HKUDS cli-anything-inkscape
A stateful command-line interface for vector graphics editing, following the same patterns as the GIMP and Blender CLI harnesses. Directly manipulates SVG (XML) documents with a JSON project format for state tracking.
Installation
This CLI is installed as part of the cli-anything-inkscape package:
pip install cli-anything-inkscape
Prerequisites:
- Python 3.10+
- inkscape must be installed on your system
Usage
Basic Commands
# Show help
cli-anything-inkscape --help
# Start interactive REPL mode
cli-anything-inkscape
# Create a new document
cli-anything-inkscape document new -o project.json
# Run with JSON output (for agent consumption)
cli-anything-inkscape --json document info -p project.json
REPL Mode
When invoked without a subcommand, the CLI enters an interactive REPL session:
cli-anything-inkscape
# Enter commands interactively with tab-completion and history
You can also start the REPL with a nonexistent project path. The CLI now seeds a new in-memory document instead of failing immediately:
cli-anything-inkscape --project /abs/path/new-title.inkscape-cli.json
Command Groups
Document
Document management commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
new |
Create a new document |
open |
Open an existing project |
save |
Save the current project |
info |
Show document information |
profiles |
List available document profiles |
canvas-size |
Set the canvas size |
units |
Set the document units |
json |
Print raw project JSON |
Shape
Shape management commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
add-rect |
Add a rectangle |
add-circle |
Add a circle |
add-ellipse |
Add an ellipse |
add-line |
Add a line |
add-polygon |
Add a polygon |
add-path |
Add a path |
add-star |
Add a star |
remove |
Remove a shape by index |
duplicate |
Duplicate a shape |
list |
List all shapes/objects |
get |
Get detailed info about a shape |
Text
Text management commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
add |
Add a text element; supports --box-width, --box-height, and --line-height for wrapped layouts |
set |
Set a text property (text, font-family, font-size, fill, box-width, box-height, line-height, etc.) |
list |
List all text objects |
Style
Style management commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
set-fill |
Set the fill color of an object |
set-stroke |
Set the stroke color (and optionally width) of an object |
set-opacity |
Set the opacity of an object (0.0-1.0) |
set |
Set an arbitrary style property on an object |
get |
Get the style properties of an object |
list-properties |
List all available style properties |
Transform
Transform operations (translate, rotate, scale, skew).
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
translate |
Translate (move) an object |
rotate |
Rotate an object |
scale |
Scale an object |
skew-x |
Skew an object horizontally |
skew-y |
Skew an object vertically |
get |
Get the current transform of an object |
clear |
Clear all transforms from an object |
Layer
Layer management commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
add |
Add a new layer |
remove |
Remove a layer by index |
move-object |
Move an object to a different layer |
set |
Set a layer property (name, visible, locked, opacity) |
list |
List all layers |
reorder |
Move a layer from one position to another |
get |
Get detailed info about a layer |
Path Group
Path boolean operations.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
union |
Union of two objects |
intersection |
Intersection of two objects |
difference |
Difference of two objects (A minus B) |
exclusion |
Exclusion (XOR) of two objects |
convert |
Convert a shape to a path |
list-operations |
List available path boolean operations |
Gradient
Gradient management commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
add-linear |
Add a linear gradient |
add-radial |
Add a radial gradient |
apply |
Apply a gradient to an object |
list |
List all gradients |
Export Group
Export/render commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
png |
Render the document to PNG |
svg |
Export the document as SVG |
pdf |
Export the document as PDF (requires Inkscape) |
presets |
List export presets |
Session
Session management commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
status |
Show session status |
undo |
Undo the last operation |
redo |
Redo the last undone operation |
history |
Show undo history |
Examples
Create a New Project
Create a new inkscape project file.
cli-anything-inkscape document new -o myproject.json
# Or with JSON output for programmatic use
cli-anything-inkscape --json document new -o myproject.json
Interactive REPL Session
Start an interactive session with undo/redo support.
cli-anything-inkscape
# Enter commands interactively
# Use 'help' to see available commands
# Use 'undo' and 'redo' for history navigation
Export Project
Export the project to a final output format.
cli-anything-inkscape --project myproject.json export pdf output.pdf --overwrite
Wrapped Text Layout
For title cards, chips, and portrait-safe panels, prefer wrapped text boxes instead of manually inserting line breaks:
cli-anything-inkscape --project title.json text add \
--text "Real capture + Veo cold open + Gemini score + thumbnail plate" \
--x 180 --y 470 --font-size 118 \
--box-width 1180 --box-height 260 --line-height 1.05
cli-anything-inkscape --project title.json text set 0 box-width 980
cli-anything-inkscape --project title.json text set 0 line-height 1.15
Notes:
box-widthwraps long copy into multiple exported SVGtspanlines.box-heightlets long copy fail safely instead of running off-canvas.- Use wrapped text boxes for long-copy graphics before resorting to manual line breaking.
State Management
The CLI maintains session state with:
- Undo/Redo: Up to 50 levels of history
- Project persistence: Save/load project state as JSON
- Session tracking: Track modifications and changes
Output Formats
All commands support dual output modes:
- Human-readable (default): Tables, colors, formatted text
- Machine-readable (
--jsonflag): Structured JSON for agent consumption
# Human output
cli-anything-inkscape project info -p project.json
# JSON output for agents
cli-anything-inkscape --json project info -p project.json
For AI Agents
When using this CLI programmatically:
- Always use
--jsonflag for parseable output - Check return codes - 0 for success, non-zero for errors
- Parse stderr for error messages on failure
- Use absolute paths for all file operations
- Verify outputs exist after export operations
- Prefer wrapped text boxes for headlines and variable-length copy so layouts remain stable across edits
More Information
- Full documentation: See README.md in the package
- Test coverage: See TEST.md in the package
- Methodology: See HARNESS.md in the cli-anything-plugin
Version
1.0.1