The Developer Experience Checklist for CLI Tools

The Developer Experience Checklist for CLI Tools You shipped a CLI tool. It works. But does it feel good to use? Developer experience (DX) is what separates tools people install once and forget from tools they recommend to their team. This checklist covers everything that makes a CLI tool professional — from first install to daily use. Each item is a concrete, implementable pattern. No vague advice. Installation Experience 1. Zero-config first run The tool should do something useful immediately after install, without creating config files or reading documentation: npm install -g mytool mytool scan . # Just works 2. Helpful --help output Structure help like a conversation, not a man page: mytool - Scan your project for common issues Usage: mytool scan [path] Scan a directory for issues mytool fix [path] Auto-fix what can be fixed mytool init Create a config file Options: -f, --format <fmt> Output format: text, json, table ( default: text ) -t, --threshold <n> Fail if score below thresho