Generate Agent Usable Clis

---
name: generate-agent-usable-clis
description: "Generate or refine agent-usable CLIs for existing software/codebases using the CLI-Anything methodology. Use when the user wants to turn a GUI app, desktop tool, repository, SDK, or web/API surface into a structured CLI for agents; when adapting CLI-Anything into OpenClaw workfl…"
category: "AI & Agents"
author: community
version: "0.1.0"
icon: bot
---

# CLI-Anything

Use this skill to work with the local `CLI-Anything/` repository in the workspace and turn its methodology into something usable from OpenClaw.

## What this skill is for

Use it for three common cases:

1. **Assess feasibility** — inspect a target app/repo and decide whether CLI-Anything is a good fit.
2. **Use an existing harness** — work with one of the repo's prebuilt `agent-harness` examples.
3. **Wrap for OpenClaw** — turn CLI-Anything guidance or an existing harness into an OpenClaw skill/workflow.

## Local source of truth

The repository is expected at:

- `/root/.openclaw/workspace/CLI-Anything`

Read these first when needed:

- `CLI-Anything/README.md` — overall platform and examples
- `CLI-Anything/cli-anything-plugin/HARNESS.md` — generation methodology and quality bar
- `CLI-Anything/cli-anything-plugin/README.md` — plugin behavior and expected output layout

For a fast survey of bundled examples, read `references/bundled-harnesses.md`.

## Core workflow

### 1) Classify the user's request

Decide which path applies:

- **Methodology request**: user wants to understand or apply CLI-Anything generally
- **Existing harness request**: user wants to use/demo one of the included examples like GIMP or LibreOffice
- **Packaging request**: user wants an OpenClaw skill or ClawHub package derived from CLI-Anything

### 2) Inspect prerequisites

Before promising execution, check:

- Python 3.10+
- target software presence if using a real harness backend
- whether the request is about:
  - building a harness
  - running a generated CLI
  - packaging/publishing

### 3) Prefer existing harnesses before generation

If the repo already includes a matching harness under `<software>/agent-harness/`, use that as the baseline instead of pretending generation has to happen from scratch.

### 4) For OpenClaw packaging, separate method from implementation

CLI-Anything itself is not a native OpenClaw skill package. When adapting it:

- keep the OpenClaw `SKILL.md` focused on **when to use** and **how to navigate the local repo**
- move large methodology text into references
- do not claim that `/plugin` or `/cli-anything` slash commands are directly available inside OpenClaw unless you have actually wired them up

## Practical guidance

### When the user wants to use an existing bundled harness

1. Locate `<software>/agent-harness/`
2. Read its `setup.py`, package layout, and local README/SOP file
3. Identify hard dependencies on the real software backend
4. Install or verify Python requirements only as needed
5. Validate the CLI entry point and a minimal command

### When the user wants to make a new app agent-native

Use CLI-Anything as methodology, not magic:

1. Analyze backend engine, data model, existing CLI/API hooks
2. Define command groups and state model
3. Create or refine `agent-harness/`
4. Add tests and a `TEST.md`
5. Install the resulting package to PATH
6. Verify real backend execution, not mock-only behavior

### When the user wants an OpenClaw skill

There are two good outputs:

- **Method skill**: teaches OpenClaw how to use CLI-Anything on local repos
- **Harness skill**: wraps one generated CLI or one concrete software target

Default to a **method skill** unless the user clearly wants a single app workflow.

## Rules

- Do not say CLI-Anything is already a native OpenClaw skill unless you created that wrapper.
- Do not promise a generated CLI works until you verify its entry point and real backend dependencies.
- Treat third-party generated code as reviewable output, not automatically trusted output.
- For publishing, require explicit user intent before pushing anything external.
- If packaging for ClawHub, keep the skill lean and point to local references instead of pasting huge docs into `SKILL.md`.

## Useful script

Use `scripts/inspect_cli_anything.py` to quickly inspect the local repo and enumerate bundled harnesses. It prints JSON with:

- whether the repo exists
- discovered harnesses
- whether each harness has `setup.py`, package directory, README, and E2E tests

Run:

```bash
python3 /root/.openclaw/workspace/skills/cli-anything/scripts/inspect_cli_anything.py
```

Use `scripts/recommend_harness.py` to rank the bundled harnesses and suggest good first validation targets.

Run:

```bash
python3 /root/.openclaw/workspace/skills/cli-anything/scripts/recommend_harness.py
```

## Helpful local paths

- Repo root: `/root/.openclaw/workspace/CLI-Anything`
- Plugin docs: `/root/.openclaw/workspace/CLI-Anything/cli-anything-plugin`
- Example harnesses: `/root/.openclaw/workspace/CLI-Anything/*/agent-harness`

## Reference files

- `references/bundled-harnesses.md` — quick map of included examples
- `references/openclaw-adaptation-notes.md` — how to package CLI-Anything ideas into OpenClaw skills
- `references/validated-example-gimp.md` — first locally verified runnable example