mcli

A CLI for discovering and comparing CLI tools — optimized for AI agents.

Install

npm install -g @asvanevik/mcli

Or run directly with npx:

npx @asvanevik/mcli search cloud

Why?

Package managers tell you how to install tools. mcli tells you which tools are best for your use case, with structured metadata about agent-friendliness.

Features

• Discovery — Search and compare CLI tools across categories
• Agent Scores — Rate tools on JSON output, idempotency, auth complexity
• Verification Tiers — Know if a tool is officially verified, community-vetted, or unverified
• Install Commands — Get the right install command for your platform

Quick Start

mcli search cloud
mcli info hcloud
mcli compare aws gcloud hcloud
mcli install gh

Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | search <query> | Search for CLI tools | | info <slug> | Show detailed info about a tool | | compare <slug> [slug...] | Compare multiple tools side-by-side | | install <slug> | Show install commands for a tool | | list | List all tools | | list --agent-friendly | List tools sorted by agent score | | categories | List all categories |

Agent Score

Tools are rated 1-10 on agent-friendliness based on:

• JSON Output — Parseable structured output
• Idempotency — Same command, same result
• Auth Simplicity — Env vars vs interactive flows
• Error Clarity — Actionable error messages
• Streaming — Handles long-running operations

Verification Tiers

• ✓ Verified — Traced to official vendor source
• ○ Community — Submitted and reviewed by community
• ? Unverified — Auto-indexed, use with caution

Roadmap

• [x] Agent reviews — Let AI agents rate tools based on real usage
• [x] Verification system — Automated provenance checks
• [ ] PR reputation — Agents earn trust by contributing to CLI repos
• [ ] Web interface — Browse the registry online
• [ ] GitHub Action — Auto-review tools in CI

Development

This project follows test-driven development (TDD). Tests must pass before merging.

npm test              # Run tests
npm run test:watch    # Watch mode
npm run test:coverage # Coverage report

Contributing

PRs welcome! To add a tool, edit registry/tools.json. All tools are validated by tests.

License

MIT