So, Storybook is a zero-configuration tool that requires a lot of configuration?

[ericmorand]

So,

Storybook is a standalone tool that runs alongside your app. It's a zero-config environment that works with any modern frontend framework. You can install Storybook into an existing project or create a new one from scratch.

Then you read the documentation of the mentionned command, and you find this:

Storybook will look into your project's dependencies during its install process and provide you with the best configuration available.

The command above will make the following changes to your local environment:

📦 Install the required dependencies.
🛠 Setup the necessary scripts to run and build Storybook.
🛠 Add the default Storybook configuration.
📝 Add some boilerplate stories to get you started.
📡 Set up telemetry to help us improve Storybook. Read more about it here.

I understand that my question is rhetorical, but if Storybook requires a dedicated command to create a project, how can it be called a "zero-config" tool? It is actually heavily dependent to configuration, to the point where starting by just installing storybook itself - the tool - requires a lot of configuration, boilerplate, setup before being able to use it to fuel a project.

Interestingly enough, there is not even a "start" sub command to storybook CLI. To actually run a project with storybook, you need to add some scripts yourself, and for that you need to look at how a project pre-created with the create command works. Sorry, but this is the exact opposite of a zero-config tool when you can't even start using a tool without looking at how other projects are configured.

Am I missing some rational here?

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi @ericmorand! I'm Dosu and I’m helping the storybook team.

You're not missing anything—this is a common point of confusion. Storybook's "zero-config" claim means it automates the initial setup by inspecting your project's dependencies and applying sensible defaults, so you don't have to manually configure compilers, scripts, or boilerplate for most common scenarios. The setup command installs dependencies, creates config files, and adds starter stories for you, which is a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but it's meant to minimize manual intervention and get you running quickly "zero-config environment".

However, "zero-config" doesn't mean no configuration ever. Some projects need extra tweaks for build tools, CSS frameworks, or component context, especially for advanced use cases or unique setups. The term emphasizes ease of ongoing use after the initial setup, not the complete absence of configuration "default configuration".

So, Storybook is "zero-config" in the sense that it handles the most common setup steps for you, but you may still need to adjust things to fit your project's specific needs.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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