Heldinhow/rust-cli

Rust CLI Development

Overview

Rust provides excellent tools for building high-performance command-line applications. This skill should be invoked when creating CLI tools that require performance, safety, or native binaries.

Core Principles

• Clap: Use clap for argument parsing
• Error Handling: Use Result and the ? operator
• Structopt: Derive CLI from structs
• Binary Focus: Focus on single-purpose tools

Preparation Checklist

• [ ] Initialize: cargo new --bin <name>
• [ ] Add clap: cargo add clap
• [ ] Plan CLI structure
• [ ] Design error handling

Step-by-Step Process

1. Initialize: Create Rust binary project
2. Setup: Add clap for argument parsing
3. Define: Use structopt for CLI structure
4. Implement: Write command handlers
5. Handle Errors: Implement proper error handling
6. Build: Compile and test

Do's and Don'ts

• ✅ Do use clap derive macros
• ✅ Do implement proper error messages
• ✅ Do use Result for error handling
• ❌ Don't skip error handling
• ❌ Don't use panics for errors
• ❌ Don't make monolithic commands

Anti-Patterns

• Manual Parsing: Not using clap
• Panic Instead of Errors: Using unwrap/panic
• No Help: Missing --help documentation
• Monolithic Commands: Not separating subcommands