Does it handle environment variable documentation?

Yes, it provides patterns for documenting variable precedence, default values, and standard conventions like the NO_COLOR standard.

Can it help with GNU-style options?

Absolutely. It includes rules for lowercase hyphen-separated long options and standard short-option letter assignments common in the GNU ecosystem.

Does this skill support POSIX standards?

Yes, it strictly adheres to POSIX utility conventions for usage lines and notation, such as using brackets for optional items and angle brackets for required placeholders.

Why are examples important in CLI help text?

Examples are the highest-ROI part of help text because users jump to them first. This skill ensures your help text includes real-world scenarios with comments rather than just generic syntax.

CLI Help Text Patterns

Name: CLI Help Text Patterns
Author: HermeticOrmus

byHermeticOrmus

0•

Content Management

Standardizes CLI help text through POSIX-compliant usage lines, GNU option conventions, and consistent documentation formatting.

This skill empowers Claude to design and implement professional command-line interface (CLI) help screens that follow industry standards like POSIX and GNU. It provides specific guidance on usage line notation, short/long option naming conventions, alignment rules, and essential sections like examples, environment variables, and exit codes. Whether you are building a new tool from scratch or refactoring an existing utility, this skill ensures your CLI is intuitive, discoverable, and follows the best practices used by the world's most successful terminal applications.

Key Features

01Standardized documentation for defaults, required flags, and environment variables

020 GitHub stars

03GNU long option rules and standard short option letter mappings

04Structured exit code mapping and subcommand help patterns

05POSIX-compliant usage line notation and conventions

06Automated alignment and formatting for option descriptions

Use Cases

01Building a user-friendly help interface for a new CLI application

02Refactoring cryptic or inconsistent legacy CLI help screens

03Standardizing documentation across a suite of command-line tools

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add hermeticormus/librecopy-claude-code cli-help-patterns

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Key Features

01Standardized documentation for defaults, required flags, and environment variables

020 GitHub stars

03GNU long option rules and standard short option letter mappings

04Structured exit code mapping and subcommand help patterns

05POSIX-compliant usage line notation and conventions

06Automated alignment and formatting for option descriptions

Use Cases

01Building a user-friendly help interface for a new CLI application

02Refactoring cryptic or inconsistent legacy CLI help screens

03Standardizing documentation across a suite of command-line tools

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add hermeticormus/librecopy-claude-code cli-help-patterns

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT