AgentSkillsCN

exploring-cli-tools

通过 --help 标志与 man 页面探索 CLI 工具，了解其功能、发现子命令，并找到特定选项。适用于探究命令行工具的工作原理、检查工具是否支持某项功能，或寻找正确命令的语法时使用。

SKILL.md
--- frontmatter
name: exploring-cli-tools
description: Explores CLI tools using --help flags and man pages to understand capabilities, discover subcommands, and find specific options. Use when investigating how a command-line tool works, checking if a tool supports a feature, or finding the correct syntax for a command.

Exploring CLI Tools

Workflow

  1. •Run <tool> --help or <tool> -h for overview
  2. •For subcommands: <tool> <subcommand> --help
  3. •If help is insufficient: man <tool>
  4. •For extensive help output: pipe through grep to find specific flags

Help flag conventions

Tools vary in conventions:

  • •--help or -h (most common)
  • •help as subcommand: git help commit
  • •-? (Windows-originated tools)
  • •No flags (some tools show help when run without arguments)

Constraints

  • •Only use read-only exploration: --help, -h, man, --version
  • •Do NOT execute commands that modify state
  • •If help requires authentication/setup, report this limitation

Response format

Provide:

  1. •Answer: Direct response to what was asked
  2. •Syntax: Exact command with required flags
  3. •Caveats: Version-specific or platform-specific notes (if any)

Examples

Task: Find how to create a git branch

bash
git branch --help

Result: git branch <name> or git checkout -b <name>

Task: Check if curl follows redirects

bash
curl --help all | grep -i redirect

Result: -L, --location follows redirects

Task: Explore nested subcommands (kubectl)

bash
kubectl --help
kubectl get --help