Agent skill
commander-js-scaffolder
Generate Commander.js CLI project structure with TypeScript, commands, options, and best practices. Creates a complete scaffolded CLI application ready for development.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/a5c-ai/babysitter/tree/main/library/specializations/cli-mcp-development/skills/commander-js-scaffolder
SKILL.md
Commander.js Scaffolder
Generate a complete Commander.js CLI application with TypeScript, proper project structure, and best practices.
Capabilities
- Generate TypeScript-based Commander.js CLI projects
- Create command structure with subcommands and options
- Set up proper argument parsing with type coercion
- Configure help text generation
- Implement version management
- Set up build and development workflows
Usage
Invoke this skill when you need to:
- Bootstrap a new CLI application using Commander.js
- Create a TypeScript CLI with proper structure
- Set up command hierarchies with subcommands
- Configure CLI options and arguments
Inputs
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| projectName | string | Yes | Name of the CLI project (kebab-case) |
| description | string | Yes | Short description of the CLI |
| commands | array | No | List of commands to scaffold |
| typescript | boolean | No | Use TypeScript (default: true) |
| packageManager | string | No | npm, yarn, or pnpm (default: npm) |
Command Structure
{
"commands": [
{
"name": "init",
"description": "Initialize a new project",
"options": [
{ "flags": "-t, --template <name>", "description": "Template to use" },
{ "flags": "-f, --force", "description": "Overwrite existing files" }
],
"arguments": [
{ "name": "<directory>", "description": "Target directory" }
]
}
]
}
Output Structure
<projectName>/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── .gitignore
├── README.md
├── src/
│ ├── index.ts # Entry point with shebang
│ ├── cli.ts # Main CLI setup
│ ├── commands/
│ │ ├── index.ts # Command exports
│ │ └── <command>.ts # Individual commands
│ ├── utils/
│ │ ├── logger.ts # Logging utilities
│ │ └── config.ts # Configuration helpers
│ └── types/
│ └── index.ts # Type definitions
├── bin/
│ └── <projectName> # Compiled binary entry
└── tests/
└── commands/
└── <command>.test.ts
Generated Code Patterns
Main CLI Entry (src/cli.ts)
import { Command } from 'commander';
import { version } from '../package.json';
const program = new Command();
program
.name('<projectName>')
.description('<description>')
.version(version, '-v, --version', 'Display version number');
// Register commands
program.addCommand(initCommand);
program.addCommand(buildCommand);
// Global options
program
.option('-d, --debug', 'Enable debug mode')
.option('-q, --quiet', 'Suppress output');
// Error handling
program.exitOverride();
try {
program.parse();
} catch (err) {
// Handle gracefully
}
Command Template (src/commands/.ts)
import { Command } from 'commander';
export const <name>Command = new Command('<name>')
.description('<description>')
.argument('<required>', 'Required argument description')
.argument('[optional]', 'Optional argument description')
.option('-o, --option <value>', 'Option description', 'default')
.action(async (required, optional, options) => {
// Command implementation
});
Dependencies
{
"dependencies": {
"commander": "^12.0.0"
},
"devDependencies": {
"@types/node": "^20.0.0",
"typescript": "^5.0.0",
"tsx": "^4.0.0",
"vitest": "^1.0.0"
}
}
Workflow
- Validate inputs - Check project name, commands structure
- Create directory structure - Set up folders and base files
- Generate package.json - Configure project metadata and scripts
- Generate tsconfig.json - TypeScript configuration
- Create CLI entry point - Main program setup
- Generate commands - Individual command files
- Create utilities - Logger, config helpers
- Set up tests - Test structure for commands
- Initialize git - Optional git initialization
Best Practices Applied
- TypeScript strict mode enabled
- Proper error handling with exitOverride
- Consistent command naming conventions
- Help text formatting standards
- Version flag configuration
- Debug/verbose mode support
- Graceful error messages
References
- Commander.js Documentation: https://github.com/tj/commander.js
- Commander.js Examples: https://github.com/tj/commander.js/tree/master/examples
- Node.js CLI Best Practices: https://clig.dev/
Target Processes
- cli-application-bootstrap
- cli-command-structure-design
- argument-parser-setup
Recommended Agent Skills
Expand your agent's capabilities with these related and highly-rated skills.
gsd-tools
Central utility skill for GSD operations. Provides config parsing, slug generation, timestamps, path operations, and orchestrates calls to other specialized skills. Acts as the unified entry point that the original gsd-tools.cjs provided via its lib/ modules (commands, config, core, init).
model-profile-resolution
Resolve model profile (quality/balanced/budget) at orchestration start and map agents to specific models. Enables cost/quality tradeoffs by selecting appropriate AI models for each agent role.
verification-suite
Plan structure validation, phase completeness checks, reference integrity verification, and artifact existence confirmation. Provides the structured verification layer ensuring GSD artifacts are well-formed and complete.
state-management
STATE.md reading, writing, and field-level updates. Provides cross-session state persistence via .planning/STATE.md with structured fields for current task, completed phases, blockers, decisions, and quick tasks.
git-integration
Git commit patterns, formats, and conventions for GSD methodology. Provides atomic commits per task, structured commit messages, planning file commits, branch management, and milestone tag operations.
frontmatter-parsing
YAML frontmatter parsing and manipulation for .planning/ documents. Provides read, write, update, query, and validation operations on frontmatter blocks in GSD markdown artifacts.
Didn't find tool you were looking for?