Alpaca CLI Regenerate

Generate - Keep the CLI Up to Date

Pipeline

Run each phase in order. Stop and fix before moving to the next.

Phase 1: Pull latest specs

make spec-update requires network access (it curls docs.alpaca.markets). Request full_network permissions if running in a sandbox.

make spec-update

Downloads trading-api.json and market-data-api.json from docs.alpaca.markets/openapi/ into api/specs/.

After pulling, check what changed:

git diff --stat api/specs/

If nothing changed, specs are already current - skip to Phase 4 to verify generated code is still fresh.

Phase 2: Generate code

make generate

This runs go run ./cmd/generate which reads the specs and writes:

Never edit *.gen.go files directly. Change the specs or generator, then re-run make generate.

Phase 3: Fix generator failures

The generator enforces exhaustiveness. Common failures and fixes:

New operation not registered

unregistered operation "FooBar" — add to cmdRegistry or cmdSkip

Every operationId in the specs must appear in either cmdRegistry or cmdSkip in cmd/generate/commands.go.

To register a new command, add an entry to cmdRegistry:

"FooBar": {
    parent:   "<parent-group>",   // key in cmdParents
    use:      "<subcommand-name>",
    examples: "  alpaca <parent> <subcommand> --flag value",
},

Rules for registry entries:

• parent must be a key in cmdParents (or create a new parent group)
• examples is required - the generator fails without it
• Use kebab-case for use names
• Add defaults for sensible default flag values
• Add bodyAliases if a body field name collides with a query/path param
• Add bodyHook / bodySkipFields for complex body construction
• Add configureFunc for hand-written configure hooks (e.g. order submit's bracket legs)
• Add normalize for path params that need URL normalization (e.g. symbols with /)

If the command IS its parent (e.g. alpaca clock runs directly, not alpaca clock get), use self: true and omit use:

"LegacyClock": {
    parent:   "clock",
    self:     true,
    examples: "  alpaca clock",
},

To skip an operation (intentionally exclude from the CLI):

var cmdSkip = map[string]string{
    "FooBar": "reason for skipping",
}

Body field collision

body field "name" collides with a query/path param — add bodyAliases

Fix by adding a bodyAliases entry that renames the body flag:

"UpdateFoo": {
    parent:      "foo",
    use:         "update",
    bodyAliases: map[string]string{"name": "new-name"},
    examples:    "  alpaca foo update --name old --new-name new",
},

New parent group needed

Add to cmdParents in cmd/generate/commands.go:

"myGroup": {
    use:   "my-group",
    short: "Short description",
    long:  "Longer description for --help.",
},

For nested groups, set parent:

"mySubGroup": {
    use:    "sub",
    short:  "Sub-group description",
    parent: "myGroup",
},

Top-level parent groups also need root wiring. If the new group is not nested under an existing parent, add it to addGroup() in internal/cmd/root.go. Pick the right group (tradingGroup, accountGroup, or utilGroup):

addGroup(rootCmd, tradingGroup.ID, orderCmd, ..., myGroupCmd)

Without this, the command won't appear in --help or --help-all.

After fixing, re-run make generate until it succeeds.

Phase 4: Update golden files

If the command tree or op metadata changed, golden files will be stale:

go test ./internal/cmd -run TestCommandTreeGolden -update
go test ./internal/cmd -run TestOpsGolden -update

Phase 5: Run all checks

make check

This runs golangci-lint, go test -race ./..., and go build. Fix any failures before proceeding.

If tests fail due to golden drift you missed, re-run Phase 4.

Phase 6: Verify completeness

Review what changed end-to-end:

git diff --stat

Verify:

• api/specs/ - spec files updated
• internal/api/*.gen.go - types and clients regenerated
• internal/cmd/commands.gen.go - command tree regenerated
• internal/cmd/testdata/*.golden - golden files updated if needed
• cmd/generate/commands.go - new operations registered if needed
• internal/cmd/root.go - new top-level parent groups wired via addGroup
• test/integration/ - integration tests added for new commands

If commands were added, add integration tests in test/integration/. Follow the rules in the "Integration tests" section of AGENTS.md - one file per feature area, t.Parallel() for read-only tests, cleanup for writes. If the endpoint is unavailable on paper (see the paper-unavailable list in AGENTS.md), write a test that accepts either a valid response or a structured JSON error.

If commands or flags were added, removed, or renamed, follow the "Keep docs in sync" section in AGENTS.md.

Keep README.md concise. It should describe command areas and point to alpaca --help-all, <command> --help, and <command> --schema instead of listing generated command tables. Add README detail only when user-facing behavior, safety guidance, authentication, output, or install/update flow changes.

Quick reference

Key files

Anti-Patterns

• NEVER edit *.gen.go files directly - they are overwritten by make generate. Change the specs or the generator instead.
• NEVER edit spec files in api/specs/ - fix bugs upstream and re-import with make spec-update.
• NEVER skip make check after generating - generated code can introduce lint failures or test regressions.
• NEVER update golden files without reviewing the diff - golden updates should reflect intentional command tree changes, not mask bugs.
• NEVER add a cmdRegistry entry without examples - the generator enforces this and will fail.
• NEVER add an operation to cmdSkip without a reason - the reason documents why the endpoint is excluded from the CLI.