meteor add

Add packages to your Meteor project

The meteor add command adds one or more packages to your Meteor project.

Usage

meteor add <package> [package...]

Basic Usage

Add a single package:

meteor add accounts-password

Add multiple packages:

meteor add accounts-password accounts-ui

Version Constraints

You can specify version constraints when adding packages.

Minimum Version

Add a package at version 1.1.0 or higher (but not 2.0.0 or higher):

meteor add package@1.1.0

Exact Version

Add a package at exactly version 1.1.0:

meteor add package@=1.1.0

Multiple Constraints

You can combine constraints using || (OR):

meteor add 'package@=1.0.0 || =2.0.1'

This means either 1.0.0 (exactly) or 2.0.1 (exactly).

Note: Use quotes when your constraint includes spaces or special characters.

Removing Version Constraints

To remove a version constraint for a specific package, run meteor add again without specifying a version:

# First, add with constraint
meteor add package@=1.1.0

# Later, remove constraint
meteor add package

Options

--allow-incompatible-update · boolean · default: "false"

Allow packages in your project to be upgraded or downgraded to versions that are potentially incompatible with the current versions, if required to satisfy all package version constraints.

Examples

Add React:

meteor add react-meteor-data

Add MongoDB packages:

meteor add mongo accounts-base

Add a package with a minimum version:

meteor add reactive-var@1.0.11

Add a package with an exact version:

meteor add reactive-var@=1.0.11

Add a package with complex constraints:

meteor add 'my-package@1.0.0 || 2.0.0'

Add a package allowing incompatible updates:

meteor add my-package --allow-incompatible-update

Common Packages

Authentication

meteor add accounts-password
meteor add accounts-ui
meteor add accounts-google
meteor add accounts-facebook

UI Frameworks

meteor add react-meteor-data
meteor add vue-meteor-tracker
meteor add blaze-html-templates

Utilities

meteor add session
meteor add reactive-var
meteor add reactive-dict
meteor add check
meteor add http

Development

meteor add insecure  # Allow client DB writes (dev only)
meteor add autopublish  # Auto-publish all data (dev only)

Warning: Never use insecure or autopublish in production.

Finding Packages

Search for available packages:

meteor search <query>

View package information:

meteor show <package-name>

List packages in your project:

meteor list

Package Sources

Packages can come from:

1. Meteor Package Server - Official and community packages
2. Local packages - Packages in your project’s packages/ directory
3. Atmosphere - Legacy package repository (now integrated)

Version Resolution

When you add a package, Meteor’s constraint solver:

1. Resolves all dependencies
2. Ensures version compatibility
3. Selects the newest compatible version of each package
4. Updates .meteor/versions file

If the constraint solver can’t find compatible versions, it will report which packages are causing conflicts.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter version conflicts:

# Try allowing incompatible updates
meteor add package --allow-incompatible-update

# Or update all packages
meteor update --all-packages

# Or remove conflicting packages first
meteor remove conflicting-package
meteor add desired-package