CLI-Anything/cli-anything-plugin/QUICKSTART.md

Quick Start Guide

Get started with the cli-anything plugin in 5 minutes.

Installation

# Copy plugin to Claude Code plugins directory
cp -r /root/cli-anything/cli-anything-plugin ~/.claude/plugins/cli-anything

# Reload plugins in Claude Code
/reload-plugins

# Verify installation
/help cli-anything

Your First CLI Harness

Let's build a CLI for a simple GUI application:

# Build complete CLI harness for GIMP
/cli-anything gimp

This will:

1. ✅ Analyze GIMP's architecture
2. ✅ Design the CLI structure
3. ✅ Implement all core modules
4. ✅ Create test plan
5. ✅ Write and run tests
6. ✅ Document results
7. ✅ Create setup.py and install to PATH

Time: ~10-15 minutes (depending on complexity)

Output: /root/cli-anything/gimp/agent-harness/

Install the CLI

# Install to system PATH
cd /root/cli-anything/gimp/agent-harness
pip install -e .

# Verify it's in PATH
which cli-anything-gimp

# Use it from anywhere
cli-anything-gimp --help

Test the CLI

# Navigate to the CLI directory
cd /root/cli-anything/gimp/agent-harness

# Run the CLI directly (if installed)
cli-anything-gimp --help

# Or run as module
python3 -m cli_anything.gimp.gimp_cli --help

# Try creating a project
cli-anything-gimp project new --width 800 --height 600 -o test.json

# Enter REPL mode
cli-anything-gimp repl

Run Tests

# Run all tests
/cli-anything:test gimp

# Or manually
cd /root/cli-anything/gimp/agent-harness
python3 -m pytest cli_anything/gimp/tests/ -v

# Force tests to use the installed command (recommended for validation)
CLI_ANYTHING_FORCE_INSTALLED=1 python3 -m pytest cli_anything/gimp/tests/ -v -s
# Output should show: [_resolve_cli] Using installed command: /path/to/cli-anything-gimp

Validate Quality

# Check if CLI meets all standards
/cli-anything:validate gimp

Build Another CLI

# Build CLI for Blender (3D software)
/cli-anything blender

# Build CLI for Inkscape (vector graphics)
/cli-anything inkscape

# Build CLI for Audacity (audio editor)
/cli-anything audacity

Refining an Existing CLI

After the initial build, use the refine command to expand coverage:

# Broad refinement — agent finds gaps across all capabilities
/cli-anything:refine /home/user/obs-studio

# Focused refinement — target a specific functionality area
/cli-anything:refine /home/user/obs-studio "scene transitions and streaming profiles"

Common Workflows

Build and Test

/cli-anything /home/user/gimp
/cli-anything:test /home/user/gimp

Build, Validate, Test, Install

/cli-anything /home/user/blender
/cli-anything:validate /home/user/blender
/cli-anything:test /home/user/blender
cd /root/cli-anything/blender/agent-harness
pip install -e .
which cli-anything-blender

Refine After Initial Build

# Expand coverage with gap analysis
/cli-anything:refine /home/user/inkscape

# Focus on a specific area
/cli-anything:refine /home/user/inkscape "path boolean operations and clipping masks"

Troubleshooting

Plugin not found

# Check if plugin is in the right location
ls ~/.claude/plugins/cli-anything

# Reload plugins
/reload-plugins

Tests fail

# Check Python version (need 3.10+)
python3 --version

# Install dependencies
pip install click pytest pillow numpy

# Run validation
/cli-anything:validate <software>

CLI doesn't work

# Check if all files were created
ls /root/cli-anything/<software>/agent-harness/cli_anything/<software>/

# Verify Python can import
cd /root/cli-anything/<software>/agent-harness
python3 -c "import cli_anything.<software>"

# Check if installed to PATH
which cli-anything-<software>

# Reinstall if needed
pip install -e .

Publishing to PyPI

Once your CLI is ready:

cd /root/cli-anything/<software>/agent-harness

# Install build tools
pip install build twine

# Build distribution packages
python -m build

# Upload to PyPI (requires account)
twine upload dist/*

Users can then install (multiple CLIs coexist without conflicts):

pip install cli-anything-gimp cli-anything-blender
cli-anything-gimp --help
cli-anything-blender --help

Next Steps

1. Read the full README: cat README.md
2. Study an example: Explore /root/cli-anything/gimp/agent-harness/cli_anything/gimp/
3. Read HARNESS.md: Understand the methodology at ~/.claude/plugins/cli-anything/HARNESS.md
4. Build your own: Choose a GUI app and run /cli-anything <app-name>

Tips

• Start with simpler applications (GIMP, Inkscape) before complex ones (Blender, LibreOffice)
• Always run validation before considering a CLI complete
• Read the generated TEST.md to understand what's tested
• Use --json flag for machine-readable output
• REPL mode is great for interactive exploration
• Install CLIs to PATH for agent discoverability
• Publish to PyPI to share with the community

Help

# Get help on any command
/help cli-anything
/help cli-anything:refine
/help cli-anything:test
/help cli-anything:validate

# Or read the command docs
cat commands/cli-anything.md

Success!

You now have a powerful tool for building CLI harnesses for any GUI application. Happy building!