I treat CLI tools like tiny products. The faster someone gets to a win, the more likely they are to keep it around.

CLI intro

Habit 1: default to a useful output

If a command does nothing without flags, it feels broken. Give a helpful default and a short hint on what to do next.

Habit 2: make errors human

A short actionable message beats a stack trace every time.

Output snapshot

Habit 3: document what you learned

Every release gets a tiny note. This doubles as a reminder for future you.

CLI hero