Separate CLI Blocks (Universal Agent Standard)

A universal standard and developer experience (DevEx) rule designed to prevent AI agents and LLMs from clumping multiple CLI commands into a single copy-paste block.

The Problem

Almost every major LLM and AI agent returns multi-step CLI solutions in a single concatenated code block (joined by newlines, semicolons, or &&). This forces developers to manually parse, edit, or risk accidentally executing unverified multi-line command chains.

The Solution

This repository provides a standardized rule set that can be installed into any AI agent, IDE assistant, or LLM system prompt to enforce one command per block.

Core Rules

1. One Command Per Block: Every distinct CLI command MUST be placed in its own individual Markdown code block.
2. No Concatenation: DO NOT combine multiple commands into a single block using newlines, semicolons, or && unless they form a single, logical atomic operation (e.g., cd dir && ls).
3. Contextual Separation: If commands are related but distinct steps, provide them in sequence with separate blocks.

Example

❌ Incorrect (Single Block)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git
gh auth login

✅ Correct (Separate Blocks)

sudo apt update

sudo apt install git

gh auth login

Install via npx (Recommended)

Install the rule into common agent config files so it is always-on across your stack:

npx separate-cli-blocks

This appends the standard to Cursor's .cursorrules, Windsurf's .windsurfrules, CLAUDE.md, GitHub Copilot's .github/copilot-instructions.md, and your global ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md. It is idempotent — re-running never duplicates the rule.

Options

npx separate-cli-blocks --dry-run

npx separate-cli-blocks --only-project

npx separate-cli-blocks --only-global

| Option | Description | | --- | --- | | --dry-run | Show what would change without writing files | | --only-project | Only write project-level config files in the current directory | | --only-global | Only write global config files (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md) | | -h, --help | Show usage | | -v, --version | Show version |

How to Install Across Your Development Stack

1. Manus

Add the rule to your project's Project Instructions or import the SKILL.md file as a custom skill.

2. Cursor / Windsurf / VS Code AI Agents

Create or append to your .cursorrules or workspace system prompt:

ALWAYS enforce separate code blocks for CLI commands. Every distinct command MUST be in its own individual Markdown code block. Never concatenate multiple commands with newlines or && unless it is a single atomic operation.

3. ChatGPT / Claude (Custom Instructions / System Prompts)

Paste the core rules into your custom instructions under developer guidelines or system prompts.

License

MIT License