Anvil Terminal CLI/TUI Development

Problem

CLI/TUI tools often work in the happy path but fail when --help is weak, exit codes are arbitrary, pipes hang, or --json schemas drift. Anvil treats the terminal interface as a stable contract: command signatures, subcommands, flag conventions, environment variables, config formats, and machine-readable output should be deliberate.

How It Works

It starts by locking the BLUEPRINT command contract, then builds the skeleton, TTY-aware interaction, and failure paths.

• Command design: subcommands, flag conventions, --help, --version, and POSIX-style exit codes.
• TUI interaction: spinners, progress bars, tables, selection menus, with --no-color and non-TTY fallbacks.
• Automation compatibility: human-readable output by default; --json as a stable API contract; --no-prompt or --no-interactive for CI and agent execution.
• Toolchain integration: shell completion, config precedence, doctor checks, and Homebrew/deb/npm/cargo distribution paths.

Boundaries

Use it for CLI/TUI implementation and review, not for pure business logic, full CI orchestration, or extensive documentation. Confirm impact before changing existing command interfaces, adding dependencies, editing global configs, or introducing blocking interactive prompts.