CLI Builder
CautionBuild polished command-line tools in Python or Node.js with argument parsing, subcommands, progress indicators, colored output, and shell completion.
$ Copy the SKILL.md file to .claude/skills/cli-builder.md About This Skill
CLI Builder generates polished command-line interfaces using best-in-class libraries for each ecosystem: Typer or Click for Python, Commander.js or Yargs for Node.js.
Argument Parsing
Generated CLIs use declarative argument definitions with type coercion, default values, required/optional flags, and mutually exclusive groups. Help text is auto-generated from docstrings and type hints.
Subcommand Architecture
Git-style nested subcommands (e.g., `mytool db migrate`, `mytool db seed`) with shared options at the root level and command-specific options at each subcommand.
User Experience
- Progress bars — Rich/tqdm for Python, ora/cli-progress for Node.js
- Colored output — Semantic color coding (green=success, red=error, yellow=warning)
- Structured output — `--json` flag for machine-readable output
- Interactive prompts — inquirer for confirmations and multi-select inputs
Configuration Files
Auto-detects and loads config from `~/.config/mytool/config.toml` or project-local `.mytoolrc`. CLI flags override config file values. Config schema validated on load.
Shell Completion
Generates completion scripts for bash, zsh, and fish via `mytool --install-completion`. Completions include dynamic suggestions from live data (e.g., available profiles).
Use Cases
- Building developer tools with rich subcommand interfaces (git-style CLIs)
- Creating data pipeline scripts with progress bars and structured output
- Generating shell completion scripts for bash, zsh, and fish
- Packaging Python CLIs as standalone executables with PyInstaller
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Rich user experience with progress bars and semantic color coding
- +Shell completion generation works out of the box
- +Supports both human-readable and --json machine-readable output
- +Config file + env var + CLI flag precedence handled automatically
Cons
- -Rich library adds ~1MB to Python CLI bundle size
- -Dynamic shell completions require the CLI to be installed and accessible in PATH
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