Yes! After you set up a repository, you can substitute in any tools you'd like.
If you think the tool would be broadly useful to most consumers of this template, feel free to file a feature request to add it in.
Not yet. You can always copy & paste them in manually.
See 🚀 Feature: Add a script to sync the tooling updates from forked template repo #498: it will likely eventually be possible.
This repository is meant to serve as a starter that includes all the general tooling a modern TypeScript/Node repository could possibly need. Each of the included tools exists for a good reason and provides real value.
If you don't want to use any particular tool, you can always remove it manually.