{"name":"cli-printing-press: Generate Agent-First Go CLIs for APIs","description":"CLI Printing Press is a Go-based generator that turns API specs, HAR captures, or websites into agent-first CLIs and MCP servers. It adds local SQLite search and sync, domain-specific commands, and verification tools for teams building API workflows for AI agents.","github":"https://github.com/mvanhorn/cli-printing-press","url":"https://osrepos.com/repo/mvanhorn-cli-printing-press","source":"osrepos.com","sourceDescription":"This repository profile is provided by osrepos.com, an open source repository discovery platform.","repositoryProfile":"https://osrepos.com/repo/mvanhorn-cli-printing-press","generatedFor":"open source discovery and AI-assisted research","markdown":"https://osrepos.com/repo/mvanhorn-cli-printing-press.md","json":"https://osrepos.com/repo/mvanhorn-cli-printing-press.json","topics":["go","cli","ai-agents","mcp","api","cli-generator","sqlite","agent-native-cli"],"keywords":["go","cli","ai-agents","mcp","api","cli-generator","sqlite","agent-native-cli"],"stars":null,"summary":"CLI Printing Press is a Go-based generator that turns API specs, HAR captures, or websites into agent-first CLIs and MCP servers. It adds local SQLite search and sync, domain-specific commands, and verification tools for teams building API workflows for AI agents.","content":"## Overview\n\nCLI Printing Press is a Go-based tool that generates agent-first command-line interfaces and MCP servers for APIs and websites. It uses Cobra for generated CLIs and supports OpenAPI specs, HAR files, and browser-captured traffic, so an API does not need a published spec. Its central aim is to make API work faster and less error-prone for AI agents, with concise output and commands designed around useful workflows rather than endpoint coverage alone.\n\nGenerated tools can include local SQLite storage, full-text search, incremental sync, and domain-specific analysis commands. The project is aimed at developers and agent users who want to build or use a capable CLI for a service, including services without official APIs. The README documents Claude Code as the best-tested agent workflow and also provides Codex installation guidance.\n\n## Key Features\n\n- Generate Go CLIs and MCP servers from OpenAPI specs, HAR files, or browser-captured API traffic.\n- Create agent-oriented command output, including automatic JSON when piped, compact fields, and typed exit codes.\n- Add SQLite-backed local data, FTS5 search, incremental sync, and direct SQL access where appropriate.\n- Generate domain-focused workflow and insight commands, such as stale-item checks, health summaries, and bottleneck analysis.\n- Research competing tools and MCP servers, then use an absorb manifest to guide feature coverage.\n- Check generated projects with scorecards, structural dogfooding, behavior proofs, and optional read-only live API tests.\n- Install project skills for Claude Code or Codex to drive the generation workflow.\n\n## Use Cases\n\n- A developer wants an agent-friendly CLI for a documented API and can provide its OpenAPI specification.\n- A team needs to explore a web service with no published API spec and can capture its traffic in a browser or HAR file.\n- An agent user wants to search and analyze service data locally instead of repeatedly making live API calls.\n- A CLI maintainer wants to check paths, authentication, flags, and data flow in a generated or hand-built Go CLI.\n\n## Our Take\n\nCLI Printing Press is an actively maintained, ambitious generator for teams that want API-specific CLIs shaped around agent workflows, though its Go and agent-tooling prerequisites make it a specialized choice.\n\n**Good fit if:**\n- You want to generate both a CLI and MCP server, with local SQLite features and domain-specific commands.\n- Your workflow uses Claude Code, or you are willing to try the documented Codex skills path.\n- You can provide an OpenAPI spec, HAR capture, or a website to inspect, and can verify that automated access is permitted.\n\n**Look elsewhere if:**\n- You need a ready-to-use CLI for a particular service rather than a generator. Published outputs are maintained in the separate Printing Press Library.\n- You need a standalone distribution without Go, Node/npm, or an agent that supports the project’s skills workflow.\n- You need autonomous website crawling or a generated CLI that replaces every vendor-specific administrative feature.\n\n## Project Health\n\n| Signal | Value |\n|---|---|\n| Status | **Active**: regular commits and releases |\n| Last commit | 2026-10-17 (today) |\n| Commits, last 90 days | 100+ |\n| Releases, last 12 months | 100+ (latest v4.33.6, 2026-10-17) |\n| Contributors | 93 (top contributor: 68% of commits) |\n| Issues closed, last 90 days | 34+ (typically closed in 1 day) |\n| Pull requests merged, last 90 days | 47 (typically merged in 0 days) |\n| Project age | 7 months |\n\nChecked on 2026-10-18 with the GitHub API.\n\n## Project Facts\n\n- Language: Go\n- License: MIT\n- Stars: 4.8k\n- Forks: 524\n- Topics: ai-agents, cli, cli-generator, developer-tools, golang, openapi\n- Archived: no\n\n## What You Need\n\nDetected in the repository:\n\n- Go 1.26.9 or newer (from go.mod)\n- Automated checks on GitHub Actions\n\n## Getting Started\n\nThe installer installs the generator and refreshes its skills. It requires Go 1.26.9 or newer and Node/npm for the skills installer:\n\n```bash\ncurl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mvanhorn/cli-printing-press/main/scripts/install.sh | bash\n```\n\nThen start Claude Code and run `/printing-press <app-name>`. See the [README](https://github.com/mvanhorn/cli-printing-press#readme) for Codex setup, manual installation, and workflow details.\n\n## License in Plain Words\n\n**MIT** (permissive).\n\n- Commercial use: yes\n- Modify and redistribute: yes\n- You must keep: the copyright and license notice\n- Share your changes: no\n\nA summary, not legal advice: the LICENSE file is what applies.\n\n## Considerations\n\n- The project is actively maintained, with recent commits and releases and ongoing issue and pull-request activity. Its scope is substantial, so generated output still benefits from hands-on review; the README says structural scores do not replace end-user QA.\n- The generator requires Go 1.26.9 or newer. The curated workflow also depends on an agent that supports open-agent-skills and Node/npm; Claude Code is the most-tested path.\n- Browser-based discovery requires a user to capture traffic or provide a HAR file. Some sites may expose traffic the tool cannot use, and the README warns that technical access does not establish legal permission. Review each service’s terms before use.\n- Live verification is read-only and does not test write paths against a real service. Windows is not supported for the `regen-merge` subcommand.\n- The repository is MIT-licensed. Generated CLIs may also interact with third-party services, so their terms and any separate requirements should be reviewed.","metrics":{"detailViews":4,"githubClicks":1},"dates":{"published":null,"modified":"2026-10-18T09:35:26.000Z"}}