≈441 tokens on demand. Your agent reads this file only when SKILL.md points to it.
CLI Tool Template
Tech Stack
| Component |
Technology |
| Runtime |
Node.js 20+ |
| Language |
TypeScript |
| CLI Framework |
Commander.js |
| Prompts |
Inquirer.js |
| Output |
chalk + ora |
| Config |
cosmiconfig |
Directory Structure
project-name/
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts # Entry point
│ ├── cli.ts # CLI setup
│ ├── commands/ # Command handlers
│ ├── lib/
│ │ ├── config.ts # Config loader
│ │ └── logger.ts # Styled output
│ └── types/
├── bin/
│ └── cli.js # Executable
└── package.json
CLI Design Principles
| Principle |
Description |
| Subcommands |
Group related actions |
| Options |
Flags with defaults |
| Interactive |
Prompts when needed |
| Non-interactive |
Support --yes flags |
Key Components
| Component |
Purpose |
| Commander |
Command parsing |
| Inquirer |
Interactive prompts |
| Chalk |
Colored output |
| Ora |
Spinners/loading |
| Cosmiconfig |
Config file discovery |
Setup Steps
- Create project directory
npm init -y- Install deps:
npm install commander @inquirer/prompts chalk ora cosmiconfig
- Configure bin in package.json
npm link for local testing
Publishing
npm login
npm publish
Best Practices
- Provide helpful error messages
- Support both interactive and non-interactive modes
- Use consistent output styling
- Validate inputs with Zod
- Exit with proper codes (0 success, 1 error)
