Building CLI Tools That Users Love

Building CLI Tools That Users Love

Command-line tools are a developer’s best friend. A well-designed CLI can significantly improve productivity and developer experience. Here are some best practices.

Principle 1: Clear Help Text

Always provide comprehensive help documentation:

$ mytool --help
Usage: mytool [OPTIONS] [COMMAND]

A powerful CLI tool for developers

Commands:
  build    Build your project
  test     Run tests
  deploy   Deploy to production
  help     Print this message

Options:
  -h, --help     Print help
  -v, --version  Print version

Principle 2: Sensible Defaults

Users shouldn’t need to specify every option. Use smart defaults:

# Good - works with sensible defaults
$ mytool build

# Still flexible - can override defaults
$ mytool build --target release --jobs 8

Principle 3: Useful Error Messages

Error messages should guide users toward solutions:

Error: Config file not found at ~/.mytool/config.yaml

Did you mean to:
  1. Create a config: mytool init
  2. Specify a custom path: mytool --config /path/to/config.yaml

Principle 4: Progress Feedback

Long-running operations should provide feedback:

$ mytool deploy
[████████░░] Building... (60%)
[██████████] Testing... (100%)
[██████████] Deploying... (100%)
✓ Deployment successful

Tool Recommendations

• Rust: clap for argument parsing, indicatif for progress bars
• Python: click or typer for CLI frameworks
• Go: cobra or urfave/cli for CLI applications

Conclusion

Great CLI tools are invisible—users can accomplish their goals without thinking about the tool itself. Focus on clarity, consistency, and helpful feedback.