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
Top Issues
FAILStructured-output CLI exposes its schema at runtimeStructured, Parseable OutputCLI emits structured output but exposes no `schema` subcommand or `--schema` flag at top level or nested one level deep. Agents need a runtime-discoverable schema to pin against shape changes.
FAILError messages include a hint or remediation phraseFail-Fast, Actionable Errorsstderr lacks a hint phrase. Looked for one of: try , use , expected , did you mean, see , run , for more, tip:, help:, hint:, suggestion:, available . Error messages must name what to do next, not just the symptom.
WARNStructured output supportStructured, Parseable Output--output/--format flag detected but could not validate JSON via safe probes (--help/--version override output flags in most CLIs)
target satisfies P1 via alternative gate (help-on-bare or stdin-primary)
PASS
Flags advertise env-var bindings in --help
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).
--output/--format flag detected but could not validate JSON via safe probes (--help/--version override output flags in most CLIs)
FAIL
Structured-output CLI exposes its schema at runtime
CLI emits structured output but exposes no `schema` subcommand or `--schema` flag at top level or nested one level deep. Agents need a runtime-discoverable schema to pin against shape changes.
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.
`--output` / `--format` flag found but no extra format tokens detected (looked for csv, tsv, yaml, yml, toml, xml, ndjson). MAY-tier — additional formats let downstream agents pick the shape that matches their pipeline.
WARN
Bad invocation exits with structured usage-error code (2)
bad invocation exited with code 1. The 0/1/2/77/78 convention reserves code 2 for usage errors; using a different non-zero code (often 1) blurs the distinction between usage errors and general failure.
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.
`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.
WARN
Short `-h` summary differs from `--help` long form
`-h` and `--help` produce byte-identical output. SHOULD-tier — clap renders the short summary on `-h` and the full description on `--help` when `long_about` is set; collapsing them gives agents no concise list-level grep target.
SKIP
Each subcommand's `--help` ships at least one invocation example
binary has no subcommands; MUST applies conditionally to CLIs that use them.
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.
Error messages include a hint or remediation phrase
stderr lacks a hint phrase. Looked for one of: try , use , expected , did you mean, see , run , for more, tip:, help:, hint:, suggestion:, available . Error messages must name what to do next, not just the symptom.
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.
pager referenced in --help but no --no-pager escape hatch advertised
PASS
Respects NO_COLOR
SKIP
Subcommand verbs follow community-standard names
no subcommands parsed from --help
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.
SKIP
Subcommand naming follows a consistent verb/noun convention
fewer than 2 user-defined subcommands; vacuous skip for the conditional SHOULD.
WARN
Operations are subcommands, not verb-shaped flags
top-level verb-shaped flag(s) found: --list, --delete, --show. Operations belong under the `Commands:` block (`tool search "q"`), not on the flag namespace where they fight the `--help` filtering agents rely on.
