cli

1.0.1 verified Sat Apr 25 auth: no javascript maintenance

A full-featured command-line application toolkit for Node.js (v1.0.1, latest, infrequently updated). Provides argument parsing, plugin support, colored output, progress bars, spinners, auto-completion, and stdin helpers. Differentiates from yargs and commander by its inclusive feature set and mature legacy API.

Common errors

error TypeError: cli.withStdin is not a function ↓

cause Attempting to call withStdin without requiring cli correctly.

fix

const cli = require('cli'); then cli.withStdin(...)

error Error: Cannot find module 'cli' ↓

cause Missing npm install or incorrect require path.

fix

Run 'npm install cli' and ensure it is in node_modules.

error ReferenceError: cli is not defined ↓

cause Trying to use cli without requiring it.

fix

Add 'const cli = require('cli');' at the top.

Warnings

gotcha The package is old and uses CommonJS only; there is no ESM version. ↓

fix Use require('cli') instead of import.

gotcha The default export is a function; calling require('cli')() is incorrect. ↓

fix Assign to a variable and use its methods.

deprecated The package is not actively maintained; newer alternatives like yargs or commander exist. ↓

fix Consider migrating to a maintained library.

gotcha Auto-completion feature may not work in all environments. ↓

fix Test on target shells.

Install

npm install cli

yarn add cli

pnpm add cli

Imports

cli
```
const cli = require('cli')
```
CommonJS only; this package predates ESM and has no ESM entry.

cli.parse

wrong

const { parse } = require('cli'); parse(options)

correct

cli.parse(options)

Main module is a function; parse is a method on it.

cli.withStdin
wrong
```
withStdin(callback)
```
correct
```
cli.withStdin(callback)
```
Must be called on the cli object.

Quickstart

Shows parsing CLI arguments with descriptions and defaults, then processing stdin lines and using parsed options.

const cli = require('cli');

cli.parse({
  file: ['f', 'A file to process', 'file', 'temp.log'],
  time: ['t', 'An access time', 'time', false],
  work: [false, 'What kind of work to do', 'string', 'sleep']
});

cli.withStdinLines((lines, newline) => {
  if (cli.options.file) {
    cli.output(`File option: ${cli.options.file}`);
  }
  cli.output(lines.join(newline));
});