@alcyone-labs/arg-parser 1.2.0 → 2.0.0

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Files changed (59) hide show
  1. package/README.md +456 -1301
  2. package/dist/assets/.dxtignore.template +38 -0
  3. package/dist/assets/logo_1_small.jpg +0 -0
  4. package/dist/assets/tsdown.dxt.config.ts +37 -0
  5. package/dist/index.cjs +5871 -3847
  6. package/dist/index.cjs.map +1 -1
  7. package/dist/index.min.mjs +9877 -7956
  8. package/dist/index.min.mjs.map +1 -1
  9. package/dist/index.mjs +5854 -3838
  10. package/dist/index.mjs.map +1 -1
  11. package/dist/src/config/ConfigurationManager.d.ts +74 -0
  12. package/dist/src/config/ConfigurationManager.d.ts.map +1 -0
  13. package/dist/src/config/plugins/ConfigPlugin.d.ts +60 -0
  14. package/dist/src/config/plugins/ConfigPlugin.d.ts.map +1 -0
  15. package/dist/src/config/plugins/ConfigPluginRegistry.d.ts +72 -0
  16. package/dist/src/config/plugins/ConfigPluginRegistry.d.ts.map +1 -0
  17. package/dist/src/config/plugins/TomlConfigPlugin.d.ts +30 -0
  18. package/dist/src/config/plugins/TomlConfigPlugin.d.ts.map +1 -0
  19. package/dist/src/config/plugins/YamlConfigPlugin.d.ts +29 -0
  20. package/dist/src/config/plugins/YamlConfigPlugin.d.ts.map +1 -0
  21. package/dist/src/config/plugins/index.d.ts +5 -0
  22. package/dist/src/config/plugins/index.d.ts.map +1 -0
  23. package/dist/src/core/ArgParser.d.ts +332 -0
  24. package/dist/src/core/ArgParser.d.ts.map +1 -0
  25. package/dist/src/{ArgParserBase.d.ts → core/ArgParserBase.d.ts} +84 -3
  26. package/dist/src/core/ArgParserBase.d.ts.map +1 -0
  27. package/dist/src/core/FlagManager.d.ts.map +1 -0
  28. package/dist/src/{types.d.ts → core/types.d.ts} +29 -0
  29. package/dist/src/core/types.d.ts.map +1 -0
  30. package/dist/src/dxt/DxtGenerator.d.ts +115 -0
  31. package/dist/src/dxt/DxtGenerator.d.ts.map +1 -0
  32. package/dist/src/index.d.ts +10 -6
  33. package/dist/src/index.d.ts.map +1 -1
  34. package/dist/src/mcp/ArgParserMcp.d.ts +21 -0
  35. package/dist/src/mcp/ArgParserMcp.d.ts.map +1 -0
  36. package/dist/src/mcp/mcp-integration.d.ts +83 -0
  37. package/dist/src/mcp/mcp-integration.d.ts.map +1 -0
  38. package/dist/src/mcp/mcp-notifications.d.ts +138 -0
  39. package/dist/src/mcp/mcp-notifications.d.ts.map +1 -0
  40. package/dist/src/mcp/mcp-prompts.d.ts +132 -0
  41. package/dist/src/mcp/mcp-prompts.d.ts.map +1 -0
  42. package/dist/src/mcp/mcp-resources.d.ts +133 -0
  43. package/dist/src/mcp/mcp-resources.d.ts.map +1 -0
  44. package/dist/src/testing/fuzzy-test-cli.d.ts +5 -0
  45. package/dist/src/testing/fuzzy-test-cli.d.ts.map +1 -0
  46. package/dist/src/{fuzzy-tester.d.ts → testing/fuzzy-tester.d.ts} +1 -1
  47. package/dist/src/testing/fuzzy-tester.d.ts.map +1 -0
  48. package/package.json +31 -17
  49. package/dist/src/ArgParser.d.ts +0 -148
  50. package/dist/src/ArgParser.d.ts.map +0 -1
  51. package/dist/src/ArgParserBase.d.ts.map +0 -1
  52. package/dist/src/FlagManager.d.ts.map +0 -1
  53. package/dist/src/fuzzy-test-cli.d.ts +0 -5
  54. package/dist/src/fuzzy-test-cli.d.ts.map +0 -1
  55. package/dist/src/fuzzy-tester.d.ts.map +0 -1
  56. package/dist/src/mcp-integration.d.ts +0 -31
  57. package/dist/src/mcp-integration.d.ts.map +0 -1
  58. package/dist/src/types.d.ts.map +0 -1
  59. /package/dist/src/{FlagManager.d.ts → core/FlagManager.d.ts} +0 -0
package/README.md CHANGED
@@ -1,1499 +1,655 @@
1
1
  # ArgParser - Type-Safe Command Line Argument Parser
2
2
 
3
- ArgParser is a powerful and flexible library for building command-line interfaces (CLIs) in TypeScript and JavaScript. It helps you define, parse, validate, and handle command-line arguments and sub-commands in a structured, type-safe way.
3
+ A modern, type-safe command line argument parser with built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration and automatic Claude Desktop Extension (DXT) generation.
4
+
5
+ ## Table of Contents
6
+
7
+ - [Features Overview](#features-overview)
8
+ - [Installation](#installation)
9
+ - [Quick Start: The Unified `addTool` API](#quick-start-the-unified-addtool-api)
10
+ - [How to Run It](#how-to-run-it)
11
+ - [Setting Up System-Wide CLI Access](#setting-up-system-wide-cli-access)
12
+ - [Parsing Command-Line Arguments](#parsing-command-line-arguments)
13
+ - [Cannonical Usage Pattern](#cannonical-usage-pattern)
14
+ - [Top-level await](#top-level-await)
15
+ - [Promise-based parsing](#promise-based-parsing)
16
+ - [Migrating from v1.x to the v2.0 `addTool` API](#migrating-from-v1x-to-the-v20-addtool-api)
17
+ - [Before v2.0: Separate Definitions](#before-v20-separate-definitions)
18
+ - [After v2.0: The Unified `addTool()` Method](#after-v20-the-unified-addtool-method)
19
+ - [Core Concepts](#core-concepts)
20
+ - [Defining Flags](#defining-flags)
21
+ - [Type Handling and Validation](#type-handling-and-validation)
22
+ - [Hierarchical CLIs (Sub-Commands)](#hierarchical-clis-sub-commands)
23
+ - [MCP Exposure Control](#mcp-exposure-control)
24
+ - [Flag Inheritance (`inheritParentFlags`)](#flag-inheritance-inheritparentflags)
25
+ - [MCP & Claude Desktop Integration](#mcp--claude-desktop-integration)
26
+ - [Automatic MCP Server Mode (`--s-mcp-serve`)](#automatic-mcp-server-mode---s-mcp-serve)
27
+ - [MCP Transports](#mcp-transports)
28
+ - [Automatic Console Safety](#automatic-console-safety)
29
+ - [Generating DXT Packages (`--s-build-dxt`)](#generating-dxt-packages---s-build-dxt)
30
+ - [Logo Configuration](#logo-configuration)
31
+ - [How DXT Generation Works](#how-dxt-generation-works)
32
+ - [System Flags & Configuration](#system-flags--configuration)
33
+ - [Changelog](#changelog)
34
+ - [Backlog](#backlog)
35
+
36
+ ## Features Overview
37
+
38
+ - **Unified Tool Architecture**: Define tools once with `addTool()` and they automatically function as both CLI subcommands and MCP tools.
39
+ - **Type-safe flag definitions** with full TypeScript support and autocompletion.
40
+ - **Automatic MCP Integration**: Transform any CLI into a compliant MCP server with a single command (`--s-mcp-serve`).
41
+ - **Console Safe**: `console.log` and other methods
42
+ are automatically handled in MCP mode to prevent protocol contamination, requiring no changes to your code.
43
+ - **DXT Package Generation**: Generate complete, ready-to-install Claude Desktop Extension (`.dxt`) packages with the `--s-build-dxt` command.
44
+ - **Hierarchical Sub-commands**: Create complex, nested sub-command structures (e.g., `git commit`, `docker container ls`) with flag inheritance.
45
+ - **Configuration Management**: Easily load (`--s-with-env`) and save (`--s-save-to-env`) configurations from/to `.env`, `.json`, `.yaml`, and `.toml` files.
46
+ - **Automatic Help & Error Handling**: Context-aware help text and user-friendly error messages are generated automatically.
47
+ - **Debugging Tools**: Built-in system flags like `--s-debug` and `--s-debug-print` for easy troubleshooting.
4
48
 
5
- Whether you're building a simple script, a complex nested CLI application, or an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, ArgParser provides the tools to create robust and user-friendly interfaces with minimal boilerplate.
6
-
7
- ## What's New in v1.2.0
8
-
9
- ### **Critical MCP Fixes & Improvements**
10
-
11
- - **Fixed MCP Output Schema Support**: Resolved the critical issue where MCP tools with output schemas failed with `"Tool has an output schema but no structured content was provided"` error
12
- - **Enhanced Handler Context**: Added `isMcp` flag to handler context, enabling proper MCP mode detection in handlers
13
- - **Improved Response Format**: MCP tools now correctly return both `content` and `structuredContent` fields as required by the JSON-RPC 2.0 specification
14
- - **Better Integration**: Handlers can now reliably detect when they're being called from MCP mode vs CLI mode
49
+ ---
15
50
 
16
- ### **What Was Fixed**
51
+ ## Installation
17
52
 
18
- **Before v1.2.0**: MCP servers would fail when tools had output schemas defined:
19
- ```
20
- MCP error -32602: Tool canny-search has an output schema but no structured content was provided
53
+ ```bash
54
+ # Using PNPM (recommended)
55
+ pnpm add @alcyone-labs/arg-parser
21
56
  ```
22
57
 
23
- **After v1.2.0**: MCP tools with output schemas work correctly, returning proper JSON-RPC 2.0 responses:
24
- ```json
25
- {
26
- "jsonrpc": "2.0",
27
- "id": 3,
28
- "result": {
29
- "content": [{"type": "text", "text": "..."}],
30
- "structuredContent": { /* validated against output schema */ }
31
- }
32
- }
33
- ```
58
+ ---
34
59
 
35
- ### **Handler Context Enhancement**
60
+ ## Quick Start: The Unified `addTool` API
36
61
 
37
- Handlers now receive an `isMcp` flag to detect execution context:
62
+ The modern way to build with ArgParser is using the `.addTool()` method. It creates a single, self-contained unit that works as both a CLI subcommand and an MCP tool.
38
63
 
39
64
  ```typescript
65
+ import { ArgParser } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
66
+
67
+ // Use ArgParser.withMcp to enable MCP and DXT features
40
68
  const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
41
- handler: async (ctx) => {
42
- if (ctx.isMcp) {
43
- // Running in MCP mode - return structured data
44
- return { success: true, data: processedData };
45
- } else {
46
- // Running in CLI mode - can use console output
47
- console.log("Processing complete!");
48
- return processedData;
49
- }
69
+ appName: "My Awesome CLI",
70
+ appCommandName: "mycli",
71
+ description: "A tool that works in both CLI and MCP mode",
72
+ mcp: {
73
+ serverInfo: { name: "my-awesome-mcp-server", version: "1.0.0" },
74
+ },
75
+ })
76
+ // Define a tool that works everywhere
77
+ .addTool({
78
+ name: "greet",
79
+ description: "A tool to greet someone",
80
+ flags: [
81
+ {
82
+ name: "name",
83
+ type: "string",
84
+ mandatory: true,
85
+ options: ["--name"],
86
+ description: "Name to greet",
87
+ },
88
+ {
89
+ name: "style",
90
+ type: "string",
91
+ enum: ["formal", "casual"],
92
+ defaultValue: "casual",
93
+ description: "Greeting style",
94
+ },
95
+ ],
96
+ handler: async (ctx) => {
97
+ // Use console.log freely - it's automatically safe in MCP mode!
98
+ console.log(`Greeting ${ctx.args.name} in a ${ctx.args.style} style...`);
99
+
100
+ const greeting =
101
+ ctx.args.style === "formal"
102
+ ? `Good day, ${ctx.args.name}.`
103
+ : `Hey ${ctx.args.name}!`;
104
+
105
+ console.log(greeting);
106
+ return { success: true, greeting, name: ctx.args.name };
107
+ },
108
+ });
109
+
110
+ // parse() is async and works with both sync and async handlers
111
+ async function main() {
112
+ try {
113
+ await cli.parse(process.argv.slice(2));
114
+ } catch (error) {
115
+ console.error("Error:", error.message);
116
+ process.exit(1);
50
117
  }
51
- });
52
- ```
118
+ }
53
119
 
54
- ## What's New in v1.1.0
120
+ main();
55
121
 
56
- ### **Major Features**
122
+ // Export if you want to test, use the CLI programmatically
123
+ // or use the --s-enable-fuzzing system flag to run fuzzy tests on your CLI
124
+ export default cli;
125
+ ```
57
126
 
58
- - **MCP (Model Context Protocol) Integration**: Transform any CLI into an MCP server with multiple transport support. Run MCP servers with stdio, SSE, and HTTP transports simultaneously, including streamable HTTP.
59
- - **System Flags**: Built-in `--s-debug-print`, `--s-with-env`, `--s-save-to-env`, `--s-enable-fuzzy`, and `--s-save-DXT` for enhanced debugging, configuration, testing, and MCP distribution
60
- - **Environment Loading**: Load configuration from `.env`, `.yaml`, `.json`, and `.toml` files
61
- - **Enhanced Debugging**: Comprehensive runtime debugging and configuration export tools
127
+ ## How to Run It
62
128
 
63
- ### **Quick Start with MCP**
129
+ ```bash
130
+ # This assumes `mycli` is your CLI's entry point
64
131
 
65
- ```typescript
66
- import { ArgParser } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
132
+ # 1. As a standard CLI subcommand
133
+ mycli greet --name Jane --style formal
67
134
 
68
- const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
69
- appName: "My CLI Tool",
70
- appCommandName: "my-tool",
71
- description: "A powerful CLI that can also run as an MCP server",
72
- handler: async (ctx) => ({ result: "success", args: ctx.args }),
73
- })
74
- .addFlags([
75
- { name: "input", options: ["--input", "-i"], type: "string", mandatory: true },
76
- { name: "verbose", options: ["--verbose", "-v"], type: "boolean", flagOnly: true },
77
- ])
78
- .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
79
- name: "my-mcp-server",
80
- version: "1.1.0",
81
- description: "Expose this CLI as an MCP server",
82
- }, {
83
- // Optional: Configure default transports (CLI flags take precedence)
84
- defaultTransports: [
85
- { type: "stdio" },
86
- { type: "sse", port: 3001, host: "0.0.0.0" }
87
- ]
88
- });
135
+ # 2. As an MCP server, exposing the 'greet' tool
136
+ mycli --s-mcp-serve
89
137
 
90
- // Use as CLI: my-tool --input data.txt --verbose
91
- // Use as MCP server with defaults: my-tool serve
92
- // Use as MCP server with CLI override: my-tool serve --transport sse --port 3002
93
- // Use with multiple transports: my-tool serve --transports '[{"type":"stdio"},{"type":"sse","port":3001}]'
138
+ # 3. Generate a DXT package for Claude Desktop (2-steps)
139
+ mycli --s-build-dxt ./my-dxt-package
94
140
  ```
95
141
 
96
- ## Features
97
-
98
- ### **Core CLI Features**
99
- - **Type Safety:** Define expected argument types (string, number, boolean, array, custom functions) and get type-safe parsed results
100
- - **Declarative API:** Configure your CLI structure, flags, and sub-commands using a clear, declarative syntax
101
- - **Automatic Help Generation:** Generate comprehensive and contextual help text based on your parser configuration
102
- - **Hierarchical Commands:** Easily define nested sub-commands to create complex command structures (e.g., `git commit`, `docker container ls`)
103
- - **Handler Execution:** Associate handler functions with commands and have them executed automatically upon successful parsing
104
- - **Validation:** Define custom validation rules for flag values with enum support and custom validators
105
- - **Conditional Requirements:** Make flags mandatory based on the presence or values of other arguments
106
- - **Default Values:** Specify default values for flags if they are not provided on the command line
107
- - **Flag Inheritance:** Share common flags between parent and child commands with an intuitive inheritance mechanism
108
- - **Error Handling:** Built-in, user-friendly error reporting for common parsing issues, with an option to handle errors manually
109
-
110
- ### **MCP Integration (v1.1.0+)**
111
- - **Automatic MCP Server Creation:** Transform any CLI into an MCP server with a single method call
112
- - **Multiple Transport Support:** Run stdio, SSE, and HTTP transports simultaneously on different ports
113
- - **Type-Safe Tool Generation:** Automatically generate MCP tools with Zod schema validation from CLI definitions
114
- - **Flexible Configuration:** Support for single transport or complex multi-transport JSON configurations
115
-
116
- ### **System & Configuration Features (v1.1.0+)**
117
- - **Environment Loading:** Load configuration from `.env`, `.yaml`, `.json`, and `.toml` files with `--s-with-env`
118
- - **Configuration Export:** Save current configuration to various formats with `--s-save-to-env`
119
- - **Advanced Debugging:** Runtime debugging with `--s-debug` and configuration inspection with `--s-debug-print`
120
- - **CLI Precedence:** Command line arguments always override file configuration
142
+ Read more on generating the DXT package here: [Generating DXT Packages](#generating-dxt-packages---s-build-dxt)
121
143
 
122
- ## Installation
144
+ ### Setting Up System-Wide CLI Access
123
145
 
124
- You can install ArgParser using your preferred package manager:
146
+ To make your CLI available system-wide as a binary command, you need to configure the `bin` field in your `package.json` and use package linking:
125
147
 
126
- ```bash
127
- pnpm add @alcyone-labs/arg-parser
128
- # or
129
- npm install @alcyone-labs/arg-parser
130
- # or
131
- yarn add @alcyone-labs/arg-parser
132
- # or
133
- bun add @alcyone-labs/arg-parser
134
- # or
135
- deno install npm:@alcyone-labs/arg-parser
136
- ```
148
+ **1. Configure your package.json:**
137
149
 
138
- ### **For MCP Integration (Optional)**
150
+ ```json
151
+ {
152
+ "name": "my-cli-app",
153
+ "version": "1.0.0",
154
+ "type": "module",
155
+ "bin": {
156
+ "mycli": "./cli.js"
157
+ }
158
+ }
159
+ ```
139
160
 
140
- If you plan to use MCP server features, install the additional dependencies:
161
+ **2. Make your CLI file executable:**
141
162
 
142
163
  ```bash
143
- pnpm add @modelcontextprotocol/sdk express
144
- # or
145
- npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk express
164
+ chmod +x cli.js
146
165
  ```
147
166
 
148
- **Note:** MCP dependencies are optional and only required if you use `ArgParser` with MCP features or MCP-related functionality.
167
+ **3. Add a shebang to your CLI file:**
149
168
 
150
- ## Runtime Compatibility
169
+ ```javascript
170
+ #!/usr/bin/env node
171
+ # or #!/usr/bin/env bun for native typescript runtime
151
172
 
152
- ArgParser is fully compatible with multiple JavaScript runtimes:
173
+ import { ArgParser } from '@alcyone-labs/arg-parser';
153
174
 
154
- ### **BunJS**
155
- ```bash
156
- # Run TypeScript directly
157
- bun your-cli.ts --flag value
175
+ const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
176
+ appName: "My CLI",
177
+ appCommandName: "mycli",
178
+ // ... your configuration
179
+ });
158
180
 
159
- # Or compile and run
160
- bun build your-cli.ts --outdir ./dist
161
- bun ./dist/your-cli.js --flag value
181
+ // Parse command line arguments
182
+ await cli.parse(process.argv.slice(2));
162
183
  ```
163
184
 
164
- ### **Node.js**
165
- ```bash
166
- # Using tsx for TypeScript
167
- npx tsx your-cli.ts --flag value
185
+ **4. Link the package globally:**
168
186
 
169
- # Using ts-node
170
- npx ts-node your-cli.ts --flag value
187
+ ```bash
188
+ # Using npm
189
+ npm link
171
190
 
172
- # Or compile and run
173
- npx tsc your-cli.ts
174
- node your-cli.js --flag value
175
- ```
191
+ # Using pnpm
192
+ pnpm link --global
176
193
 
177
- ### **Deno**
178
- ```bash
179
- # Run with required permissions
180
- deno run --unstable-sloppy-imports --allow-read --allow-write --allow-env your-cli.ts --flag value
194
+ # Using bun
195
+ bun link
181
196
 
182
- # Or use the provided deno.json configuration for easier task management
183
- deno task example:simple-cli --env production --port 8080
197
+ # Using yarn
198
+ yarn link
184
199
  ```
185
200
 
186
- ### **Using the Library in Your Projects**
187
-
188
- Install the library and use it in your projects:
201
+ **5. Use your CLI from anywhere:**
189
202
 
190
203
  ```bash
191
- # Install the library
192
- pnpm add @alcyone-labs/arg-parser
204
+ # Now you can run your CLI from any directory
205
+ mycli --help
206
+ mycli greet --name "World"
193
207
 
194
- # Use in your project
195
- import { ArgParser } from '@alcyone-labs/arg-parser';
196
- // or
197
- const { ArgParser } = require('@alcyone-labs/arg-parser');
208
+ # Or use with npx/pnpx if you prefer
209
+ npx mycli --help
210
+ pnpx mycli greet --name "World"
198
211
  ```
199
212
 
200
- ### **Running Examples**
201
-
202
- Examples are provided as TypeScript source files for educational purposes. Run them directly with your preferred runtime:
213
+ **To unlink later:**
203
214
 
204
215
  ```bash
205
- # BunJS (recommended)
206
- bun examples/simple-cli.ts --env production --port 8080
216
+ # Using npm
217
+ npm unlink --global my-cli-app
218
+
219
+ # Using pnpm
220
+ pnpm unlink --global
207
221
 
208
- # Node.js with tsx
209
- npx tsx examples/simple-cli.ts --env production --port 8080
222
+ # Using bun
223
+ bun unlink
210
224
 
211
- # Deno (use predefined tasks)
212
- deno task example:simple-cli --env production --port 8080
225
+ # Using yarn
226
+ yarn unlink
213
227
  ```
214
228
 
215
- All examples work seamlessly across all three runtimes, ensuring maximum compatibility for your CLI applications.
229
+ ---
216
230
 
217
- ## Basic Usage
231
+ ## Parsing Command-Line Arguments
218
232
 
219
- ### **Standard CLI Usage**
233
+ ArgParser's `parse()` method is async and automatically handles both synchronous and asynchronous handlers:
220
234
 
221
- Here's a simple example demonstrating how to define flags and parse arguments:
235
+ ### Cannonical Usage Pattern
222
236
 
223
237
  ```typescript
224
- import { ArgParser } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
225
-
226
- const parser = new ArgParser({
227
- appName: "Data Processor",
228
- appCommandName: "data-proc", // Used in help text and error messages
229
- description: "A tool for processing data phases",
238
+ const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
239
+ appName: "My CLI",
230
240
  handler: async (ctx) => {
231
- console.log("Processing data with phase:", ctx.args.phase);
232
- return { success: true, phase: ctx.args.phase };
233
- },
234
- }).addFlags([
235
- {
236
- name: "phase",
237
- options: ["--phase"],
238
- type: "string", // Use "string", "number", "boolean", or native types
239
- mandatory: true,
240
- enum: ["chunking", "pairing", "analysis"],
241
- description: "Processing phase to execute",
242
- },
243
- {
244
- name: "batch",
245
- options: ["-b", "--batch-number"],
246
- type: "number",
247
- mandatory: (args) => args.phase !== "analysis", // Conditional requirement
248
- defaultValue: 0,
249
- description: "Batch number (required except for analysis phase)",
241
+ // Works with both sync and async operations
242
+ const result = await someAsyncOperation(ctx.args.input);
243
+ return { success: true, result };
250
244
  },
251
- {
252
- name: "verbose",
253
- options: ["-v", "--verbose"],
254
- flagOnly: true, // This flag does not expect a value
255
- description: "Enable verbose logging",
256
- },
257
- ]);
245
+ });
258
246
 
259
- // Parse and execute
260
- const result = parser.parse(process.argv.slice(2));
261
- console.log("Result:", result);
247
+ // parse() is async and works with both sync and async handlers
248
+ async function main() {
249
+ try {
250
+ const result = await cli.parse(process.argv.slice(2));
251
+ // Handler results are automatically awaited and merged
252
+ console.log(result.success); // true
253
+ } catch (error) {
254
+ console.error("Error:", error.message);
255
+ process.exit(1);
256
+ }
257
+ }
262
258
  ```
263
259
 
264
- ### **MCP Server Usage (v1.1.0+)**
260
+ ### Top-level await
265
261
 
266
- Transform your CLI into an MCP server with minimal changes:
262
+ Works in ES modules or Node.js >=18 with top-level await
267
263
 
268
- ```typescript
269
- import { ArgParser } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
270
-
271
- const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
272
- appName: "Data Processor",
273
- appCommandName: "data-proc",
274
- description: "A tool for processing data phases (CLI + MCP server)",
275
- handler: async (ctx) => {
276
- console.log("Processing data with phase:", ctx.args.phase);
277
- return { success: true, phase: ctx.args.phase, batch: ctx.args.batch };
278
- },
279
- })
280
- .addFlags([
281
- {
282
- name: "phase",
283
- options: ["--phase"],
284
- type: "string",
285
- mandatory: true,
286
- enum: ["chunking", "pairing", "analysis"],
287
- description: "Processing phase to execute",
288
- },
289
- {
290
- name: "batch",
291
- options: ["-b", "--batch-number"],
292
- type: "number",
293
- defaultValue: 0,
294
- description: "Batch number for processing",
295
- },
296
- ])
297
- .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
298
- name: "data-processor-mcp",
299
- version: "1.1.0",
300
- description: "Data Processor MCP Server",
301
- });
302
-
303
- // Use as CLI: data-proc --phase chunking --batch 5
304
- // Use as MCP server: data-proc serve
305
- // Use with custom transport: data-proc serve --transport sse --port 3001
264
+ ```javascript
265
+ try {
266
+ const result = await cli.parse(process.argv.slice(2));
267
+ console.log("Success:", result);
268
+ } catch (error) {
269
+ console.error("Error:", error.message);
270
+ process.exit(1);
271
+ }
306
272
  ```
307
273
 
308
- ## MCP Integration (v1.1.0+)
274
+ ### Promise-based parsing
309
275
 
310
- ArgParser v1.1.0 introduces powerful Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration, allowing you to expose any CLI as an MCP server with minimal code changes.
276
+ If you need synchronous contexts, you can simply rely on promise-based APIs
311
277
 
312
- ### **Quick MCP Setup**
278
+ ```javascript
279
+ cli
280
+ .parse(process.argv.slice(2))
281
+ .then((result) => {
282
+ console.log("Success:", result);
283
+ })
284
+ .catch((error) => {
285
+ console.error("Error:", error.message);
286
+ process.exit(1);
287
+ });
288
+ ```
313
289
 
314
- 1. **Import the MCP-enabled class:**
315
- ```typescript
316
- import { ArgParser } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
317
- ```
290
+ ---
291
+
292
+ ## Migrating from v1.x to the v2.0 `addTool` API
318
293
 
319
- 2. **Create your CLI with MCP support:**
320
- ```typescript
321
- const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
322
- appName: "My Tool",
323
- appCommandName: "my-tool",
324
- handler: async (ctx) => ({ result: "success", args: ctx.args }),
325
- })
326
- .addFlags([/* your flags */])
327
- .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
328
- name: "my-mcp-server",
329
- version: "1.0.0",
330
- });
331
- ```
294
+ Version 2.0 introduces the `addTool()` method to unify CLI subcommand and MCP tool creation. This simplifies development by removing boilerplate and conditional logic.
332
295
 
333
- 3. **Use as CLI or MCP server:**
334
- ```bash
335
- # CLI usage
336
- my-tool --input data.txt --verbose
296
+ ### Before v2.0: Separate Definitions
337
297
 
338
- # MCP server (stdio)
339
- my-tool serve
298
+ Previously, you had to define CLI handlers and MCP tools separately, often with conditional logic inside the handler to manage different output formats.
340
299
 
341
- # MCP server (HTTP)
342
- my-tool serve --transport sse --port 3001
300
+ ```javascript
301
+ const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
302
+ appName: "My Awesome CLI",
303
+ appCommandName: "mycli",
304
+ description: "A tool that works in both CLI and MCP mode",
305
+ mcp: {
306
+ serverInfo: { name: "my-awesome-mcp-server", version: "1.0.0" },
307
+ },
308
+ });
343
309
 
344
- # Multiple transports
345
- my-tool serve --transports '[{"type":"stdio"},{"type":"sse","port":3001}]'
346
- ```
310
+ // Old way: Separate CLI subcommands and MCP tools
311
+ cli
312
+ .addSubCommand({
313
+ name: "search",
314
+ handler: async (ctx) => {
315
+ // Manual MCP detection was required
316
+ if (ctx.isMcp) {
317
+ return { content: [{ type: "text", text: JSON.stringify(result) }] };
318
+ } else {
319
+ console.log("Search results...");
320
+ return result;
321
+ }
322
+ },
323
+ })
324
+ // And a separate command to start the server
325
+ .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
326
+ /* MCP config */
327
+ });
328
+ ```
347
329
 
348
- ### **MCP Transport Options**
330
+ ### After v2.0: The Unified `addTool()` Method
349
331
 
350
- - **`stdio`** (default): Standard input/output for CLI tools
351
- - **`sse`**: Server-Sent Events over HTTP for web applications
352
- - **`streamable-http`**: HTTP with streaming support for advanced integrations
332
+ Now, a single `addTool()` definition creates both the CLI subcommand and the MCP tool. Console output is automatically managed, flags are converted to MCP schemas, and the server is started with a universal system flag.
353
333
 
354
- ### **Multiple Transports Simultaneously**
334
+ ```javascript
335
+ const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
336
+ appName: "My Awesome CLI",
337
+ appCommandName: "mycli",
338
+ description: "A tool that works in both CLI and MCP mode",
339
+ mcp: {
340
+ serverInfo: { name: "my-awesome-mcp-server", version: "1.0.0" },
341
+ },
342
+ });
355
343
 
356
- Run multiple transport types at once for maximum flexibility:
344
+ // New way: A single tool definition for both CLI and MCP
345
+ cli.addTool({
346
+ name: "search",
347
+ description: "Search for items",
348
+ flags: [
349
+ { name: "query", type: "string", mandatory: true },
350
+ { name: "apiKey", type: "string", env: "API_KEY" }, // For DXT integration
351
+ ],
352
+ handler: async (ctx) => {
353
+ // No more MCP detection! Use console.log freely.
354
+ console.log(`Searching for: ${ctx.args.query}`);
355
+ const results = await performSearch(ctx.args.query, ctx.args.apiKey);
356
+ console.log(`Found ${results.length} results`);
357
+ return { success: true, results };
358
+ },
359
+ });
357
360
 
358
- ```bash
359
- my-tool serve --transports '[
360
- {"type":"stdio"},
361
- {"type":"sse","port":3001,"path":"/sse"},
362
- {"type":"streamable-http","port":3002,"path":"/mcp","host":"0.0.0.0"}
363
- ]'
361
+ // CLI usage: mycli search --query "test"
362
+ // MCP usage: mycli --s-mcp-serve
364
363
  ```
365
364
 
366
- ### **Automatic Tool Generation**
365
+ **Benefits of Migrating:**
366
+
367
+ - **Less Code**: A single definition replaces two or more complex ones.
368
+ - **Simpler Logic**: No more manual MCP mode detection or response formatting.
369
+ - **Automatic Schemas**: Flags are automatically converted into the `input_schema` for MCP tools.
370
+ - **Automatic Console Safety**: `console.log` is automatically redirected in MCP mode.
367
371
 
368
- Your CLI flags are automatically converted to MCP tools with:
369
- - **Type-safe schemas** using Zod validation
370
- - **Automatic documentation** from flag descriptions
371
- - **Enum validation** for restricted values
372
- - **Error handling** with detailed messages
372
+ ---
373
373
 
374
374
  ## Core Concepts
375
375
 
376
376
  ### Defining Flags
377
377
 
378
- Flags are defined using the `.addFlag(flag)` method or by passing an array of flags as the second argument to the `ArgParser` constructor. Each flag is an object conforming to the `IFlag` interface:
378
+ Flags are defined using the `IFlag` interface within the `flags` array of a tool or command.
379
379
 
380
380
  ```typescript
381
381
  interface IFlag {
382
- name: string; // Internal name for accessing the value in parsed args
383
- options: string[]; // Array of command-line options (e.g., ["-v", "--verbose"])
384
- type:
385
- | "string"
386
- | "boolean"
387
- | "number"
388
- | "array"
389
- | "object"
390
- | ((value: string) => any)
391
- | Constructor; // Expected type or a parsing function
392
- description: string | string[]; // Text description for help output
393
- mandatory?: boolean | ((args: TParsedArgs) => boolean); // Whether the flag is required, or a function that determines this
394
- defaultValue?: any; // Default value if the flag is not provided
395
- default?: any; // Alias for defaultValue
396
- flagOnly?: boolean; // If true, the flag does not consume the next argument as its value (e.g., `--verbose`)
397
- allowMultiple?: boolean; // If true, the flag can be provided multiple times (values are collected in an array)
398
- enum?: any[]; // Array of allowed values. Parser validates input against this list.
399
- validate?: (value: any) => boolean | string | void; // Custom validation function
400
- required?: boolean | ((args: any) => boolean); // Alias for mandatory
382
+ name: string; // Internal name (e.g., 'verbose')
383
+ options: string[]; // Command-line options (e.g., ['--verbose', '-v'])
384
+ type: "string" | "number" | "boolean" | "array" | "object" | Function;
385
+ description?: string; // Help text
386
+ mandatory?: boolean | ((args: any) => boolean); // Whether the flag is required
387
+ defaultValue?: any; // Default value if not provided
388
+ flagOnly?: boolean; // A flag that doesn't consume a value (like --help)
389
+ enum?: any[]; // An array of allowed values
390
+ validate?: (value: any, parsedArgs?: any) => boolean | string | void; // Custom validation function
391
+ allowMultiple?: boolean; // Allow the flag to be provided multiple times
392
+ env?: string; // Links the flag to an environment variable for DXT packages, will automatically generate user_config entries in the DXT manifest and fill the flag value to the ENV value if found (process.env)
401
393
  }
402
394
  ```
403
395
 
404
396
  ### Type Handling and Validation
405
397
 
406
- ArgParser handles type conversion automatically based on the `type` property. You can use standard string types (`"string"`, `"number"`, `"boolean"`, `"array"`, `"object`), native constructors (`String`, `Number`, `Boolean`, `Array`, `Object`), or provide a custom function:
398
+ ArgParser automatically handles type conversion and validation:
407
399
 
408
- ```typescript
409
- .addFlag({
410
- name: "count",
411
- options: ["--count"],
412
- type: Number, // Automatically converts value to a number
413
- })
414
- .addFlag({
415
- name: "data",
416
- options: ["--data"],
417
- type: JSON.parse, // Use a function to parse complex types like JSON strings
418
- description: "JSON data to process"
419
- })
420
- .addFlag({
421
- name: "environment",
422
- options: ["--env"],
423
- type: "string",
424
- enum: ["dev", "staging", "prod"], // Validate value against this list
425
- description: "Deployment environment",
426
- })
427
- .addFlag({
428
- name: "id",
429
- options: ["--id"],
430
- type: "string",
431
- validate: (value) => /^[a-f0-9]+$/.test(value), // Custom validation function
432
- description: "Hexadecimal ID",
433
- })
434
- .addFlag({
435
- name: "config",
436
- options: ["-c"],
437
- allowMultiple: true,
438
- type: path => require(path), // Load config from path (example)
439
- description: "Load multiple configuration files"
440
- })
441
- ```
442
-
443
- ### Mandatory Flags
444
-
445
- Flags can be made mandatory using the `mandatory` property, or its alias "required". This can be a boolean or a function that receives the currently parsed arguments and returns a boolean.
446
-
447
- ```typescript
448
- .addFlag({
449
- name: "input",
450
- options: ["--in"],
451
- type: String,
452
- mandatory: true, // Always mandatory
453
- description: "Input file path",
454
- })
455
- .addFlag({
456
- name: "output",
457
- options: ["--out"],
458
- type: String,
459
- mandatory: (args) => args.format === "json", // Mandatory only if --format is "json"
460
- description: "Output file path (required for JSON output)",
461
- })
462
- ```
400
+ - **String flags**: `--name value` or `--name="quoted value"`
401
+ - **Number flags**: `--count 42` (automatically parsed)
402
+ - **Boolean flags**: `--verbose` (presence implies `true`)
403
+ - **Array flags**: `--tags tag1,tag2,tag3` or multiple `--tag value1 --tag value2` (requires `allowMultiple: true`)
463
404
 
464
- If a mandatory flag is missing and default error handling is enabled (`handleErrors: true`), the parser will print an error and exit.
405
+ ### Hierarchical CLIs (Sub-Commands)
465
406
 
466
- ### Default Values
407
+ While `addTool()` is the recommended way to create subcommands that are also MCP-compatible, you can use `.addSubCommand()` for traditional CLI hierarchies.
467
408
 
468
- Set a `defaultValue` (or its alias `default`) for flags to provide a fallback value if the flag is not present in the arguments.
409
+ > **Note**: By default, subcommands created with `.addSubCommand()` are exposed to MCP as tools. If you want to create CLI-only subcommands, set `includeSubCommands: false` when adding tools.
469
410
 
470
411
  ```typescript
471
- .addFlag({
472
- name: "port",
473
- options: ["-p", "--port"],
474
- type: Number,
475
- defaultValue: 3000, // Default port is 3000 if -p or --port is not used
476
- description: "Server port",
477
- })
478
- ```
479
-
480
- ### Flag-Only Flags
481
-
482
- Flags that do not expect a value (like `--verbose` or `--force`) should have `flagOnly: true`. When `flagOnly` is false (the default), the parser expects the next argument to be the flag's value.
483
-
484
- ```typescript
485
- .addFlag({
486
- name: "verbose",
487
- options: ["-v"],
488
- type: Boolean, // Typically boolean for flag-only flags
489
- flagOnly: true,
490
- description: "Enable verbose output",
491
- })
492
- ```
493
-
494
- ### Alias Properties
495
-
496
- For convenience, `ArgParser` supports aliases for some flag properties:
497
-
498
- - `default` is an alias for `defaultValue`.
499
- - `required` is an alias for `mandatory`.
500
- If both the original property and its alias are provided, the original property (`defaultValue`, `mandatory`) takes precedence.
501
-
502
- ## Hierarchical CLIs (Sub-Commands)
503
-
504
- ArgParser excels at building CLIs with nested commands, like `git clone` or `docker build`.
505
-
506
- ### Defining Sub-Commands
507
-
508
- Define sub-commands using the `subCommands` option in the `ArgParser` constructor or the `.addSubCommand(subCommand)` method. Each sub-command requires a `name`, `description`, and a dedicated `ArgParser` instance for its own flags and nested sub-commands.
509
-
510
- Note that each flag name set is debounced to make sure there are no duplicates, but the flags are sandboxed within their respective sub-commands. So it's ok to use the same flag on different sub-commands.
511
-
512
- ```typescript
513
- import {
514
- ArgParser,
515
- HandlerContext,
516
- ISubCommand,
517
- } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
518
-
519
- const deployParser = new ArgParser().addFlags([
520
- { name: "target", options: ["-t"], type: String, mandatory: true },
521
- ]);
522
-
523
- const monitorLogsParser = new ArgParser().addFlags([
524
- { name: "follow", options: ["-f"], flagOnly: true, type: Boolean },
412
+ // Create a parser for a nested command
413
+ const logsParser = new ArgParser().addFlags([
414
+ { name: "follow", options: ["-f"], type: "boolean", flagOnly: true },
525
415
  ]);
526
416
 
417
+ // This creates a command group: `my-cli monitor`
527
418
  const monitorParser = new ArgParser().addSubCommand({
528
419
  name: "logs",
529
- description: "Show logs",
530
- parser: monitorLogsParser,
531
- handler: ({ args }) => {
532
- console.log(`Showing logs... Follow: ${args.follow}`);
533
- },
420
+ description: "Show application logs",
421
+ parser: logsParser,
422
+ handler: ({ args }) => console.log(`Following logs: ${args.follow}`),
534
423
  });
535
424
 
536
- const cli = new ArgParser({
537
- appName: "My CLI",
538
- appCommandName: "my-cli",
539
- description: "Manage application resources",
540
- subCommands: [
541
- {
542
- name: "deploy",
543
- description: "Deploy resources",
544
- parser: deployParser,
545
- handler: ({ args }) => {
546
- console.log(`Deploying to ${args.target}`);
547
- },
548
- },
549
- {
550
- name: "monitor",
551
- description: "Monitoring commands",
552
- parser: monitorParser,
553
- },
554
- ],
425
+ // Attach the command group to the main CLI
426
+ const cli = new ArgParser().addSubCommand({
427
+ name: "monitor",
428
+ description: "Monitoring commands",
429
+ parser: monitorParser,
555
430
  });
556
431
 
557
- // Example usage:
558
- // my-cli deploy -t production
559
- // my-cli monitor logs -f
560
- ```
561
-
562
- ### Handler Execution
563
-
564
- A core feature is associating handler functions with commands. Handlers are functions (`(ctx: HandlerContext) => void`) that contain the logic to be executed when a specific command (root or sub-command) is successfully parsed and matched.
565
-
566
- Handlers can be defined in the `ISubCommand` object or set/updated later using the `.setHandler()` method on the command's parser instance.
567
-
568
- **By default, after successful parsing, ArgParser will execute the handler associated with the _final command_ matched in the argument chain.** For example, running `my-cli service start` will execute the handler for the `start` command, not `my-cli` or `service`.
569
-
570
- If you need to parse arguments but _prevent_ handler execution, you can pass the `skipHandlers: true` option to the `parse()` method:
571
-
572
- ```typescript
573
- const args = parser.parse(process.argv.slice(2), { skipHandlers: true });
574
- // Handlers will NOT be executed, you can inspect 'args' and decide what to do
575
- ```
576
-
577
- ### Handler Context
578
-
579
- Handler functions receive a single argument, a `HandlerContext` object, containing information about the parsing result and the command chain:
580
-
581
- ```typescript
582
- type HandlerContext = {
583
- args: TParsedArgs<any>; // Arguments parsed by and defined for the FINAL command's parser
584
- parentArgs?: TParsedArgs<any>; // Combined arguments from PARENT parsers (less relevant with inheritParentFlags)
585
- commandChain: string[]; // Array of command names from root to final command
586
- };
432
+ // Usage: my-cli monitor logs -f
587
433
  ```
588
434
 
589
- The `args` property is the most commonly used, containing flags and their values relevant to the handler's specific command. If `inheritParentFlags` is used, inherited flags appear directly in `args`.
590
-
591
- ### Setting Handlers with `.setHandler()`
592
-
593
- You can define or override a parser instance's handler after its creation:
435
+ #### MCP Exposure Control
594
436
 
595
437
  ```typescript
596
- const myCommandParser = new ArgParser().addFlags(/* ... */);
597
-
598
- myCommandParser.setHandler((ctx) => {
599
- console.log(`Executing handler for ${ctx.commandChain.join(" -> ")}`);
600
- // ... command logic ...
601
- });
602
-
603
- // You can also retrieve a sub-parser and set its handler:
604
- const subParser = cli.getSubCommand("deploy")?.parser;
605
- if (subParser) {
606
- subParser.setHandler((ctx) => {
607
- console.log("Overridden deploy handler!");
608
- // ... new deploy logic ...
609
- });
610
- }
611
- ```
612
-
613
- ### Accessing Sub-Parsers with `.getSubCommand()`
438
+ // By default, subcommands are exposed to MCP
439
+ const mcpTools = parser.toMcpTools(); // Includes all subcommands
614
440
 
615
- Use the `.getSubCommand(name)` method on a parser instance to retrieve the `ISubCommand` definition for a specific sub-command by name. This allows you to access its parser instance to set handlers, add flags dynamically, or inspect its configuration.
441
+ // To exclude subcommands from MCP (CLI-only)
442
+ const mcpToolsOnly = parser.toMcpTools({ includeSubCommands: false });
616
443
 
617
- ```typescript
618
- const deploySubCommand = cli.getSubCommand("deploy");
619
- if (deploySubCommand) {
620
- console.log(`Description of deploy command: ${deploySubCommand.description}`);
621
- // Access the parser instance:
622
- const deployParserInstance = deploySubCommand.parser;
623
- // Add a flag specifically to the deploy command after initial setup:
624
- deployParserInstance.addFlag({
625
- name: "force",
626
- options: ["--force"],
627
- flagOnly: true,
628
- type: Boolean,
629
- });
630
- }
444
+ // Name conflicts: You cannot have both addSubCommand("name") and addTool({ name: "name" })
445
+ // This will throw an error:
446
+ parser.addSubCommand({ name: "process", parser: subParser });
447
+ parser.addTool({ name: "process", handler: async () => {} }); // ❌ Error: Sub-command 'process' already exists
631
448
  ```
632
449
 
633
450
  ### Flag Inheritance (`inheritParentFlags`)
634
451
 
635
- Enable `inheritParentFlags: true` in a child parser's constructor options to automatically copy flags from its direct parent when added as a sub-command. This is useful for sharing common flags like `--verbose` across your CLI.
636
-
637
- If a flag with the same name exists in both the parent and the child, the child's definition takes precedence. The built-in `--help` flag is never inherited.
452
+ To share common flags (like `--verbose` or `--config`) across sub-commands, set `inheritParentFlags: true` in the sub-command's parser.
638
453
 
639
454
  ```typescript
640
455
  const parentParser = new ArgParser().addFlags([
641
- { name: "verbose", options: ["-v"], type: Boolean, flagOnly: true },
642
- { name: "config", options: ["-c"], type: String }, // Common config flag
456
+ { name: "verbose", options: ["-v"], type: "boolean" },
643
457
  ]);
644
458
 
459
+ // This child parser will automatically have the --verbose flag
645
460
  const childParser = new ArgParser({ inheritParentFlags: true }).addFlags([
646
- { name: "local", options: ["-l"], type: String }, // Child-specific flag
647
- { name: "config", options: ["--child-config"], type: Number }, // Override config flag
461
+ { name: "target", options: ["-t"], type: "string" },
648
462
  ]);
649
463
 
650
- parentParser.addSubCommand({
651
- name: "child",
652
- description: "A child command",
653
- parser: childParser,
654
- });
655
-
656
- // The 'child' parser now effectively has flags: --help, -v, -l, --child-config
657
- // Running `parent child -v -l value --child-config 123` will parse all these flags.
464
+ parentParser.addSubCommand({ name: "deploy", parser: childParser });
658
465
  ```
659
466
 
660
- ## Automatic Help
661
-
662
- ArgParser provides robust automatic help generation.
663
-
664
- ### Global Help Flag (`--help`, `-h`)
665
-
666
- A `--help` (and `-h`) flag is automatically added to every parser instance (root and sub-commands). When this flag is encountered during parsing:
667
-
668
- 1. ArgParser stops processing arguments.
669
- 2. Generates and prints the help text relevant to the current command/sub-command context.
670
- 3. Exits the process with code 0.
671
-
672
- This behavior is triggered automatically unless `skipHelpHandling: true` is passed to the `parse()` method.
673
-
674
- ```bash
675
- # Shows help for the root command
676
- my-cli --help
677
-
678
- # Shows help for the 'deploy' sub-command
679
- my-cli deploy --help
680
- ```
681
-
682
- ### `helpText()` Method
683
-
684
- You can manually generate the help text for any parser instance at any time using the `helpText()` method. This returns a string containing the formatted help output.
685
-
686
- ```typescript
687
- console.log(parser.helpText());
688
- ```
689
-
690
- ### Auto-Help on Empty Invocation
691
-
692
- For the root command, if you invoke the script **without any arguments** and the root parser **does not have a handler defined**, ArgParser will automatically display the root help text and exit cleanly (code 0). This provides immediate guidance for users who just type the script name.
693
-
694
- If the root parser _does_ have a handler, it's assumed that the handler will manage the empty invocation case, and auto-help will not trigger.
695
-
696
- ## Error Handling
697
-
698
- ArgParser includes built-in error handling for common parsing errors like missing mandatory flags, invalid types, or unknown commands.
699
-
700
- By default (`handleErrors: true`):
701
-
702
- 1. A descriptive, colored error message is printed to `stderr`.
703
- 2. A suggestion to use `--help` is included, showing the correct command path.
704
- 3. The process exits with status code 1.
705
-
706
- ```typescript
707
- // Example (assuming 'data-proc' is appCommandName and 'phase' is mandatory)
708
- // Running `data-proc` would output:
709
-
710
- // Error: Missing mandatory flags: phase
711
- //
712
- // Try 'data-proc --help' for usage details.
713
- ```
714
-
715
- You can disable this behavior by setting `handleErrors: false` in the `ArgParser` constructor options. When disabled, ArgParser will throw an `ArgParserError` exception on parsing errors, allowing you to catch and handle them programmatically.
716
-
717
- ```typescript
718
- import { ArgParser, ArgParserError } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
719
-
720
- const parser = new ArgParser({
721
- appCommandName: "my-app",
722
- handleErrors: false, // Disable default handling
723
- });
724
-
725
- try {
726
- const args = parser.parse(process.argv.slice(2));
727
- // Process args if parsing succeeded
728
- } catch (error) {
729
- if (error instanceof ArgParserError) {
730
- console.error(`\nCustom Parse Error: ${error.message}`);
731
- // Implement custom logic (e.g., logging, different exit codes)
732
- process.exit(1);
733
- } else {
734
- // Handle unexpected errors
735
- console.error("An unexpected error occurred:", error);
736
- process.exit(1);
737
- }
738
- }
739
- ```
740
-
741
- ## Environment Configuration Export
742
-
743
- ArgParser includes a built-in system flag `--s-save-to-env` that allows you to export the current parser's configuration and parsed arguments to various file formats. This is useful for creating configuration templates, documenting CLI usage, or generating environment files for deployment.
744
-
745
- ### Usage
746
-
747
- ```bash
748
- # Export to .env format (default for no extension)
749
- your-cli --flag1 value1 --flag2 --s-save-to-env config.env
750
-
751
- # Export to YAML format
752
- your-cli --flag1 value1 --flag2 --s-save-to-env config.yaml
753
-
754
- # Export to JSON format
755
- your-cli --flag1 value1 --flag2 --s-save-to-env config.json
756
-
757
- # Export to TOML format
758
- your-cli --flag1 value1 --flag2 --s-save-to-env config.toml
759
- ```
760
-
761
- ### Supported Formats
762
-
763
- The format is automatically detected based on the file extension:
764
-
765
- - **`.env`** (or no extension): Bash environment variable format
766
- - **`.yaml` / `.yml`**: YAML format
767
- - **`.json` / `.jsonc`**: JSON format with metadata
768
- - **`.toml` / `.tml`**: TOML format
769
-
770
- ### Behavior
771
-
772
- - **Works at any parser level**: Can be used with root commands or sub-commands
773
- - **Includes inherited flags**: Shows flags from the current parser and all parent parsers in the chain
774
- - **Comments optional flags**: Flags that are optional and not set are commented out but still documented
775
- - **Preserves values**: Set flags show their actual values, unset flags show default values or are commented out
776
- - **Rich documentation**: Each flag includes its description, options, type, and constraints
777
-
778
- ### Example Output
779
-
780
- For a CLI with flags `--verbose`, `--output file.txt`, and `--count 5`:
781
-
782
- **`.env` format:**
783
- ```bash
784
- # Environment configuration generated by ArgParser
785
- # Format: Bash .env style
786
-
787
- # verbose: Enable verbose output
788
- # Options: -v, --verbose
789
- # Type: Boolean
790
- # Default: false
791
- VERBOSE="true"
792
-
793
- # output: Output file path
794
- # Options: -o, --output
795
- # Type: String
796
- OUTPUT="file.txt"
797
-
798
- # count: Number of items to process
799
- # Options: -c, --count
800
- # Type: Number
801
- # Default: 10
802
- COUNT="5"
803
- ```
804
-
805
- **`.yaml` format:**
806
- ```yaml
807
- # Environment configuration generated by ArgParser
808
- # Format: YAML
809
-
810
- # verbose: Enable verbose output
811
- # Options: -v, --verbose
812
- # Type: Boolean
813
- # Default: false
814
-
815
- verbose: true
816
- output: "file.txt"
817
- count: 5
818
- ```
819
-
820
- ## System Flags (v1.1.0+)
821
-
822
- ArgParser includes several built-in system flags that provide debugging, configuration management, and introspection capabilities. These flags are processed before normal argument parsing and will cause the program to exit after execution.
823
-
824
- ### **Overview**
825
-
826
- System flags use the `--s-*` pattern and provide powerful development and deployment tools:
827
-
828
- - **`--s-debug`**: Runtime debugging with step-by-step parsing analysis
829
- - **`--s-with-env <file>`**: Load configuration from files (`.env`, `.yaml`, `.json`, `.toml`)
830
- - **`--s-save-to-env <file>`**: Export current configuration to various formats
831
- - **`--s-debug-print`**: Export complete parser configuration for inspection
832
- - **`--s-enable-fuzzy`**: Enable fuzzy testing mode (dry-run with no side effects)
833
- - **`--s-save-DXT [dir]`**: Generate DXT packages for MCP servers (Desktop Extensions)
834
-
835
- ### `--s-save-to-env <file>`
836
-
837
- Exports the current parser's configuration and parsed arguments to various file formats.
838
-
839
- ```bash
840
- # Export to .env format (default for no extension)
841
- your-cli --flag1 value1 --flag2 --s-save-to-env config.env
842
-
843
- # Export to YAML format
844
- your-cli --flag1 value1 --flag2 --s-save-to-env config.yaml
845
-
846
- # Export to JSON format
847
- your-cli --flag1 value1 --flag2 --s-save-to-env config.json
848
-
849
- # Export to TOML format
850
- your-cli --flag1 value1 --flag2 --s-save-to-env config.toml
851
- ```
852
-
853
- **Features:**
854
- - Works at any parser level (root command or sub-commands)
855
- - Includes inherited flags from parent parsers in the chain
856
- - Comments out optional flags that are not set
857
- - Rich documentation for each flag (description, options, type, constraints)
858
- - Automatic format detection based on file extension
859
-
860
- ### `--s-with-env <file>`
861
-
862
- Loads configuration from a file and merges it with command line arguments. CLI arguments take precedence over file configuration.
863
-
864
- ```bash
865
- # Load from .env format (default for no extension)
866
- your-cli --s-with-env config.env
867
-
868
- # Load from YAML format
869
- your-cli --s-with-env config.yaml
870
-
871
- # Load from JSON format
872
- your-cli --s-with-env config.json
873
-
874
- # Load from TOML format
875
- your-cli --s-with-env config.toml
876
-
877
- # Combine with CLI arguments (CLI args override file config)
878
- your-cli --s-with-env config.yaml --verbose --output override.txt
879
- ```
880
-
881
- **Supported Formats:**
882
-
883
- The format is automatically detected based on the file extension:
884
-
885
- - **`.env`** (or no extension): Dotenv format with `KEY=value` pairs
886
- - **`.yaml` / `.yml`**: YAML format
887
- - **`.json` / `.jsonc`**: JSON format (metadata is ignored if present)
888
- - **`.toml` / `.tml`**: TOML format
889
-
890
- **Behavior:**
891
-
892
- - **File validation**: Checks if the file exists and can be parsed
893
- - **Type conversion**: Automatically converts values to match flag types (boolean, number, string, array)
894
- - **Enum validation**: Validates values against allowed enum options
895
- - **CLI precedence**: Command line arguments override file configuration
896
- - **Error handling**: Exits with error code 1 if file cannot be loaded or parsed
897
- - **Flag matching**: Only loads values for flags that exist in the current parser chain
898
-
899
- **Example Configuration Files:**
900
-
901
- **.env format:**
902
- ```bash
903
- VERBOSE=true
904
- OUTPUT=file.txt
905
- COUNT=5
906
- TAGS=tag1,tag2,tag3
907
- ```
908
-
909
- **YAML format:**
910
- ```yaml
911
- verbose: true
912
- output: file.txt
913
- count: 5
914
- tags:
915
- - tag1
916
- - tag2
917
- - tag3
918
- ```
919
-
920
- **JSON format:**
921
- ```json
922
- {
923
- "verbose": true,
924
- "output": "file.txt",
925
- "count": 5,
926
- "tags": ["tag1", "tag2", "tag3"]
927
- }
928
- ```
929
-
930
- ### `--s-debug-print`
931
-
932
- Prints the complete parser configuration to a JSON file and console for debugging complex parser setups.
933
-
934
- ```bash
935
- your-cli --s-debug-print
936
- ```
937
-
938
- **Output:**
939
- - Creates `ArgParser.full.json` with the complete parser structure
940
- - Shows all flags, sub-commands, handlers, and configuration
941
- - Useful for debugging complex parser hierarchies
942
- - Human-readable console output with syntax highlighting
943
-
944
- ### `--s-debug`
945
-
946
- Provides detailed runtime debugging information showing how arguments are parsed step-by-step.
947
-
948
- ```bash
949
- your-cli --flag1 value1 sub-command --flag2 value2 --s-debug
950
- ```
951
-
952
- **Output:**
953
- - Shows command chain identification process
954
- - Step-by-step argument parsing simulation
955
- - Final parser identification
956
- - Accumulated arguments at each level
957
- - Remaining arguments after parsing
958
- - Complete static configuration of the final parser
959
-
960
- **Useful for:**
961
- - Understanding complex command chains
962
- - Debugging argument parsing issues
963
- - Seeing how flags are inherited between parsers
964
- - Troubleshooting sub-command resolution
965
-
966
- ### Usage Notes
967
-
968
- - System flags are processed before normal argument parsing
969
- - They cause the program to exit after execution (exit code 0 for success)
970
- - Can be used with any combination of regular flags and sub-commands
971
- - Particularly useful during development and debugging
972
-
973
- ## Debugging
974
-
975
- ### Programmatic Debugging
976
-
977
- The `printAll(filePath?: string)` method is useful for debugging complex parser configurations programmatically. It recursively outputs the structure, options, flags, and handlers of a parser instance and its sub-commands.
978
-
979
- - `parser.printAll()`: Prints a colored, human-readable output to the console.
980
- - `parser.printAll('./config.json')`: Writes the configuration as a pretty-printed JSON file.
981
- - `parser.printAll('./config.log')`: Writes a plain text version to a file.
982
-
983
- ```typescript
984
- import { ArgParser } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
985
-
986
- const parser = new ArgParser({ appName: "Debug App" })
987
- .addFlags([
988
- /* ... */
989
- ])
990
- .addSubCommand(/* ... */);
991
-
992
- parser.printAll(); // Output to console
993
- ```
994
-
995
- ### Runtime Debugging
996
-
997
- For runtime debugging, use the system flags documented above:
467
+ ---
998
468
 
999
- - `--s-debug-print`: Export complete parser configuration
1000
- - `--s-debug`: Show step-by-step argument parsing process
1001
- - `--s-save-to-env <file>`: Export current configuration to various formats
1002
- - `--s-with-env <file>`: Load configuration from file and merge with CLI arguments
469
+ ## MCP & Claude Desktop Integration
1003
470
 
1004
- ### `--s-enable-fuzzy`
471
+ ### Automatic MCP Server Mode (`--s-mcp-serve`)
1005
472
 
1006
- Enables fuzzy testing mode, which acts as a dry-run mode for safe testing without side effects. **No boilerplate code required** - the system automatically prevents CLI execution during fuzzy testing.
473
+ You don't need to write any server logic. Run your application with the `--s-mcp-serve` flag, and ArgParser will automatically start a compliant MCP server, exposing all tools defined with `.addTool()` and subcommands created with `.addSubCommand()` (unless `includeSubCommands: false` is set).
1007
474
 
1008
475
  ```bash
1009
- # Enable fuzzy mode for testing
1010
- your-cli --s-enable-fuzzy --input test.txt --format json
1011
- ```
1012
-
1013
- **Features:**
1014
- - **Automatic execution prevention**: No need for complex conditional logic in your CLI code
1015
- - **Zero boilerplate**: Simply export your CLI with `export default cli` and call `cli.parse()`
1016
- - Disables error handling to allow error collection
1017
- - Skips mandatory flag validation for comprehensive testing
1018
- - **Prevents handler function execution** (no side effects)
1019
- - **Logs what each handler would receive** for testing visibility
1020
- - Recursively applies to all subcommand parsers
1021
- - Safe for testing production CLIs with database operations, file modifications, or API calls
1022
-
1023
- **Example Output:**
1024
- ```
1025
- [--s-enable-fuzzy] handler() skipped for command chain: (root)
1026
- Input args: [--s-enable-fuzzy --input test.txt --format json]
1027
- Parsed args: {"input":"test.txt","format":"json"}
1028
- ```
1029
-
1030
- **Use Cases:**
1031
- - Fuzzy testing CLI argument parsing
1032
- - Validating CLI configuration without executing business logic
1033
- - Testing complex command hierarchies safely
1034
- - Automated testing of CLI interfaces
1035
-
1036
- These system flags are particularly useful when you need to debug a CLI application without modifying the source code.
1037
-
1038
- ## Fuzzy Testing
1039
-
1040
- ArgParser includes comprehensive fuzzy testing capabilities to automatically test CLI configurations and catch edge cases that manual testing might miss. The fuzzy testing utility systematically explores command paths and generates various flag combinations to ensure robustness.
1041
-
1042
- ### **Quick Start**
1043
-
1044
- Test any ArgParser configuration using the built-in fuzzy testing CLI:
476
+ # This single command starts a fully compliant MCP server
477
+ my-cli-app --s-mcp-serve
1045
478
 
1046
- ```bash
1047
- # Test an ArgParser file
1048
- bun src/fuzzy-test-cli.ts --file examples/getting-started.ts
1049
-
1050
- # Test with custom options and save results
1051
- bun src/fuzzy-test-cli.ts \
1052
- --file examples/getting-started.ts \
1053
- --output test-results.json \
1054
- --format json \
1055
- --max-depth 3 \
1056
- --random-tests 20 \
1057
- --verbose
479
+ # You can also override transports and ports using system flags
480
+ my-cli-app --s-mcp-serve --s-mcp-transport sse --s-mcp-port 3001
1058
481
  ```
1059
482
 
1060
- **Important Note**: Make sure that the `examples/getting-started.ts` file exports the parser instance using `export default` for the fuzzy testing CLI to work correctly.
1061
-
1062
- ### **System Flag Integration**
483
+ ### MCP Transports
1063
484
 
1064
- The `--s-enable-fuzzy` system flag makes any CLI fuzzy-test compatible **without any code modifications or boilerplate**:
485
+ You can define the transports directly in the .withMcp() settings, or override them via the `--s-mcp-transport(s)` flags.
1065
486
 
1066
487
  ```bash
1067
- # Enable fuzzy mode for safe testing (dry-run with no side effects)
1068
- your-cli --s-enable-fuzzy --input test.txt --format json
1069
-
1070
- # The fuzzy testing CLI automatically uses this flag
1071
- bun src/fuzzy-test-cli.ts --file your-cli.ts
1072
- ```
1073
-
1074
- **Fuzzy mode features:**
1075
- - **Zero boilerplate**: No conditional logic needed - just `export default cli` and `cli.parse()`
1076
- - **Automatic prevention**: System automatically prevents CLI execution during fuzzy testing
1077
- - **Dry-run execution**: Prevents handler function execution (no side effects)
1078
- - **Error collection**: Disables error handling to collect all parsing errors
1079
- - **Argument logging**: Shows what each handler would receive for testing visibility
1080
- - **Safe testing**: Test production CLIs with database operations, file modifications, or API calls
1081
-
1082
- ### **Testing Capabilities**
1083
-
1084
- The fuzzy tester automatically tests:
488
+ # Single transport
489
+ my-tool --s-mcp-serve --s-mcp-transport stdio
1085
490
 
1086
- - **Valid combinations**: Proper flag usage with correct types and values
1087
- - **Invalid combinations**: Wrong inputs to verify error handling
1088
- - **Random combinations**: Pseudo-random flag combinations for edge cases
1089
- - **Command paths**: All subcommand combinations up to configurable depth
1090
- - **Performance**: Execution timing for different input complexities
491
+ # Multiple transports via JSON
492
+ my-tool --s-mcp-serve --s-mcp-transports '[{"type":"stdio"},{"type":"sse","port":3001}]'
1091
493
 
1092
- ### **Programmatic Usage**
494
+ # Single transport with custom options
495
+ my-tool --s-mcp-serve --s-mcp-transport sse --s-mcp-port 3000 --s-mcp-host 0.0.0.0
1093
496
 
1094
- ```typescript
1095
- import { ArgParserFuzzyTester } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser/fuzzy-tester";
1096
- import { myArgParser } from "./my-cli";
1097
-
1098
- const tester = new ArgParserFuzzyTester(myArgParser, {
1099
- maxDepth: 5,
1100
- randomTestCases: 10,
1101
- includePerformance: true,
1102
- testErrorCases: true,
1103
- verbose: false,
497
+ # Multiple transports (configured via --s-mcp-serve system flag)
498
+ const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
499
+ appName: 'multi-tool',
500
+ appCommandName: 'multi-tool',
501
+ mcp: {
502
+ serverInfo: {
503
+ name: 'multi-tool-mcp',
504
+ version: '1.0.0'
505
+ },
506
+ transports: [
507
+ // Can be a single string...
508
+ "stdio",
509
+ // or one of the other transport types supported by @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
510
+ { type: "sse", port: 3000, host: "0.0.0.0" },
511
+ { type: "websocket", port: 3001, path: "/ws" }
512
+ ]
513
+ }
1104
514
  });
1105
-
1106
- const report = await tester.runFuzzyTest();
1107
- console.log(`Success rate: ${(report.successfulTests / report.totalTests * 100).toFixed(1)}%`);
1108
515
  ```
1109
516
 
1110
- ### **Output Formats**
517
+ ### Automatic Console Safety
1111
518
 
1112
- Generate reports in multiple formats:
519
+ A major challenge in MCP is preventing `console.log` from corrupting the JSON-RPC communication over `STDOUT`. ArgParser solves this automatically.
1113
520
 
1114
- ```bash
1115
- # Human-readable console output
1116
- bun src/fuzzy-test-cli.ts --file my-cli.ts --format text
1117
-
1118
- # Machine-readable JSON
1119
- bun src/fuzzy-test-cli.ts --file my-cli.ts --format json --output results.json
1120
-
1121
- # Documentation-friendly Markdown
1122
- bun src/fuzzy-test-cli.ts --file my-cli.ts --format markdown --output report.md
1123
- ```
521
+ - **How it works**: When `--s-mcp-serve` is active, ArgParser hijacks the global `console` object.
522
+ - **What it does**: It redirects `console.log`, `.info`, `.warn`, and `.debug` to `STDERR` with a prefix, making them visible for debugging without interfering with the protocol. `console.error` is preserved on `STDERR` as expected.
523
+ - **Your benefit**: You can write `console.log` statements freely in your handlers. They will work as expected in CLI mode and be safely handled in MCP mode with **zero code changes**.
1124
524
 
1125
- For complete documentation, examples, and advanced usage patterns, see the [Fuzzy Testing Documentation](docs/fuzzy-testing.md).
525
+ ### Generating DXT Packages (`--s-build-dxt`)
1126
526
 
1127
- ### `--s-save-DXT [directory]`
1128
-
1129
- Generates Desktop Extension (DXT) packages for all MCP servers defined in your ArgParser instance. DXT files are zip archives containing a manifest.json and server files, enabling single-click installation of MCP servers in compatible applications like Claude Desktop.
527
+ A Desktop Extension (`.dxt`) is a standardized package for installing your tools into Claude Desktop. ArgParser automates this process.
1130
528
 
1131
529
  ```bash
1132
- # Generate DXT packages in current directory
1133
- your-cli --s-save-DXT
530
+ # 1. Generate the DXT package contents into a directory
531
+ my-cli-app --s-build-dxt ./my-dxt-package
1134
532
 
1135
- # Generate DXT packages in specific directory
1136
- your-cli --s-save-DXT ./dxt-packages
533
+ # The output folder contains everything needed: manifest.json, entry point, etc.
534
+ # A default logo will be applied if you don't provide one.
1137
535
 
1138
- # Example with multiple MCP servers
1139
- my-tool --s-save-DXT ./extensions
1140
- ```
536
+ # 2. (Optional) Pack the folder into a .dxt file for distribution
537
+ npx @anthropic-ai/dxt pack ./my-dxt-package
1141
538
 
1142
- **Features:**
1143
- - **Automatic detection**: Finds all MCP servers added via `addMcpSubCommand()`
1144
- - **Multiple servers**: Generates separate DXT files for each MCP server
1145
- - **Complete tool listing**: Includes all MCP tools in the manifest
1146
- - **Proper metadata**: Uses actual server names, versions, and descriptions
1147
- - **Ready to install**: Generated DXT files work with DXT-compatible applications
539
+ # 3. (Optional) Sign the DXT package
540
+ npx @anthropic-ai/dxt sign ./my-dxt-package.dxt
1148
541
 
1149
- **Generated Structure:**
1150
- ```
1151
- your-server.dxt (ZIP file)
1152
- ├── manifest.json # Server metadata and tool definitions
1153
- └── server/
1154
- └── index.js # Server entry point
542
+ # Then drag & drop the .dxt file into Claude Desktop to install it, in the Settings > Extensions screen.
1155
543
  ```
1156
544
 
1157
- **Example Output:**
1158
- ```
1159
- 🔧 Generating DXT packages for 2 MCP server(s)...
1160
- ✓ Generated: primary-server.dxt
1161
- Server: primary-server v1.0.0
1162
- Tools: 3 tool(s)
1163
- ✓ Generated: analytics-server.dxt
1164
- Server: analytics-server v2.1.0
1165
- Tools: 5 tool(s)
1166
-
1167
- ✅ DXT package generation completed!
1168
- Output directory: /path/to/dxt-packages
1169
- ```
1170
-
1171
- **Use Cases:**
1172
- - **Distribution**: Package MCP servers for easy sharing and installation
1173
- - **Development**: Create test packages during MCP server development
1174
- - **Deployment**: Generate production-ready DXT files for distribution
1175
- - **Integration**: Prepare MCP servers for Claude Desktop or other DXT-compatible applications
1176
-
1177
- ## Changelog
1178
-
1179
- ### v1.2.0 (2025-01-02)
1180
-
1181
- **🔧 Critical MCP Fixes & Improvements**
1182
-
1183
- - **Fixed MCP Output Schema Support**: Resolved the critical issue where MCP tools with output schemas failed with `"Tool has an output schema but no structured content was provided"` error
1184
- - **Enhanced Handler Context**: Added `isMcp` flag to handler context for proper MCP mode detection
1185
- - **Improved Response Format**: MCP tools now correctly return both `content` and `structuredContent` fields as required by JSON-RPC 2.0
1186
- - **Better Integration**: Handlers can reliably detect when they're being called from MCP mode vs CLI mode
1187
-
1188
- **What was broken before v1.2.0:**
1189
- - MCP servers would fail when tools had output schemas defined
1190
- - Handlers couldn't reliably detect MCP execution context
1191
- - Response format didn't comply with MCP specification for structured content
1192
-
1193
- **What works now:**
1194
- - ✅ MCP tools with output schemas work correctly
1195
- - ✅ Proper JSON-RPC 2.0 response format with both `content` and `structuredContent`
1196
- - ✅ Handler context includes `isMcp` flag for mode detection
1197
- - ✅ Full compatibility with MCP clients and the Model Context Protocol specification
1198
-
1199
- ### v1.1.0 (2024-12-XX)
1200
-
1201
- **Major Features**
1202
- - MCP (Model Context Protocol) Integration with multiple transport support
1203
- - System Flags: `--s-debug-print`, `--s-with-env`, `--s-save-to-env`, `--s-enable-fuzzy`, `--s-save-DXT`
1204
- - Environment Loading from `.env`, `.yaml`, `.json`, and `.toml` files
1205
- - Enhanced Debugging and configuration export tools
1206
-
1207
- ## API Reference
545
+ ### Logo Configuration
1208
546
 
1209
- This section provides a quick overview of the main components. See the sections above for detailed explanations and examples.
547
+ The logo will appear in Claude Desktop's Extensions settings and when users interact with your MCP tools. Note that neither ArgParser nor Anthropic packer will modify the logo, so make sure to use a reasonable size, such as 256x256 pixels or 512x512 pixels maximum. Any image type that can display in a browser is supported.
1210
548
 
1211
- ### **Core Classes**
549
+ You can customize the logo/icon that appears in Claude Desktop for your DXT package by configuring the `logo` property in your `serverInfo`:
1212
550
 
1213
- #### `ArgParserBase`
1214
-
1215
- Base class providing core CLI parsing functionality without MCP features. Use this for lightweight CLIs that don't need MCP server capabilities.
1216
-
1217
- **Constructor:**
1218
- - `new ArgParserBase(options?, initialFlags?)`: Create basic parser instance
1219
-
1220
- #### `ArgParser` (v1.1.0+)
1221
-
1222
- Main class with built-in MCP server capabilities. Extends `ArgParserBase` with MCP integration.
1223
-
1224
- **Constructors:**
1225
- - `new ArgParser(options?, initialFlags?)`: Create parser with MCP capabilities
1226
- - `ArgParser.withMcp(options?, initialFlags?)`: Factory method for MCP-enabled parser (same as constructor)
1227
- - `ArgParser.fromArgParser(parser)`: Convert existing ArgParserBase to MCP-enabled
1228
-
1229
- **MCP Methods:**
1230
- - `toMcpTools(options?)`: Generate MCP tool structures from CLI definition
1231
- - `createMcpServer(serverInfo, toolOptions?)`: Create MCP server instance
1232
- - `startMcpServer(serverInfo, toolOptions?)`: Start MCP server with stdio transport
1233
- - `startMcpServerWithTransport(serverInfo, transportType, transportOptions?, toolOptions?)`: Start with specific transport
1234
- - `startMcpServerWithMultipleTransports(serverInfo, transports, toolOptions?)`: Start with multiple transports (manual approach)
1235
- - `addMcpSubCommand(name, serverInfo, options?)`: Add MCP server sub-command with optional preset transports (recommended approach)
1236
- - `parse(args, options?)`: Async version supporting async handlers
1237
-
1238
- **MCP Types:**
1239
- - `McpTransportConfig`: Configuration for a single transport (`{ type, port?, host?, path?, sessionIdGenerator? }`)
1240
- - `McpSubCommandOptions`: Options for MCP sub-command (`{ defaultTransport?, defaultTransports?, toolOptions? }`)
1241
-
1242
- **Transport Types:**
1243
- - `"stdio"`: Standard input/output
1244
- - `"sse"`: Server-Sent Events over HTTP
1245
- - `"streamable-http"`: HTTP with streaming support
1246
-
1247
- **Example:**
1248
551
  ```typescript
1249
552
  const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
1250
553
  appName: "My CLI",
1251
- handler: async (ctx) => ({ result: ctx.args }),
1252
- })
1253
- .addFlags([/* flags */])
1254
- .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
1255
- name: "my-mcp-server",
1256
- version: "1.0.0",
1257
- });
1258
-
1259
- // Elegant approach: Configure default transports in addMcpSubCommand
1260
- const cli = ArgParser.withMcp({
1261
- appName: "My Tool",
1262
- handler: async (ctx) => ({ result: ctx.args }),
1263
- })
1264
- .addFlags([/* your flags */])
1265
- .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
1266
- name: "my-server",
1267
- version: "1.0.0",
1268
- }, {
1269
- // Default multiple transports - used when no CLI flags provided
1270
- defaultTransports: [
1271
- { type: "stdio" },
1272
- { type: "sse", port: 3001 },
1273
- { type: "streamable-http", port: 3002 }
1274
- ]
554
+ appCommandName: "mycli",
555
+ mcp: {
556
+ // This will appear in Claude Desktop's Extensions settings
557
+ serverInfo: {
558
+ name: "my-mcp-server",
559
+ version: "1.0.0",
560
+ description: "My CLI as an MCP server",
561
+ logo: "./assets/my-logo.png", // Local file path
562
+ },
563
+ },
1275
564
  });
1276
-
1277
- // Usage: my-tool serve (uses all default transports)
1278
- // Usage: my-tool serve --transports '[{"type":"sse","port":4000}]' (overrides defaults)
1279
565
  ```
1280
566
 
1281
- ### Constructors
1282
-
1283
- #### `new ArgParserBase(options?, initialFlags?)`
1284
-
1285
- Constructor for creating a basic parser instance without MCP capabilities.
1286
-
1287
- #### `new ArgParser(options?, initialFlags?)`
1288
-
1289
- Constructor for creating a parser instance with MCP capabilities.
1290
-
1291
- - `options`: An object (`IArgParserParams`) configuring the parser.
1292
- - `appName?: string`: Display name.
1293
- - `appCommandName?: string`: Command name for help/errors.
1294
- - `description?: string`: Parser description.
1295
- - `handler?: (ctx: HandlerContext) => void`: Handler function for this parser.
1296
- - `subCommands?: ISubCommand[]`: Array of sub-command definitions.
1297
- - `handleErrors?: boolean`: Enable/disable default error handling (default: `true`).
1298
- - `throwForDuplicateFlags?: boolean`: Throw error for duplicate flags (default: `false`).
1299
- - `inheritParentFlags?: boolean`: Enable flag inheritance when this parser is a sub-command (default: `false`).
1300
- - `initialFlags`: Optional array of `IFlag` objects to add during initialization.
1301
-
1302
- ### `parse(args, options?)`
1303
-
1304
- Parses an array of command-line arguments.
1305
-
1306
- - `args`: `string[]` - Array of arguments (usually `process.argv.slice(2)`).
1307
- - `options`: Optional object (`IParseOptions`).
1308
- - `skipHelpHandling?: boolean`: Prevents automatic help display/exit on `--help` (default: `false`).
1309
- - `skipHandlers?: boolean`: Prevents execution of any matched command handlers (default: `false`).
1310
- - Returns: `TParsedArgs & { $commandChain?: string[] }` - An object containing the parsed arguments and optionally the `$commandChain`. Throws `ArgParserError` if `handleErrors` is `false`.
1311
-
1312
- ### `.addFlag(flag)`
567
+ If no custom logo is provided or loading fails, a default ArgParser logo is included
1313
568
 
1314
- Adds a single flag definition.
569
+ #### Supported Logo Sources
1315
570
 
1316
- - `flag`: `IFlag` - The flag object.
1317
- - Returns: `this` for chaining.
571
+ **Local File Path:**
1318
572
 
1319
- ### `.addFlags(flags)`
1320
-
1321
- Adds multiple flag definitions.
1322
-
1323
- - `flags`: `IFlag[]` - Array of flag objects.
1324
- - Returns: `this` for chaining.
1325
-
1326
- ### `.addSubCommand(subCommand)`
1327
-
1328
- Adds a sub-command definition.
1329
-
1330
- - `subCommand`: `ISubCommand` - The sub-command object.
1331
- - Returns: `this` for chaining.
1332
-
1333
- ### `.setHandler(handler)`
1334
-
1335
- Sets or overrides the handler function for this parser instance.
1336
-
1337
- - `handler`: `(ctx: HandlerContext) => void` - The handler function.
1338
- - Returns: `this` for chaining.
1339
-
1340
- ### `.getSubCommand(name)`
1341
-
1342
- Retrieves a defined sub-command by name.
1343
-
1344
- - `name`: `string` - The name of the sub-command.
1345
- - Returns: `ISubCommand | undefined` - The sub-command definition or `undefined` if not found.
1346
-
1347
- ### `.hasFlag(name)`
1348
-
1349
- Checks if a flag with the given name exists on this parser instance.
1350
-
1351
- - `name`: `string` - The name of the flag.
1352
- - Returns: `boolean`.
1353
-
1354
- ### `helpText()`
1355
-
1356
- Generates the formatted help text for this parser instance.
1357
-
1358
- - Returns: `string` - The generated help text.
1359
-
1360
- ### `printAll(filePath?)`
1361
-
1362
- Recursively prints the parser configuration.
1363
-
1364
- - `filePath`: `string?` - Optional path to write output to file. `.json` extension saves as JSON.
1365
-
1366
- ### Interfaces
1367
-
1368
- - `IFlag`: Defines the structure of a command-line flag.
1369
- - `ISubCommand`: Defines the structure of a sub-command.
1370
- - `HandlerContext`: The object passed to handler functions.
1371
- - `IParseOptions`: Options for the `parse()` method.
1372
- - `IArgParserParams`: Options for the `ArgParser` constructor.
1373
- - `ArgParserError`: Custom error class thrown on parsing failures when `handleErrors` is `false`.
573
+ ```typescript
574
+ logo: "./assets/my-logo.png"; // Relative to your project
575
+ logo: "/absolute/path/to/logo.jpg"; // Absolute path
576
+ ```
1374
577
 
1375
- ## Quick Reference
578
+ **HTTP/HTTPS URL:**
1376
579
 
1377
- ### **Basic CLI Setup**
1378
580
  ```typescript
1379
- import { ArgParser } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
1380
-
1381
- const cli = new ArgParser({
1382
- appName: "My Tool",
1383
- appCommandName: "my-tool",
1384
- handler: async (ctx) => ({ result: ctx.args }),
1385
- })
1386
- .addFlags([
1387
- { name: "input", options: ["--input", "-i"], type: "string", mandatory: true },
1388
- { name: "verbose", options: ["--verbose", "-v"], type: "boolean", flagOnly: true },
1389
- ])
1390
- .addSubCommand({
1391
- name: "process",
1392
- description: "Process data",
1393
- handler: async (ctx) => ({ processed: true }),
1394
- parser: new ArgParser({}, [
1395
- { name: "format", options: ["--format"], type: "string", enum: ["json", "xml"] },
1396
- ]),
1397
- });
581
+ logo: "https://example.com/logo.png"; // Downloaded automatically
582
+ logo: "https://cdn.example.com/icon.svg";
1398
583
  ```
1399
584
 
1400
- ### **MCP Integration**
1401
- ```typescript
1402
- import { ArgParser } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
585
+ ### How DXT Generation Works
1403
586
 
1404
- const mcpCli = ArgParser.withMcp({ /* same options */ })
1405
- .addFlags([/* same flags */])
1406
- .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
1407
- name: "my-mcp-server",
1408
- version: "1.0.0",
1409
- });
587
+ When you run `--s-build-dxt`, ArgParser performs several steps to create a self-contained, autonomous package:
1410
588
 
1411
- // CLI: my-tool --input data.txt process --format json
1412
- // MCP: my-tool serve --transport sse --port 3001
1413
- ```
589
+ 1. **Introspection**: It analyzes all tools defined with `.addTool()`.
590
+ 2. **Manifest Generation**: It creates a `manifest.json` file.
591
+ - Tool flags are converted into a JSON Schema for the `input_schema`.
592
+ - Flags with an `env` property (e.g., `{ name: 'apiKey', env: 'API_KEY' }`) are automatically added to the `user_config` section, prompting the user for the value upon installation and making it available as an environment variable to your tool.
593
+ 3. **Autonomous Build**: It bundles your CLI's source code and its dependencies into a single entry point (e.g., `server.js`) that can run without `node_modules`. This ensures the DXT is portable and reliable.
594
+ 4. **Packaging**: It assembles all necessary files (manifest, server bundle, logo, etc.) into the specified output directory, ready to be used by Claude Desktop or packed with `npx @anthropic-ai/dxt`.
1414
595
 
1415
- ### **MCP Preset Transport Configuration**
1416
- Configure default transports that will be used when no CLI transport flags are provided:
596
+ ---
1417
597
 
1418
- ```typescript
1419
- import { ArgParser, McpTransportConfig } from "@alcyone-labs/arg-parser";
598
+ ## System Flags & Configuration
599
+
600
+ ArgParser includes built-in `--s-*` flags for development, debugging, and configuration. They are processed before normal arguments and will cause the program to exit after their task is complete.
601
+
602
+ | Flag | Description |
603
+ | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
604
+ | **MCP & DXT** | |
605
+ | `--s-mcp-serve` | Starts the application in MCP server mode, exposing all tools. |
606
+ | `--s-build-dxt [dir]` | Generates a complete, autonomous DXT package for Claude Desktop. |
607
+ | `--s-mcp-transport <type>` | Overrides the MCP transport (`stdio`, `sse`, `streamable-http`). |
608
+ | `--s-mcp-transports <json>` | Overrides transports with a JSON array for multi-transport setups. |
609
+ | `--s-mcp-port <number>` | Sets the port for HTTP-based transports (`sse`, `streamable-http`). |
610
+ | `--s-mcp-host <string>` | Sets the host address for HTTP-based transports. |
611
+ | **Configuration** | |
612
+ | `--s-with-env <file>` | Loads configuration from a file (`.env`, `.json`, `.yaml`, `.toml`). CLI args take precedence. |
613
+ | `--s-save-to-env <file>` | Saves the current arguments to a configuration file, perfect for templates. |
614
+ | **Debugging** | |
615
+ | `--s-debug` | Prints a detailed, step-by-step log of the argument parsing process. |
616
+ | `--s-debug-print` | Exports the entire parser configuration to a JSON file for inspection. |
617
+ | `--s-enable-fuzzy` | Enables fuzzy testing mode—a dry run that parses args but skips handler execution. |
1420
618
 
1421
- // Single preset transport
1422
- const cliWithPreset = ArgParser.withMcp({
1423
- appName: "My Tool",
1424
- handler: async (ctx) => ({ result: ctx.args }),
1425
- })
1426
- .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
1427
- name: "my-server",
1428
- version: "1.0.0",
1429
- }, {
1430
- defaultTransport: {
1431
- type: "sse",
1432
- port: 3001,
1433
- host: "0.0.0.0"
1434
- }
1435
- });
619
+ ---
1436
620
 
1437
- // Multiple preset transports
1438
- const cliWithMultiplePresets = ArgParser.withMcp({
1439
- appName: "Multi-Transport Tool",
1440
- handler: async (ctx) => ({ result: ctx.args }),
1441
- })
1442
- .addMcpSubCommand("serve", {
1443
- name: "multi-server",
1444
- version: "1.0.0",
1445
- }, {
1446
- defaultTransports: [
1447
- { type: "stdio" },
1448
- { type: "sse", port: 3001 },
1449
- { type: "streamable-http", port: 3002, path: "/api/mcp" }
1450
- ],
1451
- toolOptions: {
1452
- includeSubCommands: true
1453
- }
1454
- });
621
+ ## Changelog
1455
622
 
1456
- // CLI flags always take precedence over presets
1457
- // my-tool serve -> Uses preset transports
1458
- // my-tool serve --transport sse -> Overrides preset with CLI flags
1459
- ```
623
+ ### v2.0.0
1460
624
 
1461
- ### **System Flags**
1462
- ```bash
1463
- # Debug parsing
1464
- my-tool --s-debug --input data.txt process
625
+ - **Unified Tool Architecture**: Introduced `.addTool()` to define CLI subcommands and MCP tools in a single declaration.
626
+ - **Environment Variables Support**: The `env` property on any IFlag now automatically pull value from the `process.env[${ENV}]` key and generates `user_config` entries in the DXT manifest and fills the flag value to the ENV value if found (process.env).
627
+ - **Enhanced DXT Generation**: The `env` property on flags now automatically generates `user_config` entries in the DXT manifest.
628
+ - **Automatic Console Safety**: Console output is automatically and safely redirected in MCP mode to prevent protocol contamination.
629
+ - **Breaking Changes**: The `addMcpSubCommand()` and separate `addSubCommand()` for MCP tools are deprecated in favor of `addTool()` and `--s-mcp-serve`.
1465
630
 
1466
- # Load configuration
1467
- my-tool --s-with-env config.yaml --input override.txt
631
+ ### v1.3.0
1468
632
 
1469
- # Save configuration
1470
- my-tool --input data.txt --s-save-to-env template.yaml
1471
- ```
633
+ - **Plugin System & Architecture**: Refactored to a dependency-injection model, making the core library dependency-free. Optional plugins for TOML/YAML.
634
+ - **Global Console Replacement**: Implemented the first version of automatic console suppression for MCP compliance.
635
+ - **Autonomous Build Improvements**: Significantly reduced DXT bundle size and removed dynamic `require` issues.
1472
636
 
1473
- ### **Multiple MCP Transports**
1474
- ```bash
1475
- # Single transport
1476
- my-tool serve --transport sse --port 3001
1477
-
1478
- # Multiple transports
1479
- my-tool serve --transports '[
1480
- {"type":"stdio"},
1481
- {"type":"sse","port":3001},
1482
- {"type":"streamable-http","port":3002}
1483
- ]'
1484
- ```
637
+ ### v1.2.0
1485
638
 
1486
- ---
639
+ - **Critical MCP Fixes**: Resolved issues where MCP tools with output schemas would fail. Ensured correct JSON-RPC 2.0 response formatting.
640
+ - **Enhanced Handler Context**: Added `isMcp` flag to the handler context for more reliable mode detection.
641
+
642
+ ### v1.1.0
1487
643
 
1488
- **📖 For complete examples and tutorials, see the [`examples/`](./examples/) directory.**
644
+ - **Major Features**: First release with MCP Integration, System Flags (`--s-debug`, `--s-with-env`, etc.), and environment loading from files.
1489
645
 
1490
- ---
646
+ ---
1491
647
 
1492
648
  ## Backlog
1493
649
 
1494
650
  - [x] Publish as an open-source library
1495
651
  - [x] Make ArgParser compatible with MCP out-of-the-box
1496
- - [x] Rename --LIB-* flags to --s-*
652
+ - [x] Rename --LIB-\* flags to --s-\*
1497
653
  - [x] Make it possible to pass a `--s-save-to-env /path/to/file` parameter that saves all the parameters to a file (works with Bash-style .env, JSON, YAML, TOML)
1498
654
  - [x] Make it possible to pass a `--s-with-env /path/to/file` parameter that loads all the parameters from a file (works with Bash-style .env, JSON, YAML, TOML)
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  - [ ] Add System flags to args.systemArgs
@@ -1506,4 +662,3 @@ my-tool serve --transports '[
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  ### (known) Bugs / DX improvement points
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  - [ ] When a flag with `flagOnly: false` is going to consume a value that appears like a valid flag from the set, raise the appropriate warning
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- - [ ] When a flag with `allowMultiple: false` and `flagOnly: true` is passed multiple times (regardless of the options, for example "-1" and later "--one", both being valid), raise the correct error