cli-for-agents — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
Designs and audits terminal tools so coding agents can run commands headlessly without getting stuck in interactive menus.
npx skills add cursor/plugins --skill cli-for-agents -a claude-codeWhat cli-for-agents does
Standard terminal interfaces often assume a human sits at the keyboard. They ask questions or wait for arrow keys. An autonomous agent hangs when this happens. This skill establishes non-interactive patterns where every input accepts dedicated flags.
The rules focus on discoverability and actionable feedback. Each subcommand must provide its own --help screen with copy-pasteable execution examples. If a flag is missing, the tool must exit immediately with an exact fix rather than pausing for input.
Any CLI will break automated pipelines without idempotency and flags like --dry-run or --yes, because coding agents retry runs frequently. The guidance also enforces a consistent resource-verb layout alongside machine-readable output for identifiers and run durations.
What it helps with
- Design non-interactive flags for automated pipeline execution
- Add runnable examples to subcommand help messages
- Format actionable failure messages with correct flag syntax
- Protect workflows from breaking by adding idempotency and
--dry-run
Example prompts for the agent
- Review this CLI implementation so coding agents can use it safely
- Help me write the
--helpoutput with examples for the deploy command - Design command flags so our deployment tool runs without terminal prompts
How to install cli-for-agents
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add cursor/plugins --skill cli-for-agents -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/cli-for-agents/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/cli-for-agents/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add cursor/plugins --skill cli-for-agents -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/cli-for-agents/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add cursor/plugins --skill cli-for-agents -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/cli-for-agents/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install cursor/plugins cli-for-agents2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/cli-for-agents/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add cursor/plugins --skill cli-for-agents -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/cursor/plugins --path cli-for-agent/skills/cli-for-agentsManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/cli-for-agents/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add cursor/plugins --skill cli-for-agents -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about cli-for-agents
How do I install cli-for-agents in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add cursor/plugins --skill cli-for-agents -a claude-code in your terminal.
What does cli-for-agents do?
It provides architecture rules to create or review command-line tools that automated coding assistants can execute headlessly.
Why does the skill require idempotency?
Coding agents frequently retry commands when troubleshooting. Running the same command twice must avoid creating duplicate side effects.
