cli-developer

1# CLI Developer
2 
3## Core Workflow
4 
51. **Analyze UX** — Identify user workflows, command hierarchy, common tasks. Validate by listing all commands and their expected `--help` output before writing code.
62. **Design commands** — Plan subcommands, flags, arguments, configuration. Confirm flag naming is consistent and no existing signatures are broken.
73. **Implement** — Build with the appropriate CLI framework for the language (see Reference Guide below). After wiring up commands, run `<cli> --help` to verify help text renders correctly and `<cli> --version` to confirm version output.
84. **Polish** — Add completions, help text, error messages, progress indicators. Verify TTY detection for color output and graceful SIGINT handling.
95. **Test** — Run cross-platform smoke tests; benchmark startup time (target: <50ms).
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11## Reference Guide
12 
13Load detailed guidance based on context:
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15| Topic | Reference | Load When |
16|-------|-----------|-----------|
17| Design Patterns | `references/design-patterns.md` | Subcommands, flags, config, architecture |
18| Node.js CLIs | `references/node-cli.md` | commander, yargs, inquirer, chalk |
19| Python CLIs | `references/python-cli.md` | click, typer, argparse, rich |
20| Go CLIs | `references/go-cli.md` | cobra, viper, bubbletea |
21| UX Patterns | `references/ux-patterns.md` | Progress bars, colors, help text |
22 
23## Quick-Start Example
24 
25### Node.js (commander)
26 
27```js
28#!/usr/bin/env node
29// npm install commander
30const { program } = require('commander');
31…