anc.dev The agent-native CLI standard

datasette

An open-source multi-tool for exploring and publishing data

notable Python simonw/datasette
67% pass rate
3/8 principles met

Spec Coverage

How many of the spec's requirements were verified for this tool. See /coverage for the full matrix.

Level Total Verified Unverified
MUST 28 19 9
SHOULD 21 13 8
MAY 10 10 0

Audience signal: mixed

This tool sends mixed signals: some agent-readable affordances are present, others are not. Treat the warnings below as friction points, not defects.

This is an informational signal, not an authoritative verdict — see methodology. The per-audit evidence below is the ground truth.

Top Issues

All Audits

P1: Non-Interactive by Default

WARN Non-interactive by default binary may be waiting for interactive input
WARN Non-interactive gate flag advertised in --help no non-interactive flag found in --help; expected one of: --no-interactive, --non-interactive, -p, --print, --no-input, --batch, --headless, -y, --yes, --assume-yes
WARN Flags advertise env-var bindings in --help 2 flag(s) found in --help but no `[env: NAME]` bindings advertised
PASS Secret-bearing flags expose stdin or *-file companion
WARN `--help` advertises default values for flags no default-value annotations found in --help. SHOULD-tier — agents reading help text need to see what value a flag falls back to when omitted (`[default: <value>]` per clap convention).
WARN Rich-TUI affordance for TTY contexts no rich-TUI affordance detected (no `--tui`/`--interactive`/`--ui` flag, no spinner/progress/tui mention in --help). MAY-tier — rich TUI in TTY contexts is a nice-to-have, not required.

P2: Structured, Parseable Output

OPT-OUT Structured output support no --output/--format flag detected in any subcommand — tool does not ship structured output.
N/A Structured-output CLI exposes its schema at runtime antecedent `p2-json-output` is opt_out: no --output/--format flag detected in any subcommand — tool does not ship structured output.
WARN --json / --jsonl short aliases for --output no --json or --jsonl short alias found. Agents and pipelines benefit from short forms alongside the canonical `--output` enum.
WARN `--raw` flag for pipe-safe unformatted output no `--raw` flag advertised. MAY-tier — useful for pipelines that want to strip formatting before piping to other tools.
SKIP `--output` advertises additional formats beyond text/json no `--output` or `--format` flag advertised; vacuous skip for MAY-tier extra formats.
PASS Bad invocation exits with structured usage-error code (2)
SKIP Errors emit JSON envelope with `error`/`kind`/`message` under `--output json` binary does not advertise `--output json` in --help; MUST applies only to CLIs that opt into the JSON contract.
SKIP JSON success and error envelopes share their non-payload key set binary does not advertise `--output json` in --help; envelope-consistency only applies to CLIs that opt into the JSON contract.

P3: Progressive Help Discovery

PASS Help flag produces useful output
WARN Version flag works (`--version` plus short alias) `--version` works but no short alias responded (tried -V, -v, -version). Adding one shortens version probes for agents.
WARN Version flag works (`--version` plus short alias) `--version` works but no short alias responded (tried -V, -v, -version). Adding one shortens version probes for agents.
WARN `examples` subcommand or `--examples` flag for curated usage patterns no `examples` subcommand or `--examples` flag found. MAY-tier — a curated usage block keeps agents from hunting through long help text.
SKIP Short `-h` summary differs from `--help` long form could not probe both `-h` and `--help` cleanly
FAIL Each subcommand's `--help` ships at least one invocation example subcommands missing example invocations in their `--help`: inspect, install, package, plugins, publish, uninstall. Examples teach agents the call shape faster than option tables; use clap's `after_help` or a dedicated `Examples:` block.
WARN Help text pairs human and `--output json` example invocations no paired text + `--output json` example found within 5 lines in top-level or any subcommand `--help`. Pairing keeps agents from reverse-engineering the JSON invocation from the text one.

P4: Fail-Fast, Actionable Errors

PASS Rejects invalid arguments
PASS Error messages include a hint or remediation phrase
SKIP `--output json` produces JSON-formatted errors binary does not advertise `--output json` in --help; SHOULD applies only to CLIs that opt into the JSON contract.

P5: Safe Retries & Mutation Boundaries

SKIP Destructive subcommands require `--force` or `--yes` no destructive subcommands detected; MUST applies conditionally to CLIs with destructive operations.
SKIP Read and write surfaces are both visible in subcommand list no recognizable read or write subcommand verbs; the read/write distinction is unobservable from the help surface alone.

P6: Composable, Predictable Command Structure

PASS Handles SIGPIPE gracefully
SKIP Pager-using CLI ships --no-pager escape hatch no pager signal (less/more/$PAGER/--pager) in --help
PASS Respects NO_COLOR
WARN Subcommand verbs follow community-standard names 4/6 subcommand(s) follow standard verb names. Non-standard: package, plugins. MAY-tier — community-standard verbs (get/list/create/update/delete) help agents predict subcommand behavior across CLIs.
WARN `--color` flag for explicit color control no `--color` flag advertised. MAY-tier — `auto|always|never` lets agents and pipelines override the TTY-based default.
SKIP Input-accepting commands read from stdin when no file is given no input-accepting subcommand detected (process/parse/convert/transform/analyze/validate/format/lint/audit); vacuous skip for the conditional SHOULD.
PASS Subcommand naming follows a consistent verb/noun convention
PASS Operations are subcommands, not verb-shaped flags

P7: Bounded, High-Signal Responses

WARN Quiet mode available no --quiet/-q flag detected in --help output
WARN `--verbose` flag for diagnostic escalation no `--verbose` / `-v` flag advertised. SHOULD-tier — agents debugging failures need a way to escalate diagnostic detail.
SKIP `--limit` / `--max-results` flag for list operations no list-style subcommand detected (list/ls/search/query/find/show/get); vacuous skip for the list-only SHOULD.
SKIP Cursor-based pagination flags for list traversal no list-style subcommand detected; vacuous skip for the list-only MAY.
SKIP `--timeout` flag for long-running operations no long-running subcommand detected (serve/daemon/watch/tail/monitor/follow/run/start/stream); vacuous skip for the conditional SHOULD.
WARN Help text advertises TTY-aware verbosity behavior no TTY-aware language found in `--help`. MAY-tier — automatic verbosity reduction when stdout is piped or redirected lets agents skip the explicit `--quiet` flag. Behavioral probes cannot simulate a real TTY without a pty crate, so this audit relies on documented intent.

P8: Discoverable Through Agent Skill Bundles

PASS Skill bundle has install path (`tool skill install [<host>]`)
PASS `skill install --all` for multi-runtime install
PASS `skill update` / `skill upgrade` for bundle refresh

Details

Version scored
0.65.2
Audit date
2026-06-01 17:36:18 UTC
Duration
10.4s
Platform
linux/x86_64
Mode
command
Anc build
0.5.0
Install
uv tool install datasette

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The badge floor is 70%; this scorecard is at 67% (3 points below). Once the score clears the floor, the embed snippet will appear here. The top issues above are the place to start.

Reproduce this scorecard for datasette locally and inspect the failing audits:

anc audit --command datasette --output json

Install anc first if you don't have it. Add --output json to get the same JSON shape committed under scorecards/.