# CLI Creator > Build a complete, working CLI tool using TermUI components. Use this skill whenever someone describes a CLI or TUI app they want to create — a dashboard, a setup wizard, a data browser, a deployment tool, a monitoring app, or any interactive terminal interface. Trigger on phrases like "build me a CLI", "create a terminal app", "make a TUI for", "I want a command-line tool that", "build a CLI that shows", or any request to generate a Node.js CLI from scratch. Even vague requests like "I need a CLI for my project" should trigger this skill. - Skill: `arindam200/cli-creator` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add arindam200/cli-creator` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/arindam200/cli-creator/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: Arindam200 (https://skillmd.com/u/arindam200) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/arindam200/cli-creator --- # TermUI CLI Creator Your job is to build a complete, working CLI project for the user using TermUI. The output is real code — a runnable TypeScript app. TermUI is a React/Ink-based terminal UI framework. 101 components. Shadcn-style: `npx termui add ` copies source files into the user's project. No runtime registry dependency. --- ## Step 1 — Interview the user Before writing a single line of code, understand what they're building. Ask these questions (you can batch them): 1. **What does the CLI do?** What problem does it solve? (e.g., "manage my deployment configs", "browse GitHub PRs", "monitor server metrics") 2. **What are the main screens or commands?** Does it have subcommands (like `mytool deploy`, `mytool logs`) or is it one interactive TUI session? 3. **What data does it work with?** Lists of things? Forms to fill in? Real-time metrics? File browsing? 4. **Any interactions?** Search? Filters? Edit/create/delete? Confirm dialogs? 5. **Visual style?** Any theme preference? (Dracula, Nord, Catppuccin, Monokai, Solarized, Tokyo Night, One Dark, or default purple) — default to Dracula if they don't care 6. **Tech context?** Do they already have a Node project, or are we starting from zero? If the request is clear enough (e.g., "build me a Docker container manager with a table view and a detail panel"), skip questions you can infer and just clarify the ones that would change the component selection. --- ## Step 2 — Choose a CLI pattern Map what they described to one of these patterns. Patterns can be combined. | Pattern | When to use | Core components | | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Data Browser** | Browse/search/filter a list of items | `AppShell` + `Table` or `VirtualList` + `SearchInput` | | **Dashboard** | Real-time metrics, logs, charts | `AppShell` + `Tabs` + `BarChart`/`Gauge`/`Sparkline` + `useInterval` | | **Setup Wizard** | Onboarding, init, configuration | `SetupFlow` + `TextInput`/`Select`/`MultiSelect` + `Spinner` | | **CRUD Manager** | Create / read / update / delete resources | `AppShell` + `Table` + `Form`/`FormField` + `Modal`/`Confirm` | | **Auth Flow** | Login, token entry, account setup | `LoginFlow` + `TextInput`/`PasswordInput` + `SetupFlow` | | **Log Viewer** | Streaming logs, event feeds | `AppShell` + `Log` + `StatusMessage` + `useAsync` | | **File Browser** | Navigate filesystem, pick files | `AppShell` + `DirectoryTree` or `FilePicker` | Full working code for each pattern is in `references/patterns.md`. Read it before writing code. --- ## Step 3 — Scaffold the project ### File structure to generate ``` / ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json ├── src/ │ ├── index.tsx ← entry point: render() wrapped in ThemeProvider │ ├── app.tsx ← root App component, handles routing between screens │ ├── screens/ ← one file per top-level screen/view │ │ ├── HomeScreen.tsx │ │ └── DetailScreen.tsx │ └── components/ ← TermUI components land here after npx termui add │ └── (added by CLI) └── termui.config.json ← created by npx termui init ``` For single-screen apps (e.g., a simple wizard) you can skip `screens/` and put everything in `app.tsx`. ### `package.json` template ```json { "name": "", "version": "0.1.0", "type": "module", "bin": { "": "./dist/index.js" }, "scripts": { "dev": "tsx src/index.tsx", "build": "tsc", "start": "node dist/index.js" }, "dependencies": { "ink": "^5.0.0", "react": "^18.0.0", "termui": "latest" }, "devDependencies": { "typescript": "^5.4.0", "tsx": "^4.7.0", "@types/react": "^18.0.0" }, "engines": { "node": ">=18.0.0" } } ``` ### `tsconfig.json` template ```json { "compilerOptions": { "target": "ES2022", "module": "NodeNext", "moduleResolution": "NodeNext", "jsx": "react-jsx", "jsxImportSource": "react", "strict": true, "esModuleInterop": true, "outDir": "dist" }, "include": ["src"] } ``` ### Setup commands to give the user ```bash cd npm install npx termui init # sets up termui.config.json npx termui add # install exactly the components you're using npm run dev # run with tsx (hot-reloading) ``` Generate the `npx termui add` command using the kebab-case component names from the registry (e.g., `app-shell`, `table`, `select`, `spinner`, `setup-flow`). List only the components the project actually uses. --- ## Step 4 — Write the code ### Entry point pattern (`src/index.tsx`) ```tsx #!/usr/bin/env node import React from 'react'; import { render } from 'ink'; import { ThemeProvider } from 'termui/core'; import { draculaTheme } from 'termui/core'; import { App } from './app.js'; render( ); ``` ### Root app with screen routing (`src/app.tsx`) ```tsx import React, { useState } from 'react'; type Screen = 'home' | 'detail' | 'create'; export function App() { const [screen, setScreen] = useState('home'); const [selectedId, setSelectedId] = useState(null); if (screen === 'detail' && selectedId) { return setScreen('home')} />; } if (screen === 'create') { return setScreen('home')} />; } return ( { setSelectedId(id); setScreen('detail'); }} onCreate={() => setScreen('create')} /> ); } ``` ### Always wrap in ThemeProvider — never render components without it. ### Keyboard conventions - `q` / `Ctrl+C` → quit - `Escape` → go back / cancel - `↑↓` → navigate lists - `Enter` → select / confirm - `Tab` / `Shift+Tab` → switch tabs or focus - `?` → show help Implement quit handling in every screen: ```tsx useInput((input, key) => { if (input === 'q' || (key.ctrl && input === 'c')) process.exit(0); if (key.escape) onBack?.(); }); ``` --- ## Step 5 — Component reference quick-pick Read `references/component-picker.md` to match user needs to specific components with their exact props. Read `references/patterns.md` for complete, copy-paste-ready implementations of each pattern. --- ## Code quality rules - Every component that accepts a color prop falls back to `useTheme().colors.primary` — never hardcode hex - Use `useState` for local UI state, pass callbacks up for cross-screen navigation - Keep screens focused — one file per screen, props define the screen's contract - For async work (fetching data, running commands), use `useAsync` from `termui/core` and show `Skeleton` or `Spinner` while loading - For data that should persist between sessions, use the `conf` adapter (`termui/conf`) which wraps the `conf` npm package - Add `ErrorBoundary` at the app root so crashes don't leave the terminal in a broken state --- ## Deliver to the user When done, give them: 1. Every file with its full content (no placeholders like `// TODO`) 2. The exact `npx termui add` command to run 3. `npm install && npm run dev` to try it immediately 4. A one-line description of the keyboard shortcuts If the app is complex (3+ screens), walk through what each screen does before showing the code.