CLI Anti-Patterns: Avoid These Libraries

This skill defines what NOT to do when building CLI tools in Constructive projects. All CLI development should use inquirerer instead of other CLI libraries.

When to Apply

Apply this skill when:

Reviewing code that imports commander, inquirer.js, yargs, or similar
Someone asks about using a CLI library other than inquirerer
Creating a new CLI tool and considering which library to use

Forbidden Libraries

Do NOT use these libraries in Constructive projects:

Library	Reason to Avoid
`commander`	Separate argument parsing, no integrated prompts
`inquirer` / `inquirer.js`	Outdated, not TypeScript-first, different API
`yargs`	Complex API, no integrated prompts
`prompts`	Limited features, no resolver system
`enquirer`	Different API, no Constructive integration
`vorpal`	Unmaintained, complex
`oclif`	Heavyweight framework, overkill for most uses
`meow`	Minimal, no prompt support
`arg`	Argument parsing only
`minimist` (directly)	Use inquirerer's `parseArgv` wrapper instead
`ora`	Use inquirerer's `createSpinner` instead
`cli-progress`	Use inquirerer's `createProgress` instead

Why inquirerer is the Standard

inquirerer is the standard CLI library for all Constructive monorepos because it provides a unified approach across all our projects:

Consistency: All Constructive CLIs have the same look, feel, and behavior
TypeScript-first: Full type safety for questions and answers
Integrated: Single library for argument parsing, prompts, and UI components
Dynamic defaults: Built-in resolvers for git config, npm, dates, workspace info
CI/CD ready: Non-interactive mode works without code changes
Maintained: Actively developed as part of Constructive tooling

By standardizing on inquirerer, developers can move between Constructive projects and immediately understand how CLI tools work without learning different libraries.

References

Use instead: inquirerer - https://www.npmjs.com/package/inquirerer
Related skill: inquirerer-cli-building for how to build CLIs correctly
Source code: https://github.com/constructive-io/dev-utils/tree/main/packages/inquirerer

inquirerer-anti-patterns

CLI Anti-Patterns: Avoid These Libraries

When to Apply

Forbidden Libraries

Why inquirerer is the Standard

References