Agent skill · software engineering · sundial-org
create-cli
Design command-line interface parameters and UX: arguments, flags, subcommands, help text, output formats, error messages, exit codes, prompts, config/env precedence, and safe/dry-run behavior. Use when you’re designing a CLI spec (before implementation) or refactoring an existing CLI’s surface area for consistency, composability, and discoverability.
Why this skill is useful
Provides a structured approach to designing CLI specifications, including conventions and output formats that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-03-07. 639 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Create CLI Design CLI surface area (syntax + behavior), human-first, script-friendly. Do This First Read agent-scripts/skills/create-cli/references/cli-guidelines.md and apply it as the default rubric. Upstream/full guidelines: https://clig.dev/ (propose changes: https://github.com/cli-guidelines/cli-guidelines) Ask only the minimum clarifying questions needed to lock the interface. Clarify (fast) Ask, then proceed with best-guess defaults if user is unsure: Command name + one-sentence purpose. Primary user: humans, scripts, or both. Input sources: args vs stdin; files vs URLs; secrets (never via flags). Output contract: human text, --json, --plain, exit codes. Interactivity: prompts allowed? need --no-input? confirmations for destructive ops? Config model: flags/env/config-file; precedence; XDG vs repo-local. Platform/runtime constraints: macOS/Linux/Windows; single binary vs runtime. Deliverables (what to output) When designing a CLI, produce a compact spec the user can implement: Command tree + USAGE synopsis. Args/flags table (types, defaults, required/optional, examples). Subcommand semantics (what each does; idempotence; state changes). Output rules: stdout vs stderr; TTY detection; --json/--plain; --quiet/--verbose. Error + exit code map (top failure modes). Safety rules: --dry-run, confirmations, --force, --no-input. Config/env rules + precedence (flags > env > project config > user config > system). Shell completion story (if relevant): install/discoverability; generation command or bundled scripts. 5–10 example invocations (common flows; include piped/stdin examples). Default Conventions (unless user says otherwise) -h/--help always shows help and ignores other args. --version prints version to stdout. Primary data to stdout; diagnostics/errors to stderr. Add --json for machine output; consider --plain for stable line-based text. Prompts only when stdin is a TTY; --no-input disables prompts. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills sundial-org/create-cli