CLI Generate

/cli-generate — Auto-Generate Agent-Ready CLIs

Generate a complete, production-grade CLI from any web/SaaS codebase in 5 phases.

Quick start: Run /cli-generate inside any project directory. It auto-detects the project type and generates a CLI.

What it generates:

• TypeScript CLI with Commander.js
• Dual output: pretty tables for humans, JSON for AI agents
• Auth system with multi-account profiles
• doctor command for diagnostics
• whoami command for auth status
• Single .cjs bundle via esbuild
• SKILL.md for AI agent discoverability
• README.md with install, commands, output modes
• npx instant execution ready

Phase 1: Detect Project Type

Scan the codebase to determine what kind of project this is. Read references/detection-matrix.md for the full detection logic.

Two-tier detection:

Tier 1 (pattern-based): Check for known frameworks first — MCP SDK, OpenAPI specs, Next.js routes, Express/Fastify. These have mechanical extraction rules.

Tier 2 (LLM-native): If Tier 1 doesn't match, READ THE CODE. Claude can understand any language — Python Flask, Go Gin, Ruby Rails, Rust Actix, gRPC protos, GraphQL schemas. Scan entry points, find route handlers/endpoints/RPC definitions, and extract the API surface.

Launch parallel searches:

1. Identify language from manifest files (package.json, go.mod, requirements.txt, Cargo.toml, etc.)
2. Check for Tier 1 matches (MCP SDK, OpenAPI spec, Next.js routes, Express/Fastify)
3. If no Tier 1 match: read entry points and routing files, extract endpoints by reading the actual code
4. Identify auth pattern (API key, Bearer token, env var, session, none)

Output: Detection report with:

• Project type and language
• List of endpoints/tools found (name, method, params, description)
• Auth pattern detected
• Suggested CLI name

Present findings to user. Asking the user to describe the API is the LAST resort — only if Claude genuinely cannot find endpoints after reading the code.

Phase 2: Plan CLI Structure

Map each detected endpoint/tool to a CLI command. Read references/command-patterns.md for mapping rules.

Generate a plan:

CLI: {name}-cli
Commands:
  {name}-cli login          — Authenticate with API key
  {name}-cli logout         — Remove credentials
  {name}-cli whoami         — Show auth status
  {name}-cli doctor         — Run diagnostic checks
  {name}-cli {command-1}    — {description}
  {name}-cli {command-2}    — {description}
  ...

Global flags: --json, --quiet, --api-key, --profile, --verbose
Auth: {API_KEY_ENV_VAR} env var + ~/.config/{name}-cli/credentials.json

Naming rules:

• Command names: kebab-case, verb-noun or just noun (e.g., list-users, send-email, mrr)
• Skip internal/health/webhook endpoints
• Group related endpoints if >20 commands (e.g., users list, users get, users create)

Present plan to user. Wait for approval before generating code.

Phase 3: Scaffold Infrastructure

Generate the fixed boilerplate files. These are identical for every CLI — only names change. Read references/cli-architecture.md for the exact file contents.

Files to generate:

Config files (project root)

• package.json — deps: commander, @commander-js/extra-typings, @clack/prompts, picocolors, esbuild (dev), tsx (dev), typescript (dev), @types/node (dev), plus any project-specific SDK
• tsconfig.json — ES2022, bundler moduleResolution, strict
• build.mjs — esbuild bundle to single dist/cli.cjs with shebang
• .gitignore — node_modules, dist, .env, *.tgz, .DS_Store
• LICENSE — MIT

Infrastructure files (src/lib/)

• constants.ts — VERSION, CLI_NAME, CONFIG_DIR_NAME, USER_AGENT
• config.ts — XDG config, profiles, auth chain (flag > env > file), GlobalOpts
• output.ts — ExitCode enum, shouldOutputJson, outputResult, outputError, outputFormatted
• table.ts — hand-rolled column-aligned table renderer
• tty.ts — isInteractive() terminal detection
• spinner.ts — braille spinner for async operations
• format.ts — CSV and Markdown export formatters
• banner.ts — ASCII art banner (generated via npx figlet-cli)

Customization points (change per project):

• constants.ts: CLI_NAME, CONFIG_DIR_NAME
• config.ts: env var names (e.g., {NAME}_API_KEY, {NAME}_PROFILE), GlobalOpts fields
• banner.ts: ASCII art — always generate with npx figlet-cli -f "ANSI Shadow" "{cli-name}". Never hand-draw ASCII art.
• package.json: name, description, keywords, repository, project-specific dependencies

After scaffolding, run npm install and npm run build to verify.

Phase 4: Generate Commands

For each endpoint in the plan, generate a command file in src/commands/. Read references/command-patterns.md for the exact patterns per project type.

Every command follows this pattern:

import { Command } from '@commander-js/extra-typings'
import type { GlobalOpts } from '../lib/config.js'
import { resolveApiKey } from '../lib/config.js'
import { shouldOutputJson, outputError, ExitCode } from '../lib/output.js'
import { withSpinner } from '../lib/spinner.js'

export function make{Name}Command(globalOpts: () => GlobalOpts): Command {
  return new Command('{command-name}')
    .description('{description}')
    .action(async (cmdOpts) => {
      const opts = globalOpts()
      const apiKey = resolveApiKey(opts)
      if (!apiKey) {
        outputError({ code: 'AUTH', message: 'No API key. Run `{cli-name} login` or set {ENV_VAR}.' }, opts)
        process.exit(ExitCode.AUTH_ERROR)
      }

      try {
        const result = await withSpinner('Fetching...', () => callApi(apiKey, cmdOpts), opts)

        if (shouldOutputJson(opts)) {
          process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2) + '\n')
          return
        }

        // Human output (tables, formatted text, etc.)
      } catch (err) {
        outputError({ code: 'API', message: err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'Unknown error' }, opts)
        process.exit(ExitCode.API_ERROR)
      }
    })
}

Also generate:

• src/commands/login.ts — interactive auth with @clack/prompts
• src/commands/logout.ts — remove credentials
• src/commands/whoami.ts — show auth status
• src/commands/doctor.ts — CLI version, Node.js version, API key check, connection test
• src/index.ts — Commander program with all global options, register all commands
• src/core/client.ts — API client (HTTP fetch wrapper or SDK instantiation)
• src/core/types.ts — TypeScript interfaces for API responses

After generating, run npm run build and npx tsc --noEmit to verify.

Phase 5: Verify & Ship

Run the verification checklist:

1. npm run build — clean build, produces dist/cli.cjs
2. node dist/cli.cjs --version — prints version
3. node dist/cli.cjs --help — shows all commands
4. node dist/cli.cjs (no args) — shows banner + help
5. node dist/cli.cjs doctor --json — outputs valid JSON
6. Bundle size check: ls -lh dist/cli.cjs (target: <500 KB)

Generate SKILL.md for AI agent discoverability:

• List all commands with JSON output schemas
• Document auth setup
• Include common workflows
• Document exit codes

Generate README.md:

• Banner from banner.ts (plain text, no ANSI)
• Command tables match Commander .description() strings
• Quick start: 2-3 commands to first value

Fix any build/type errors. Present the final CLI to the user.

Gotchas

• MCP Zod schemas don't map 1:1 to Commander options. z.array(z.string()) needs special handling — use --items item1,item2 with .split(','). z.object() needs --data '{json}' with JSON.parse().
• OpenAPI specs can have hundreds of endpoints. Only generate commands for paths with operationId. Skip paths without it. If >30 commands, group by tag into subcommands.
• Auth validation differs per project. MCP servers often don't need auth. APIs need a health check endpoint. Don't assume accounts.retrieve() exists — find the lightest endpoint to validate the key.
• Restricted API keys may lack permissions. Always wrap auth validation in try/catch with a fallback to a simpler endpoint.
• picocolors uses ANSI codes that break padEnd(). Never call .padEnd() on colored strings. Pad first, then color.
• ESM imports need .js extensions. Every import must end with .js even though source is .ts.
• process.stdout.isTTY is undefined when piped. shouldOutputJson checks this — never skip it.
• Don't add chalk, ora, boxen, figlet, or ink. picocolors + hand-rolled output is the pattern.
• Never hand-draw ASCII art. Always run npx figlet-cli -f "ANSI Shadow" "{name}" via Bash.

Rules

• Always present the plan (Phase 2) before generating code. Never skip to Phase 3.
• The lib/ files are identical every time. Don't reinvent them. Copy from the architecture reference.
• Every command gets --json support. No exceptions.
• The build must pass before presenting to the user. Run npm run build and fix errors.
• 5 production deps max (excluding project-specific SDK): commander, @commander-js/extra-typings, @clack/prompts, picocolors, and optionally simple-ascii-chart.
• Hand-roll visual output. No table libraries, no chart libraries, no box-drawing libraries.

Source: progrmoiz/skills — distributed by TomeVault.