most Used

Generator	Creates	Example
model	Model + migration + test + fixture	bin/rails g model Post title body:text
migration	Migration file only	bin/rails g migration AddSlugToPosts slug:string:uniq
controller	Controller + views + test + route + helper	bin/rails g controller Posts index show
scaffold	Model + controller + views + migration + tests + routes	bin/rails g scaffold Post title body:text
resource	Model + controller (empty) + migration + route	bin/rails g resource Post title body:text

Other Built-In

Generator	Creates	Example
job	Job class + test	bin/rails g job ProcessPayment
mailer	Mailer + views + test	bin/rails g mailer UserMailer welcome reset_password
channel	Action Cable channel + JS	bin/rails g channel Chat speak
task	Rake task	bin/rails g task feeds fetch
mailbox	Action Mailbox mailbox + test	bin/rails g mailbox Forwards
generator	Custom generator skeleton	bin/rails g generator my_generator
integration_test	Integration test file	bin/rails g integration_test UserFlows
system_test	System test file	bin/rails g system_test UserFlows
scaffold_controller	Controller + views (no model/migration)	bin/rails g scaffold_controller Post title body:text
helper	Helper module + test	bin/rails g helper Posts

Migration Name Conventions

Rails infers migration behavior from the name:

# Add columns (AddXxxToYyy)
bin/rails g migration AddSlugToPosts slug:string:uniq

# Remove columns (RemoveXxxFromYyy)
bin/rails g migration RemoveBodyFromPosts body:text

# Create join table (CreateJoinTableXxxYyy)
bin/rails g migration CreateJoinTablePostsCategories posts categories

# Standalone (no inference — empty change method)
bin/rails g migration UpdatePostsSchema

Field Type Reference

# Common types
string        # VARCHAR (255 default)
text          # TEXT (unlimited)
integer       # INT
float         # FLOAT
decimal       # DECIMAL (use for money)
boolean       # BOOLEAN
date          # DATE
datetime      # DATETIME
timestamp     # TIMESTAMP
time          # TIME
binary        # BLOB

# Special types
references    # Foreign key (adds _id column + index + belongs_to)
belongs_to    # Alias for references
jsonb         # JSONB (PostgreSQL)
json          # JSON
uuid          # UUID
inet          # INET (PostgreSQL)
citext        # Case-insensitive text (PostgreSQL)

# Modifiers
title:string{100}        # String with limit
price:decimal{8,2}       # Precision and scale
slug:string:uniq         # Add unique index
slug:string:index        # Add index
user:references{polymorphic}  # Polymorphic association

Creating Custom Generators

When to Create One

Create a custom generator when your project has repeating patterns:

• Service objects with consistent structure
• Form objects
• Query objects
• Policy classes
• Decorators/presenters

How to Create

bin/rails generate generator service

Creates:

lib/generators/service/
├── service_generator.rb
├── USAGE
└── templates/

Generator Anatomy

# lib/generators/service/service_generator.rb
class ServiceGenerator < Rails::Generators::NamedBase
  source_root File.expand_path("templates", __dir__)

  # Optional: add arguments and options
  class_option :async, type: :boolean, default: false,
    desc: "Generate an async service with ActiveJob"

  def create_service_file
    template "service.rb.tt", "app/services/#{file_name}_service.rb"
  end

  def create_test_file
    template "service_test.rb.tt", "test/services/#{file_name}_service_test.rb"
  end

  private

  def async?
    options[:async]
  end
end

Template Files

# lib/generators/service/templates/service.rb.tt
class <%= class_name %>Service
  def initialize(<%= file_name %>)
    @<%= file_name %> = <%= file_name %>
  end

  def call
    # TODO: implement
  end

  private

  attr_reader :<%= file_name %>
end

Available Template Variables

Variable	Example Input	Result
name	admin/user_cleanup	admin/user_cleanup
file_name	admin/user_cleanup	user_cleanup
class_name	admin/user_cleanup	Admin::UserCleanup
human_name	admin/user_cleanup	Admin user cleanup
plural_name	user	users
singular_name	users	user
table_name	user	users
file_path	admin/user_cleanup	admin/user_cleanup
class_path	admin/user_cleanup	["admin"]

Overriding Built-In Templates

Override any built-in generator's templates by placing files in lib/templates/:

lib/templates/
├── erb/
│   └── scaffold/
│       ├── index.html.erb.tt
│       ├── show.html.erb.tt
│       ├── _form.html.erb.tt
│       └── _resource.html.erb.tt
├── rails/
│   └── scaffold_controller/
│       └── controller.rb.tt
└── active_record/
    └── migration/
        └── create_table_migration.rb.tt

Rails checks lib/templates/ before its own templates. No config needed.

Template escaping: Generator templates that produce ERB need double escaping:

• <%%= in template → <%= in output
• <%= in template → evaluated at generation time

Common Agent Mistakes

1. Using scaffold when model suffices — Scaffold creates controller, views, routes, helpers, and tests. If you only need a model, use model — less cleanup, less noise.

2. Forgetting --no-helper — Helper files are rarely used in modern Rails. Generating them just adds clutter.

3. Skipping --pretend — Dry-running complex generators takes a second and prevents generating files you'll have to manually clean up.

4. Writing migrations by hand — bin/rails g migration with naming conventions (AddXxxToYyy, RemoveXxxFromYyy) auto-generates the body. Save the typing.

5. Generating then manually deleting files — Use bin/rails destroy instead. It cleanly reverts route additions and removes all generated files.

6. Not knowing about scaffold_controller — When you have a model but need controller+views, use scaffold_controller. Running scaffold would try to recreate the model.

7. Ignoring project defaults — Check config.generators first. The project may already skip helpers, making --no-helper redundant.

8. Creating custom generators for one-offs — Custom generators pay off when you repeat a pattern 3+ times. For one-offs, just write the files.

Performance Tips

• --pretend is free — Always use it to verify before generating
• Batch field definitions — bin/rails g model Post title body:text published:boolean is one migration, not three
• Use migration for schema changes — Don't generate a new model to add a column

Running Generators

# Standard
bin/rails generate model Post title body:text
bin/rails g model Post title body:text          # Short alias

# Dry run
bin/rails g model Post title --pretend

# Destroy (undo)
bin/rails destroy model Post
bin/rails d model Post                          # Short alias

# List all available
bin/rails generate --help

# Generator-specific help
bin/rails g model --help
bin/rails g migration --help
bin/rails g scaffold --help

Debugging Generators

# See what a generator would do
bin/rails g model Post --pretend

# Check generator resolution path
bin/rails g model --help | head -5

# Find where templates live
find lib/templates -name "*.tt" 2>/dev/null
find $(bundle show railties)/lib/rails/generators -name "*.tt" | head -20

# Check current generator config
grep -A 20 "config.generators" config/application.rb

Detailed Reference

See the references/ directory for complete examples and edge cases:

• references/built-in-generators.md — All built-in generators with flags, files created, and customizing defaults
• references/custom-generators.md — Creating custom generators, hooks/composition, resolution order
• references/templates.md — Overriding built-in templates, application templates for rails new
• references/thor-actions.md — Thor file manipulation methods (create_file, inject_into_file, gsub_file, etc.)
• references/testing.md — Generator testing, edge cases (STI, UUID, namespaces), recipes, troubleshooting