{"library":"shtab","title":"Automagic shell tab completion for Python CLI applications","description":"shtab is a Python library that automatically generates shell tab completion scripts for command-line interface (CLI) applications. It processes an `argparse.ArgumentParser` object to produce completion scripts for `bash`, `zsh`, and `tcsh`. It aims for speed and correctness, avoiding the side-effects and performance issues of alternatives like `argcomplete` and `pyzshcomplete`. As of version 1.8.0, it is actively maintained by Iterative AI, with its development often driven by the needs of projects like DVC, but designed for general-purpose use.","language":"python","status":"active","last_verified":"Wed May 20","install":{"commands":["pip install shtab"],"cli":{"name":"shtab","version":"shtab 1.8.0"}},"imports":["import shtab; shtab.complete(...)","import shtab; shtab.add_argument(parser, ...)"],"auth":{"required":false,"env_vars":[]},"quickstart":{"code":"import argparse\nimport shtab\nimport os\n\ndef get_main_parser():\n    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(prog='mycli', description='A simple CLI tool')\n    parser.add_argument('--auth-key', type=str, default=os.environ.get('MYCLI_AUTH_KEY', ''), help='Authentication key')\n    parser.add_argument('--output', '-o', choices=['json', 'yaml', 'text'], default='text', help='Output format')\n    parser.add_argument('command', choices=['status', 'run', 'config'], help='Command to execute')\n    return parser\n\nif __name__ == '__main__':\n    parser = get_main_parser()\n    \n    # Integrate shtab for completion. This creates a hidden argument like --print-completion\n    shtab.add_argument(parser, shells=['bash', 'zsh', 'tcsh'])\n    \n    args = parser.parse_args()\n\n    # Example of how a user would generate and install completion:\n    # mycli --print-completion bash > ~/.bashrc.d/mycli.bash-completion\n    # source ~/.bashrc.d/mycli.bash-completion\n    \n    print(f\"Running command: {args.command}\")\n    if args.auth_key:\n        print(\"Auth key provided.\")\n    else:\n        print(\"No auth key provided.\")\n    print(f\"Output format: {args.output}\")","lang":"python","description":"This quickstart demonstrates how to integrate `shtab` into an `argparse`-based CLI application. By calling `shtab.add_argument(parser)`, a hidden argument (e.g., `--print-completion`) is added to your parser, allowing users to generate completion scripts for their shell. Users would then run `python your_script.py --print-completion bash` to get the script and install it according to their shell's instructions (e.g., sourcing it in their `.bashrc`). The example includes common argparse features like choices and environment variable defaults.","tag":null,"tag_description":null,"last_tested":"2026-04-25","results":[{"runtime":"python:3.10-alpine","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.10-slim","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.11-alpine","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.11-slim","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.12-alpine","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.12-slim","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.13-alpine","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.13-slim","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.9-alpine","exit_code":1},{"runtime":"python:3.9-slim","exit_code":1}]},"compatibility":{"tag":null,"tag_description":null,"last_tested":"2026-05-20","installed_version":"1.8.0","pypi_latest":"1.8.0","is_stale":false,"summary":{"python_range":"3.10–3.9","success_rate":50,"avg_install_s":1.6,"avg_import_s":null,"wheel_type":"wheel"},"results":[{"runtime":"python:3.10-alpine","python_version":"3.10","os_libc":"alpine 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