tldr-cmd: CLI command TL;DR

Produce a short, copy-paste-ready TL;DR summary of any CLI command from its man page or --help text, so a human (or a coding agent) can learn the essential options without scrolling.

tldr-cmd

Given a command name, print a short TL;DR summary built from its man page (preferred) or --help output (fallback). No network, no extra dependencies — pure POSIX text munging. Useful when you want "the essentials, now".

When to use it

• You need a 5-screen-line-or-fewer reminder of how xargs, rsync, ffmpeg, etc. work
• An agent is about to invoke a command it hasn't used in a while
• You're reviewing a teammate's one-liner and want the relevant flags fast

What it owns

• Selecting the best available source: man <cmd> → dwim/command-not-found hint → <cmd> --help
• Extracting the NAME / SYNOPSIS / a few OPTIONS lines and one worked example

It does not run the command, interpret shell syntax, or guarantee man-page availability.

Run

bash

bin/tldr-cmd <command>
# e.g.
bin/tldr-cmd rsync
bin/tldr-cmd ffmpeg

Output shape

text

tldr: <command>
about: <short description>
usage: <synopsis>
flags:
  -<x>  <one-line meaning>
  -<y>  <one-line meaning>
example: <one idiomatic invocation>