CLI Anything

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 t...

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:

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:

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