Skip to content

CLI UX Linter

Audit your CLI --help output for discoverability, flag consistency, examples, and error guidance

CLI UX Linter

Live analysis

Paste your --help output to score discoverability, flags, examples, error guidance, and readability.

Overall score 89, 0 issues

Overall score
89
Discoverability
100
Flags & Options
80
Examples
95
Lines: 24
Commands: 9
Flags: 5
Examples: 7
No UX issues found. Your CLI help output looks strong.

Need scaffolding too? Generate a CLI from OpenAPI.

Updated . Provided as is. Check the output before you rely on it in production.

How to use CLI UX Linter

  1. 1

    Paste your CLI help output

    Copy your command's --help output (or docs snippet) into the editor. Include Usage, Commands, and Options sections for accurate linting.

  2. 2

    Set optional command context

    Add the command name (for example, mycli) so the linter can detect naming mismatches and context gaps.

  3. 3

    Run the UX audit instantly

    The tool scores discoverability, flag consistency, examples, error guidance, output clarity, and accessibility in real time.

  4. 4

    Apply quick fixes

    Review issue-by-issue before/after suggestions and prioritize high-severity fixes first to improve first-run user success.

  5. 5

    Export markdown report

    Copy the generated markdown report into your PR description or release checklist to track CLI UX quality over time.

Questions and answers

What does CLI UX Linter check?
CLI UX is how quickly people learn a command-line tool from its --help text: clear usage lines, consistent flags, examples and actionable errors. This linter scores pasted help output in six areas, discoverability, flags, examples, error guidance, output clarity and accessibility, with before and after fixes.
Can I lint docs instead of --help output?
Yes. You can paste CLI docs or README command sections. Results are best when your input includes Usage, Commands, and Options blocks.
Does this tool run my command?
No. It is text-only analysis in your browser. No command execution and no server-side processing.
Can I share lint results with my team?
Yes. Use the Copy Markdown action to export a report for pull requests, issue trackers, or release checklists.
How is this different from shellcheck?
shellcheck lints shell scripts. CLI UX Linter focuses on user-facing command ergonomics and help text clarity.
For AI agents: how to call this tool

Machine-readable contract, endpoints and examples. Humans can ignore this section.

Best Path For Builders

Browser workflow

Runs instantly in the browser with private local processing and copy/export-ready output.

Browser Workflow

This tool is optimized for instant in-browser execution with local data handling. Run it here and copy/export the output directly.

/cli-ux-linter/

For automation planning, fetch the canonical contract at /api/tool/cli-ux-linter.json.