pycli-color

Original：🇨🇳 Chinese

Translated

1 scriptsChecked / no sensitive code detected

Use this when writing Python argparse CLI scripts that require colorful --help output with customizable color control, including support for NO_COLOR and FORCE_COLOR environment variables.

1installs

Sourcecanyangliunian/agent-skills

Added on2026-02-17

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add canyangliunian/agent-skills pycli-color

SKILL.md Content (Chinese)

View Translation Comparison →

pycli-color

When to Use

Use this skill when you are requested to write Python command-line scripts (using argparse) and the user wants the

-h/--help

output to have consistent color highlighting. The goal is to ensure that the

--help

output of all scripts presents a consistent visual effect and a controllable color toggle strategy (auto/NO_COLOR/FORCE_COLOR).

Core Specifications (Mandatory)

1) Mechanism (Must use argparse)

Must use
```
argparse
```
.

Must implement

ColorHelpFormatter(argparse.HelpFormatter)

.

Must override the
```
_format_action_invocation(self, action)
```
method to control the rendering of option/metavar for each action.

Enable it via

ArgumentParser(formatter_class=ColorHelpFormatter)

.

2) Color Rules (Token Level)

Any option token starting with
```
-
```
(e.g.,
```
-h
```
,
```
--title
```
) must be cyan + bold.
Any metavar/placeholder token (usually satisfying
```
p.isupper()
```
or containing
```
_
```
, e.g.,
```
TITLE
```
,
```
AJG_CSV
```
) must be yellow + bold.
Other tokens should not be colored.
An ANSI reset must be appended after each colored segment to prevent color bleeding.

Recommended ANSI codes:

Reset:
```
\x1b[0m
```
Cyan bold:
```
\x1b[36;1m
```
Yellow bold:
```
\x1b[33;1m
```

3) Color Enablement Strategy (Controllable and Compatible)

Must implement:

```
supports_color() -> bool
```
- Default auto: Enable color only when
```
sys.stdout.isatty()
```
  is True and
```
TERM
```
  is not
```
dumb
```
- If the
```
NO_COLOR
```
  environment variable exists: Force disable color
- If
```
FORCE_COLOR=1
```
  : Force enable color (even in non-TTY environments)
```
colorize(text: str, ansi_code: str) -> str
```
: Wrap text with ANSI codes only when color is enabled.

Note: It is common for

NO_COLOR=1

to be set globally in your environment; to force color output, use

FORCE_COLOR=1 python3 your_script.py -h

directly (no need to clear NO_COLOR).

4) Minimum CLI Surface (For Validation)

The script must include:

At least one parameter with
```
required=True
```
At least one optional parameter
At least one parameter with
```
choices=
```
Standard entry point:
```
if __name__ == "__main__": main()
```

5) Test Comments (Must Be Included in Code)

The script must include two comments to facilitate manual verification:

```
NO_COLOR=1 python your_script.py -h
```
```
FORCE_COLOR=1 python your_script.py -h
```

Recommended Implementation (Can Be Copied Directly)

You can directly refer to the template in the project (relative path):

```
./scripts/demo_pycli_color.py
```

"Copyable Prompt" for Future Assistants

When you ask me to write any Python CLI script in the future, you can directly paste the following (no need to explain the background):

""" Please implement a CLI using argparse, and make the -h/--help help information of the Python script support consistent color highlighting (in accordance with your pycli-color specifications).

Must implement:

supports_color(): Default auto (enable only when sys.stdout.isatty()==True and TERM != 'dumb'); force disable color if NO_COLOR exists; force enable color if FORCE_COLOR=1 (even in non-TTY environments).
colorize(text, ansi_code): Wrap text with ANSI codes only when color is enabled, otherwise return the text as-is.
ColorHelpFormatter(argparse.HelpFormatter), and override HelpFormatter._format_action_invocation:
- Tokens starting with '-' (e.g., -h/--title) → cyan + bold (\x1b[36;1m)
- Tokens that are metavars (all uppercase or contain '_', e.g., TITLE/AJG_CSV) → yellow + bold (\x1b[33;1m)
- Do not color other tokens; append reset (\x1b[0m) after each colored segment
Enable the formatter via ArgumentParser(formatter_class=ColorHelpFormatter).
The CLI must include at least: 1 parameter with required=True, 1 optional parameter, 1 parameter with choices=, and include the standard entry point if name == 'main': main().
Must retain test comments in the code:
- NO_COLOR=1 python3 your_script.py -h
- FORCE_COLOR=1 python3 your_script.py -h Use relative paths by default and ensure the script can be run directly. """

pycli-color

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content (Chinese)

pycli-color

When to Use

Core Specifications (Mandatory)

1) Mechanism (Must use argparse)

2) Color Rules (Token Level)

3) Color Enablement Strategy (Controllable and Compatible)

4) Minimum CLI Surface (For Validation)

5) Test Comments (Must Be Included in Code)

Recommended Implementation (Can Be Copied Directly)

"Copyable Prompt" for Future Assistants