CLI User Experience Patterns
Overview
Implement consistent, user-friendly CLI interactions using the project's console module, progress tracking, and reporter patterns. All CLI output should go through src/cli/console.ts rather than raw console.log.
When to Use
- Implementing command output formatting
- Adding progress indicators for operations
- Creating interactive user prompts
- Formatting error messages for the terminal
- Designing reporter output for deploy/diff results
- Not for: Business logic, GraphQL operations, or service layer code
CLI Stack
| Tool | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|
| chalk | Colored terminal output | Via src/cli/console.ts |
| ora | Spinner/progress indicators | src/cli/progress.ts |
| @inquirer/prompts | Interactive user prompts | Commands layer |
| tslog | Structured logging | Internal logging |
Console Module
Located in src/cli/console.ts. Always use this instead of raw console.log:
| Method | Color | Prefix | Use For |
|---|---|---|---|
error() |
Red | x | Error messages |
success() |
Green | check | Success confirmations |
warning() |
Yellow | warn | Warnings, degraded results |
hint() |
Cyan | bulb | Actionable suggestions |
important() |
Bold | - | Key information |
info() |
Blue | i | Informational messages |
code() |
Gray bg | - | Code/command snippets |
Import: import { console } from '@/cli/console';
Progress Indicators
- Single operations: Use
oraspinner with.start(),.succeed(),.fail() - Bulk operations: Use
BulkOperationProgressfromsrc/cli/progress.tsfor progress bars with success/failure tracking
Interactive Prompts
Available prompt types from @inquirer/prompts:
| Prompt | Import | Use For |
|---|---|---|
confirm |
@inquirer/prompts |
Yes/no decisions, destructive action guards |
select |
@inquirer/prompts |
Single choice from options |
checkbox |
@inquirer/prompts |
Multi-select (e.g., entity selection) |
input |
@inquirer/prompts |
Text input with validation |
password |
@inquirer/prompts |
Masked input for tokens/secrets |
See references/prompt-patterns.md for full examples.
Reporter Patterns
Three main reporters in src/cli/reporters/:
| Reporter | Purpose | Key Output |
|---|---|---|
deployment-reporter |
Deploy results | Table with created/updated/deleted/failed counts |
diff reporter |
Diff results | + create (green), ~ update (blue), - delete (red) |
duplicate reporter |
Validation issues | Duplicate identifiers with locations |
See references/reporter-patterns.md for full implementations.
Error Message Formatting
Two error formatters in the project:
formatError(error: BaseError): General errors with code, context, and suggestionsformatGraphQLError(error: GraphQLError): GraphQL-specific with operation name and path
Pattern: Show error message, then optional code/context in gray, then actionable suggestions via console.hint().
Exit Codes
export const ExitCodes = {
SUCCESS: 0,
GENERAL_ERROR: 1,
VALIDATION_ERROR: 2,
NETWORK_ERROR: 3,
AUTH_ERROR: 4,
CONFLICT_ERROR: 5,
} as const;
Always use named exit codes, never raw numbers.
Best Practices
- Use
src/cli/console.tsfor all output (never rawconsole.log) - Provide progress feedback for any operation over ~1 second
- Include actionable suggestions with every error message
- Confirm destructive operations with
confirmprompt - Support non-interactive mode (skip prompts in CI/headless)
- Use consistent color semantics (green=success, red=error, yellow=warning)
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
Using raw console.log |
Import and use console from @/cli/console |
| Missing progress feedback | Add ora spinner for any async operation |
Raw exit codes (process.exit(1)) |
Use ExitCodes.GENERAL_ERROR constants |
| Blocking prompts in CI | Check for --yes flag or CI env var to skip prompts |
| No suggestions on errors | Always add console.hint() with next steps |
| Debug output in production | Use tslog with appropriate log levels |
References
{baseDir}/src/cli/console.ts- Console module{baseDir}/src/cli/progress.ts- Progress tracking{baseDir}/src/cli/reporters/- Reporter implementations- references/reporter-patterns.md - Full reporter code
- references/prompt-patterns.md - Full prompt examples
Related Skills
- Complete entity workflow: See
adding-entity-typesfor CLI integration patterns - Error handling: See
reviewing-typescript-codefor error message standards
Quick Reference Rule
For a condensed quick reference, see .claude/rules/cli-development.md (automatically loaded when editing src/cli/**/*.ts and src/commands/**/*.ts files).
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