CLI-Anything: Making ALL Software Agent-Native

Today's Software Serves Humans👨‍💻. Tomorrow's Users will be Agents🤖.
CLI-Anything: Bridging the Gap Between AI Agents and the World's Software

🌐 CLI-Hub: pip install cli-anything-hub then cli-hub install <name> — browse, install, and manage all community-built CLIs. Want to add your own? Open a PR — the hub updates instantly.

🎬 See Demos: Watch AI agents use generated CLIs plus preview, live preview, and trajectory loops to produce real artifacts — CAD builds, 3D scenes, diagrams, gameplay, subtitles, and more.

🙋 [Become a Contributor, or Request a CLI]: Join us! Sign up to build a new CLI harness — once reviewed and merged, you'll gain access as one of our community contributors! Wish CLI-Anything supported a specific software or service? Submit a wishlist request!

One Command Line: Make any software agent-ready for Pi, OpenClaw, nanobot, Cursor, Claude Code, etc.  中文文档 | 日本語ドキュメント | Deutsch

📰 News

Thanks to all invaluable efforts from the community! More updates continuously on the way everyday..

• 2026-05-30 🧭 Hermes skill proposed (#320), adding a CLI-Anything orchestration skill with installer scripts and HARNESS fallback guidance. 🗺️ ArcGIS Pro was proposed for the public registry (#318) as a Windows/ArcPy CLI for cartography, geoprocessing, feature editing, and live-Pro MCP workflows.

• 2026-05-27 🔧 CLI-Hub registry date updates now handle python -m pip install commands (#312), improving package-date detection for registry automation.

• 2026-05-23 📝 Obsidian Agent CLI was proposed for the public registry (#307), bringing a PyPI-installed Obsidian automation CLI with persistent agent memory workflows and a pinned skill link.

• 2026-05-21 🔒 Sketch CLI token-file handling was hardened against path traversal and symlink escapes (#304).

• 2026-05-20 📓 Joplin CLI was proposed (#300) with notebooks, notes, to-dos, tags, attachments, search/sync, import/export, server/E2EE helpers, full docs, packaged skill docs, and a 134-test validation baseline.

• 2026-05-20 🎛️ Rekordbox CLI merged (#252) with guarded SQLCipher write paths, backup-required forced writes, smoke coverage, and root skill sync. 📚 Calibre CLI merged (#223) with library/search/metadata/conversion/export workflows, 41 unit tests, real-Calibre E2E evidence, and root skill validation. 🧊 3MF CLI merged (#209) with mesh inspection, hole resizing, repair, comparison, and preserved triangle attributes. 🎙️ MiniMax CLI merged (#189) with chat/TTS workflows, JSON-safe model/voice listing, REPL quote handling, and smoke/E2E coverage. 🎮 UEAtelier joined the registry (#297) as an Unreal Editor MCP self-extension workbench with a Python CLI proxy.

• 2026-05-19 🛠️ Existing harnesses got a quality/security pass — Zoom downloads recordings from direct URLs (#294), Obsidian search now uses the Local REST API vendor content types (#289), LibreOffice headless conversion is more robust on macOS (#290), and XML/SVG/ODF/MLT/MusicXML/CSL parsing now routes untrusted input through defusedxml (#296).

• 2026-05-18 📈 README presentation refreshed with the Trendshift badge and centered project header polish (#285, #286), keeping the landing section focused on discovery and project momentum.

• 2026-05-17 🌐 CLI-Hub registry handling was hardened (#281) — registry entries are now copied before _source tagging, preventing cached or mocked registry data from being mutated in place.

• 2026-05-16 🔧 n8n received the REPL banner crash fix that later merged into main (#280), restoring the no-subcommand interactive startup path with regression coverage.

🤔 Why CLI?

CLI is the universal interface for both humans and AI agents:

• Structured & Composable - Text commands match LLM format and chain for complex workflows

• Lightweight & Universal - Minimal overhead, works across all systems without dependencies

• Self-Describing - --help flags provide automatic documentation agents can discover

• Proven Success - Claude Code runs thousands of real workflows through CLI daily

• Agent-First Design - Structured JSON output eliminates parsing complexity

• Deterministic & Reliable - Consistent results enable predictable agent behavior

🚀 Quick Start

CLI-Anything has two equally useful starting points:

pip install cli-anything-hub

# Browse what is available
cli-hub list
cli-hub search image

# Install and try a CLI immediately
cli-hub install gimp
cli-hub info gimp
cli-hub launch gimp

npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-hub-meta-skill -g -y

Find appropriate CLI software in CLI-Hub and complete the task: ...

# Add the CLI-Anything marketplace
/plugin marketplace add HKUDS/CLI-Anything

# Install the cli-anything plugin from the marketplace
/plugin install cli-anything

# /cli-anything <software-path-or-repo>
# Generate a complete CLI for GIMP (all 7 phases)
/cli-anything ./gimp

# Broad refinement — agent analyzes gaps across all capabilities
/cli-anything:refine ./gimp

# Focused refinement — target a specific functionality area
/cli-anything:refine ./gimp "I want more CLIs on image batch processing and filters"

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git

# Copy plugin to Claude Code plugins directory
cp -r CLI-Anything/cli-anything-plugin ~/.claude/plugins/cli-anything

# Reload plugins
/reload-plugins

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git
cd CLI-Anything

# Install globally into Pi's extensions directory
bash .pi-extension/cli-anything/install.sh

bash .pi-extension/cli-anything/install.sh --uninstall

# Generate a complete CLI for GIMP (all 7 phases)
/cli-anything ./gimp

# Build from a GitHub repo
/cli-anything https://github.com/blender/blender

# Broad refinement — agent analyzes gaps across all capabilities
/cli-anything:refine ./gimp

# Focused refinement — target a specific functionality area
/cli-anything:refine ./gimp "batch processing and filters"

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git

# Global install (available in all projects)
cp CLI-Anything/opencode-commands/*.md ~/.config/opencode/commands/
cp CLI-Anything/cli-anything-plugin/HARNESS.md ~/.config/opencode/commands/

# Or project-level install
cp CLI-Anything/opencode-commands/*.md .opencode/commands/
cp CLI-Anything/cli-anything-plugin/HARNESS.md .opencode/commands/

# Generate a complete CLI for GIMP (all 7 phases)
/cli-anything ./gimp

# Build from a GitHub repo
/cli-anything https://github.com/blender/blender

# Broad refinement — agent analyzes gaps across all capabilities
/cli-anything-refine ./gimp

# Focused refinement — target a specific functionality area
/cli-anything-refine ./gimp "batch processing and filters"

/cli-anything ./gimp
/cli-anything:refine ./gimp "batch processing and filters"

git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git
bash CLI-Anything/qoder-plugin/setup-qodercli.sh

/cli-anything ./gimp
/cli-anything:refine ./gimp "batch processing and filters"
/cli-anything:validate ./gimp

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git

# Install to the global skills folder
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills/cli-anything
cp CLI-Anything/openclaw-skill/SKILL.md ~/.openclaw/skills/cli-anything/SKILL.md

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git

# Install the skill
bash CLI-Anything/codex-skill/scripts/install.sh

.\CLI-Anything\codex-skill\scripts\install.ps1

Use CLI-Anything to build a harness for ./gimp
Use CLI-Anything to refine ./shotcut for picture-in-picture workflows
Use CLI-Anything to validate ./libreoffice
Use CLI-Anything to list generated harnesses under the current directory

bash CLI-Anything/codex-skill/tests/test_install.sh

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git

# Install the skill
bash CLI-Anything/hermes-skill/scripts/install.sh

.\CLI-Anything\hermes-skill\scripts\install.ps1

Use CLI-Anything to build a harness for ./gimp
Use CLI-Anything to refine ./shotcut for picture-in-picture workflows
Use CLI-Anything to validate ./libreoffice

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git

# Install the skill
bash CLI-Anything/reasonix-skill/scripts/install.sh

.\CLI-Anything\reasonix-skill\scripts\install.ps1

Use CLI-Anything to build a harness for ./gimp
Use CLI-Anything to refine ./shotcut for picture-in-picture workflows
Use CLI-Anything to validate ./libreoffice

git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git
cd CLI-Anything
copilot plugin install ./cli-anything-plugin

/cli-anything ./gimp
/cli-anything:refine ./gimp "batch processing and filters"
/cli-anything:validate ./gimp

# Install to PATH
cd gimp/agent-harness && pip install -e .

# Use from anywhere
cli-anything-gimp --help
cli-anything-gimp project new --width 1920 --height 1080 -o poster.json
cli-anything-gimp --json layer add -n "Background" --type solid --color "#1a1a2e"

# Enter interactive REPL
cli-anything-gimp

🤖 Empower Your Agents with CLI-Hub

CLI-Hub lets agents autonomously discover, install, and use the CLIs they need.

npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-hub-meta-skill -g -y

Also available on: ClawHub, SkillHub, SkillHub.cn

Then prompt:

Find appropriate CLI software in CLI-Hub and complete the task: ...

The meta-skill points agents to the live CLI-Hub catalog, where they can choose a CLI, install it, and read its own SKILL.md for task-specific usage.

💡 CLI-Anything's Vision: Building Agent-Native Software

• 🌐 Universal Access - Every software becomes instantly agent-controllable through structured CLI.

• 🔗 Seamless Integration - Agents control any application without APIs, GUI, rebuilding or complex wrappers.

• 🚀 Future-Ready Ecosystem - Transform human-designed software into agent-native tools with one command.

🔧 When to Use CLI-Anything

CLI-Anything's Key Features

The Agent-Software Gap

AI agents are great at reasoning but terrible at using real professional software. Current solutions are fragile UI automation, limited APIs, or dumbed-down reimplementations that miss 90% of functionality.

CLI-Anything's Solution: Transform any professional software into agent-native tools without losing capabilities.

🎯 What Can You Do with CLI-Anything?

✨ ⚙️ How CLI-Anything Works

🤖 SKILL.md Generation

Each generated CLI now has a canonical SKILL.md at skills/cli-anything-<software>/SKILL.md. This makes the current monorepo directly consumable by npx skills, while a packaged compatibility copy at cli_anything/<software>/skills/SKILL.md preserves installed-harness behavior.

What SKILL.md provides:

• YAML frontmatter with name and description for agent skill discovery
• Command groups with all available subcommands documented
• Usage examples for common workflows
• Agent-specific guidance for JSON output, error handling, and programmatic use

SKILL.md files are auto-generated during Phase 6.5 of the pipeline using skill_generator.py, which extracts metadata directly from the CLI's Click decorators, setup.py, and README. The generator now writes the canonical repo-root skill file and refreshes the package-local compatibility copy used by installed harnesses. Inside this repo, the REPL banner points agents to the canonical root skill path; after pip install, it falls back to the packaged copy.

🎬 Real-World Demos

AI agents using generated CLIs to produce complete, useful artifacts — no GUI needed.

FreeCAD — Curiosity Rover via Preview, Live Preview, and Trajectory

Harness: cli-anything-freecad | Preview Stack: preview + preview live + trajectory.json | Artifact: Agent-built Curiosity-style rover

An agent incrementally assembles a Curiosity-inspired rover while publishing real FreeCAD preview bundles, refreshing a live preview session, and recording command-to-preview history for later replay. The resulting demo shows the artifact evolving step by step before the final showcase.

_{README GIF generated from the full local demo video with a speed-adjusted, high-quality ffmpeg palette workflow.}

Blender — Orbital Relay Drone via Preview, Live Preview, and Trajectory

Harness: cli-anything-blender | Preview Stack: preview + preview live + trajectory.json | Artifact: Agent-built orbital relay drone

An agent uses the Blender harness to grow a hard-surface orbital relay drone under a real preview loop: each stage pushes new render-backed bundles, the live session tracks the current head, and the trajectory ties every command to the matching visual state. The demo finishes with the completed scene ready for a polished turntable.

_{README GIF generated from the full local demo video with a speed-adjusted, high-quality ffmpeg palette workflow.}

Draw.io — HTTPS Handshake Diagram

Harness: cli-anything-drawio | Time: ~4 min | Artifact: .drawio + .png

An agent creates a full HTTPS connection lifecycle diagram from scratch — TCP three-way handshake, TLS negotiation, encrypted data exchange, and TCP four-way termination — entirely through CLI commands.

Contributed by @zhangxilong-43

Slay the Spire II — Game Automation

Harness: cli-anything-slay-the-spire-ii | Artifact: Automated gameplay session

An agent plays through a Slay the Spire II run using the CLI harness — reading game state, selecting cards, choosing paths, and making strategic decisions in real-time.

Contributed by @TianyuFan0504

VideoCaptioner — Auto-Generated Subtitles

Harness: cli-anything-videocaptioner | Artifact: Captioned video frames

An agent uses the VideoCaptioner CLI to automatically generate and overlay styled subtitles onto video content, with bilingual text rendering and customizable formatting.

Sub A	Sub B

Contributed by @WEIFENG2333

ArcGIS Pro — Live Agent Cartography via the MCP Bridge

Harness: arcgis-pro (registered in public_registry.json) | Mode: live-Pro MCP bridge | Artifact: Agent-driven map navigation in a running ArcGIS Pro session

An agent drives a live, open ArcGIS Pro session through an MCP bridge — reading the project, zooming the map to feature layers, running geoprocessing, and exporting layouts — while each step executes inside Pro as you watch. ArcGIS Pro is Esri's commercial GIS desktop (Windows-only, licensed), so this wraps its official ArcPy / ArcGIS Pro SDK rather than being generated from source — the ArcGIS Pro counterpart to the QGIS harness.

_{README GIF generated from the full local demo video with a high-quality ffmpeg palette workflow.}

Contributed by @Jasper0122

More CLI demos coming soon.

🎬 Demonstrations

🎯 General-Purpose

CLI-Anything works on any software with a codebase — no domain restrictions or architectural limitations.

🏭 Professional-Grade Testing

Tested across 18 diverse, complex applications spanning creative, productivity, communication, diagramming, AI image generation, AI content generation, network ad blocking, local LLM inference, native debugging, and graphics profiling domains previously inaccessible to AI agents.

🎨 Diverse Domain Coverage

From creative workflows (image editing, 3D modeling, vector graphics) to production tools (audio, office, live streaming, video editing).

✅ Full CLI Generation

Each application received complete, production-ready CLI interfaces — not demos, but comprehensive tool access preserving full capabilities.

…view the full README on GitHub.