What are the clig.dev guidelines?

clig.dev (Command Line Interface Guidelines) is an open-source guide that provides a set of principles for designing CLIs that prioritize human users while remaining machine-friendly for automation.

Can I use this for non-interactive automation?

Absolutely. One of the core principles is 'Simple Parts That Work Together,' which focuses on making commands composable for use in shell pipelines and automated workflows.

How does this skill help with error handling?

It provides templates for Nushell's 'error make' and 'try/catch' blocks, teaching you how to generate actionable error messages that guide the user toward a solution rather than just reporting a failure.

Does this skill only work for Nushell scripts?

While the core design principles are universal to all command-line interfaces, the specific code examples and implementation patterns provided by this skill are optimized for Nushell's syntax and structured data engine.

Nushell CLI Design Guidelines

Name: Nushell CLI Design Guidelines
Author: danielbodnar

bydanielbodnar

•

Developer Tools

Implements professional CLI design principles and best practices for creating robust, user-friendly Nushell scripts and tools.

This skill provides a comprehensive reference for building high-quality command-line interfaces within the Nushell ecosystem. By adapting the industry-standard clig.dev principles to Nushell's unique structured data paradigm, it helps developers create tools that are empathetic, discoverable, and robust. It guides users through implementing consistent flag patterns, helpful error messaging, interactive prompts, and human-first design, ensuring that custom scripts are as polished as professional software products.

Key Features

01Standardized flag and argument naming conventions

022 GitHub stars

03Robust error handling and exit code management

04Human-first design patterns for structured data

05Self-documenting help text and discovery patterns

06Interactive dialogue and progress tracking templates

Use Cases

01Building professional-grade internal DevOps tools using Nushell

02Refactoring existing CLI tools to improve user empathy and discoverability

03Standardizing the interface of a suite of custom automation scripts

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add danielbodnar/nushell-dev cli-guidelines

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill