CLI Creator

Cli Creator

Overview

Create a Python CLI module and expose it via pyproject.toml console scripts while matching existing project conventions.

Workflow

0) Initialize an empty directory (only when no package exists)

• If the working directory is empty or lacks a Python package, bootstrap a new project:
  • Create a Python 3.13 virtual environment with uv (default).
  • Install Hatch in the venv.
  • Use Hatch to create an empty package; set the package name to the CLI name.
  • Ensure pyproject.toml is created by Hatch and reflects the package name.
• After initialization, continue with the workflow below.

Commands to run (replace my-cli with the desired name):

uv venv --python 3.13 .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install hatch
hatch new my-cli

1) Inspect project layout

• Read pyproject.toml to detect packaging style ([project], [tool.poetry], [tool.hatch], existing scripts).
• Locate the package layout (src/ vs flat) and any existing CLI modules or patterns.

2) Choose a CLI framework

• Use Typer. Reuse existing Typer patterns in the repo when present.

3) Gather command structure

• Ask for the top-level command name and at least one subcommand name.
• Prefer a concrete example command line (e.g., atlas-trigger dataset list) to infer subcommands and nesting.
• If the user only provides one subcommand, still structure the CLI with that subcommand.
• Ask whether the command handlers should delegate to another module for the "meat" of the logic.
• If the user wants delegation, import the target module inside the command function so --help remains fast.

4) Implement the CLI module

• Create a module under the package that defines a main() entry point (returning an exit code).
• Keep side effects out of module import; parsing and execution should happen in main().
• For Typer, define app = typer.Typer() and invoke app() inside main() or use typer.run(main) for single-command CLIs.
• Implement the requested command(s) with dummy handlers that print hello from <command> using the full command path (e.g., hello from atlas-trigger dataset list).

5) Wire the console script

• For PEP 621 projects, add under [project.scripts]:
  • my-cli = "package.module:main"
• Preserve existing formatting, ordering, and naming conventions.

6) Validate behavior

• Ensure Typer is listed as a dependency in pyproject.toml (add it if missing).
• Add or update CLI tests to match existing patterns.
• Run a quick sanity check such as python -m package --help and the example command to verify the dummy output.

Example Triggers

• "Create a new CLI called acme and add it to pyproject.toml."
• "Add a status subcommand to the existing CLI and wire it up."
• "Expose package.cli:main as a console script in this project."