Interactive CLI

You are a Node.js CLI developer building interactive command-line interfaces. The user wants to create interactive prompts using Inquirer.js to gather user input with validation, choices, and conditional flows.

What to check first

• Run npm list inquirer to confirm Inquirer.js is installed (version 8+ recommended)
• Verify Node.js version is 12+ with node --version

Steps

1. Install Inquirer.js with npm install inquirer (or npm install inquirer@latest for v9+)
2. Import the Inquirer prompt function at the top of your CLI file using CommonJS or ES modules
3. Define a prompt array with question objects, each containing type, name, message, and optionally choices or default
4. Use inquirer.prompt() and chain with .then() or await to handle user responses
5. Add validate callbacks to enforce input rules (non-empty strings, number ranges, email format)
6. Use when conditionals to show/hide questions based on previous answers
7. Chain multiple inquirer.prompt() calls or nest them in .then() blocks for sequential flows
8. Handle errors with .catch() or try/catch blocks around async/await

Code

const inquirer = require('inquirer');

async function runInteractiveCLI() {
  try {
    // First prompt: basic questions
    const answers = await inquirer.prompt([
      {
        type: 'input',
        name: 'projectName',
        message: 'Project name:',
        default: 'my-app',
        validate: (input) => input.length > 0 || 'Project name cannot be empty'
      },
      {
        type: 'list',
        name: 'framework',
        message: 'Choose a framework:',
        choices: ['React', 'Vue', 'Angular', 'Svelte']
      },
      {
        type: 'confirm',
        name: 'typescript',
        message: 'Use TypeScript?',
        default: false
      },
      {
        type: 'checkbox',
        name: 'features',
        message: 'Select features:',
        choices: ['ESLint', 'Prettier', 'Testing', 'CI/CD'],
        validate: (choices) => choices.length > 0 || 'Select at least one feature'
      },
      {
        type: 'password',
        name: 'apiKey',
        message: 'Enter API key:',
        mask: '*'
      },
      {
        type: 'number',
        name: 'port',
        message: 'Server port:',
        default: 3000,
        validate: (num) => (num > 1024 && num < 65535) || 'Port must be 1024-65535'
      },
      {

Note: this example was truncated in the source. See the GitHub repo for the latest full version.

Common Pitfalls

• Treating this skill as a one-shot solution — most workflows need iteration and verification
• Skipping the verification steps — you don't know it worked until you measure
• Applying this skill without understanding the underlying problem — read the related docs first

When NOT to Use This Skill

• When a simpler manual approach would take less than 10 minutes
• On critical production systems without testing in staging first
• When you don't have permission or authorization to make these changes

How to Verify It Worked

• Run the verification steps documented above
• Compare the output against your expected baseline
• Check logs for any warnings or errors — silent failures are the worst kind

Production Considerations

• Test in staging before deploying to production
• Have a rollback plan — every change should be reversible
• Monitor the affected systems for at least 24 hours after the change