-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 277
Closed
Labels
automationclicookieIssue Monster Loves Cookies!Issue Monster Loves Cookies!documentationImprovements or additions to documentationImprovements or additions to documentation
Description
Summary
Automated CLI consistency inspection found 8 inconsistencies in command help text that should be addressed for better user experience and documentation clarity.
Breakdown by Severity
- High: 1 (Broken documentation link)
- Medium: 4 (Misleading text / conflicting conventions)
- Low: 3 (Minor inconsistencies)
Inspection Details
- Total Commands Inspected: 28 (all top-level and subcommands run with
--help) - Commands with Issues: 7
- Date: 2026-03-06
- Method: Executed all CLI commands with
--helpflags and analyzed actual output; cross-referenced source code anddocs/src/content/docs/setup/cli.md
Findings Summary
✅ No issues found in these areas:
- Flag naming consistency across commands
- Example formatting for most commands
- Short descriptions (generally clear and consistent)
--verbose,--json,--repo,--engine,--dir,--outputflag consistency- MCP subcommands,
pr transfer,audit,logs,run,enable,disable,add,update,health,checks,completion
- Broken documentation URL (
project new) - Misleading step annotation in
fixcommand - Example alignment inconsistencies (
compile,status) - Conflicting
--repoflag semantics (trial) - Auto-generated cobra help text (
--help,--versionglobal flags) secrets bootstrapnon-standard section orderingversioncommand lacks examples
Detailed Findings
1. Broken Documentation URL in project new
Command Affected: gh aw project new
Priority: High
Type: Broken link / wrong domain
Current Output (from running ./gh-aw project new --help):
Authentication Requirements:
The default GITHUB_TOKEN cannot create projects. You must use additional authentication.
See https://github.github.com/gh-aw/reference/auth/.
```
**Issue**: The URL `https://github.github.com/gh-aw/reference/auth/` contains a doubled `github.github.com` domain. This is almost certainly a typo and will result in a 404 for users following the link.
**Suggested Fix**: Correct the domain to the actual docs URL. Based on `docs/src/content/docs/setup/cli.md` patterns, it is likely `(github.github.io/redacted) or the GitHub repository URL format.
**Source file**: `pkg/cli/project_command.go` line 68
---
#### 2. Missing `(with --write flag)` annotation for Step 5 in `fix` command
**Command Affected**: `gh aw fix`
**Priority**: Medium
**Type**: Misleading help text
**Current Output** (from running `./gh-aw fix --help`):
```
The command will:
1. Scan workflow files for deprecated fields
2. Apply relevant codemods to fix issues
3. Report what was changed in each file
4. Write updated files back to disk (with --write flag)
5. Delete deprecated .github/aw/schemas/agentic-workflow.json file if it exists
6. Delete old template files from pkg/cli/templates/ (with --write flag)
7. Delete old workflow-specific .agent.md files from .github/agents/ (with --write flag)
```
**Issue**: Step 5 does **not** include the `(with --write flag)` annotation, but the source code (`pkg/cli/fix_command.go` lines 205–222) shows the deletion IS gated on the `write` flag, identical to steps 6 and 7. The omission implies step 5 always deletes the file, which is incorrect.
**Suggested Fix**: Add `(with --write flag)` to step 5:
```
5. Delete deprecated .github/aw/schemas/agentic-workflow.json file if it exists (with --write flag)
```
**Source file**: `pkg/cli/fix_command.go` line 50
---
#### 3. Inconsistent Example Alignment in `compile` command
**Command Affected**: `gh aw compile`
**Priority**: Medium
**Type**: Formatting inconsistency
**Current Output** (from running `./gh-aw compile --help`):
```
gh aw compile # Compile all Markdown files
gh aw compile ci-doctor # Compile a specific workflow
gh aw compile ci-doctor daily-plan # Compile multiple workflows
gh aw compile workflow.md # Compile by file path
```
**Issue**: The comment `#` columns are misaligned. Lines 1 and 4 align their comments to column ~37, but lines 2 and 3 align comments only to column ~28 and ~31 respectively. This is visually inconsistent.
**Suggested Fix**: Align all `#` comment delimiters in the examples section to a consistent column.
---
#### 4. Inconsistent Example Alignment in `status` command
**Command Affected**: `gh aw status`
**Priority**: Medium
**Type**: Formatting inconsistency
**Current Output** (from running `./gh-aw status --help`):
```
gh aw status # Show all workflow status
gh aw status ci- # Show workflows with 'ci-' in name
```
**Issue**: `gh aw status ci-` has extra trailing spaces between the command and the `#` comment, making it appear one character past the alignment of the first example.
**Suggested Fix**: Align the `#` delimiter:
```
gh aw status # Show all workflow status
gh aw status ci- # Show workflows with 'ci-' in name
```
---
#### 5. `--repo` Flag Semantics Conflict in `trial` command
**Command Affected**: `gh aw trial`
**Priority**: Medium
**Type**: Inconsistent flag semantics
**Current Output** (from running `./gh-aw trial --help`):
```
--repo string Alias for --host-repo
```
**Issue**: In all other commands (`run`, `logs`, `status`, `disable`, `enable`, `checks`, `health`, etc.) `--repo` means "Target repository ([HOST/]owner/repo format). Defaults to current repository". In `trial`, it means "Alias for --host-repo" (the ephemeral trial repository, not the production target). Users familiar with `--repo` from other commands will expect it to refer to the logical repository to test against, not the trial host.
**Suggested Fix**: Either rename the flag to avoid collision, or update the description to be explicit about the difference:
```
--repo string Alias for --host-repo (the trial host repo, not the logical target; use --logical-repo for the simulated target)
```
---
#### 6. Global Flags Say "for gh" Instead of "for gh aw"
**Commands Affected**: All commands (global flags)
**Priority**: Low
**Type**: Auto-generated cobra text mismatch
**Current Output** (from running `./gh-aw --help`):
```
-h, --help help for gh
--version version for gh
```
**Issue**: The cobra-generated descriptions say "for gh" when users interact with the tool as `gh aw`. This can be confusing since `gh` is the parent GitHub CLI. The root command `Use` is set to `gh aw` but cobra uses only the first word.
**Suggested Fix**: Override the default cobra help/version descriptions by setting custom descriptions on the root command, e.g.:
```
-h, --help Show help for gh aw
--version Show version for gh aw
```
---
#### 7. `secrets bootstrap` — Examples Section Placed After Usage
**Command Affected**: `gh aw secrets bootstrap`
**Priority**: Low
**Type**: Inconsistent help section ordering
**Current Output** (from running `./gh-aw secrets bootstrap --help`):
```
Analyzes all workflows...
This command:
- ...
Only required secrets are prompted for...
Usage:
gh aw secrets bootstrap [flags]
Examples:
gh aw secrets bootstrap # ...
```
**Issue**: For `secrets bootstrap`, the `Examples` section appears **after** `Usage`. Every other command in the CLI places `Examples` **before** `Usage`. This is the only command with this ordering.
**Suggested Fix**: Move the `Examples` block before the `Usage` block in the cobra command definition.
---
#### 8. `version` Command Has No Examples or Meaningful Description
**Command Affected**: `gh aw version`
**Priority**: Low
**Type**: Missing documentation
**Current Output** (from running `./gh-aw version --help`):
```
Show gh aw extension version information
Usage:
gh aw version [flags]
Flags:
-h, --help help for version
Global Flags:
...
```
**Issue**: The `version` command has no `Examples` section, no `Long` description, and no detail about what the version output looks like or what flags are available. All other commands have at least one example. The only content is a short description.
**Suggested Fix**: Add a `Long` description and examples:
```
Show gh aw extension version information, including the build SHA.
Examples:
gh aw version # Show current version
gh aw version --verbose # Show detailed build information
Generated by CLI Consistency Checker · ◷
- expires on Mar 8, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC
Reactions are currently unavailable
Metadata
Metadata
Labels
automationclicookieIssue Monster Loves Cookies!Issue Monster Loves Cookies!documentationImprovements or additions to documentationImprovements or additions to documentation