A curated directory of product CLIs, developer tools, and terminal apps — verified for humans, scripts, and AI agents.
>_$ jq
A compact and expressive command-line processor for JSON data.
>_$ yq
Read, update, and transform YAML, JSON, XML, and properties files.
>_$ vd
Interactively explore, transform, and visualize tabular datasets.
>_$ mlr
Process CSV, TSV, JSON, and other structured records in pipelines.
>_$ xsv
A fast toolkit for indexing, slicing, joining, and analyzing CSV files.
>_$ dasel
Query and update JSON, YAML, TOML, XML, and CSV with one syntax.
Common questions about CLI tools, Agent CLIs, and command line automation
A CLI, or command-line interface, lets you control software by typing commands in a terminal instead of clicking through a graphical interface. CLI tools are useful for development, automation, scripts, CI pipelines, and repeatable operations.
An Agent CLI is either a command-line tool for operating an AI agent or a conventional CLI designed to be called reliably by AI agents. Agent-friendly CLIs expose clear commands, non-interactive options, predictable output, and meaningful exit codes so an agent can plan, execute, and verify work.
Yes. AI coding agents can invoke many of these CLIs through a shell to work with repositories, cloud services, databases, productivity apps, and deployment systems. Tools marked Agent-ready are especially suitable for scripted or autonomous use, but authentication and permissions still need to be configured safely.
The best CLI tools for AI agents support non-interactive commands, stable flags, structured or parseable output, standard input and output, documented authentication, and reliable exit codes. These features make results easier for an agent to interpret and verify without manual intervention.
Choose an official CLI when you need first-party support, close alignment with a service API, and predictable updates. A community CLI can be a better fit when it offers a simpler workflow or capabilities the official tool lacks. Review its repository, maintenance activity, permissions, and installation instructions before use.
