CLI app helper

• Parses arguments using minimist
• Converts flags to camelCase
• Outputs version when --version
• Outputs description and supplied help text when --help
• Makes unhandled rejected promises fail loudly instead of the default silent fail
• Sets the process title to the binary name defined in package.json

$ npm install --save meow

$ ./foo-app.js unicorns --rainbow

#!/usr/bin/env node
'use strict';
const meow = require('meow');
const foo = require('.');

const cli = meow(`
	Usage
	  $ foo <input>

	Options
	  --rainbow, -r  Include a rainbow

	Examples
	  $ foo unicorns --rainbow
	  🌈 unicorns 🌈
`, {
	alias: {
		r: 'rainbow'
	}
});
/*
{
	input: ['unicorns'],
	flags: {rainbow: true},
	...
}
*/

foo(cli.input[0], cli.flags);

Returns an Object with:

• input (Array) - Non-flag arguments
• flags (Object) - Flags converted to camelCase
• pkg (Object) - The package.json object
• help (string) - The help text used with --help
• showHelp([code=2]) (Function) - Show the help text and exit with code

Type: Object Array string

Can either be a string/array that is the help or an options object.

Type: string boolean
Default: The package.json "description" property

Description to show above the help text.

Set it to false to disable it altogether.

Type: string boolean

The help text you want shown.

The input is reindented and starting/ending newlines are trimmed which means you can use a template literal without having to care about using the correct amount of indent.

The description will be shown above your help text automatically.

Set it to false to disable it altogether.

Type: string boolean
Default: The package.json "version" property

Set a custom version output.

Set it to false to disable it altogether.

Type: Object
Default: Closest package.json upwards

package.json as an Object.

You most likely don't need this option.

Type: Array
Default: process.argv.slice(2)

Custom arguments object.

Type: boolean
Default: false

Infer the argument type.

By default, the argument 5 in $ foo 5 becomes a string. Enabling this would infer it as a number.

Type: Object
Default: {}

Minimist options.

Keys passed to the minimist default option are decamelized, so you can for example pass in fooBar: 'baz' and have it be the default for the --foo-bar flag.

Meow will make unhandled rejected promises fail loudly instead of the default silent fail. Meaning you don't have to manually .catch() promises used in your CLI.

See chalk if you want to colorize the terminal output.

See get-stdin if you want to accept input from stdin.

See conf if you need to persist some data.

See update-notifier if you want update notifications.

More useful CLI utilities.

MIT © Sindre Sorhus