# cli-demo-generator

Records terminal commands through VHS and hands back an animated GIF. Useful for README demos and CLI documentation.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 942 installs · ★ 1493
- Author: daymade
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/daymade/claude-code-skills/tree/HEAD/cli-demo-generator/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-25
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/cli-demo-generator

## What it does

The skill drives VHS, a tool that plays a tape file and captures the terminal as a GIF. You supply the commands, it writes the file. Four routes in: automated generation with `auto_generate_demo.py`, batch builds from a YAML config, interactive recording of a live session, and a hand-written tape when you want frame-level control.

Inside are Python scripts and tape templates. Automated generation picks its own pauses: 3 seconds for `install`, `build`, `test` and `deploy`, one second for `ls`, `pwd` and `echo`. Flags cover theme, font size, terminal width and height, plus `--bootstrap` for hidden setup and `--filter` to strip noisy output lines.

The VHS parser is where things break. `Type` strings reject `$`, `\"` and backticks, so any command carrying those has to be base64-encoded and decoded inside the tape. VHS itself is required (`brew install charmbracelet/tap/vhs`); gifsicle, asciinema and ffmpeg are optional, for speeding up a recording, capturing a live session and checking frames.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add daymade/claude-code-skills --skill cli-demo-generator -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/cli-demo-generator/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/cli-demo-generator/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add daymade/claude-code-skills --skill cli-demo-generator -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/cli-demo-generator/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add daymade/claude-code-skills --skill cli-demo-generator -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/cli-demo-generator/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install daymade/claude-code-skills cli-demo-generator
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/cli-demo-generator/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add daymade/claude-code-skills --skill cli-demo-generator -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/daymade/claude-code-skills --path cli-demo-generator
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/cli-demo-generator/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add daymade/claude-code-skills --skill cli-demo-generator -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/daymade/claude-code-skills/tree/HEAD/cli-demo-generator/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- record a package install and build into one README GIF
- generate several demos from a single YAML config
- keep environment setup out of the viewer's sight
- strip noisy progress lines from command output
- speed up an existing recording without re-recording

## Example prompts
- Make a GIF demo: run `npm install my-package`, then `npm run build`, save it as `demo.gif`
- Record an interactive terminal session to `output.gif` with the Catppuccin Latte theme
- Build the demos from `demos.yaml` into `./gifs`

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 5d79c318b7592cb2.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 5d79c318b7592cb2
````text
---
name: cli-demo-generator
description: >-
  Generates professional animated CLI demos as GIFs using VHS terminal recordings. Use to create
  terminal demos, record CLI workflows as GIFs, generate animated documentation, build demo tapes
  for README files, or showcase any command-line tool visually: record terminal / VHS tape / demo
  GIF / animate my CLI.
---

# CLI Demo Generator

Create professional animated CLI demos. Four approaches, from fully automated to pixel-precise manual control.

## Quick Start

**Simplest path** — give commands, get GIF:

```bash
python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/auto_generate_demo.py \
  -c "npm install my-package" \
  -c "npm run build" \
  -o demo.gif
```

**Self-bootstrapping demo** — for repeatable recordings that clean their own state:

```bash
python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/auto_generate_demo.py \
  -c "npm install my-package" \
  -c "npm run build" \
  -o demo.gif \
  --bootstrap "npm uninstall my-package 2>/dev/null" \
  --speed 2
```

## Critical: VHS Parser Limitations

VHS `Type` strings cannot contain `$`, `\"`, or backticks. These cause parse errors:

```tape
# FAILS — VHS parser rejects special chars
Type "echo \"hello $USER\""
Type "claude() { command claude \"$@\"; }"
```

**Workaround: base64 encode the command**, decode at runtime:

```bash
# 1. Encode your complex command
echo 'claude() { command claude "$@" 2>&1 | grep -v "noise"; }' | base64
# Output: Y2xhdWRlKCkgey4uLn0K

# 2. Use in tape
Type "echo Y2xhdWRlKCkgey4uLn0K | base64 -d > /tmp/wrapper.sh && source /tmp/wrapper.sh"
```

This pattern is essential for output filtering, function definitions, and any command with shell special characters.

## Approaches

### 1. Automated Generation (Recommended)

```bash
python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/auto_generate_demo.py \
  -c "command1" -c "command2" \
  -o output.gif \
  --title "My Demo" \
  --theme "Catppuccin Latte" \
  --font-size 24 \
  --width 1400 --height 600
```

| Flag | Default | Description |
|------|---------|-------------|
| `-c` | required | Command to include (repeatable) |
| `-o` | required | Output GIF path |
| `--title` | none | Title shown at start |
| `--theme` | Dracula | VHS theme name |
| `--font-size` | 16 | Font size in pt |
| `--width` | 1400 | Terminal width px |
| `--height` | 700 | Terminal height px |
| `--bootstrap` | none | Hidden setup command (repeatable) |
| `--filter` | none | Regex pattern to filter from output |
| `--speed` | 1 | Playback speed multiplier (uses gifsicle) |
| `--no-execute` | false | Generate .tape only |
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 5d79c318b7592cb2

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 5d79c318b7592cb2 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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