Cli Anything

Community

coco-research

cli-anything

Wrap any command-line tool into a JSON-emitting agent skill. Use when you want to make a CLI reliably callable and parseable by an AI agent — introspect its --help, define a structured-output (--json) contract and a stable error contract, then generate a SKILL.md wrapper with verified examples. Triggers on "wrap this CLI", "make X agent-usable", "generate a skill for this command", "turn a tool into an agent skill".

Overview

Publisher	coco-research
Repository	`coco`
Skill name	`cli-anything`
Stars	550
Forks	12
Bundled files	Instructions only
Links	Skill source Repository Homepage

Markdown instructions
A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.
Works with any LLM
AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.
Self-contained
Everything the model needs lives in the instructions — no extra files to sync.
Open source
Published by coco-research on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Cli Anything AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
Choose "Install from GitHub".
Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
https://github.com/coco-research/coco/tree/main/skills/cli-anything
Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.

Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/coco-research/coco.git /tmp/coco
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/coco/skills/cli-anything .claude/skills/cli-anything

Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Cli Anything in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Cli Anything on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Cli Anything is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

Loaded only when it is needed
The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.
Switch models mid-chat
Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

cli-anything: wrap any CLI into an agent skill

Turn any command-line tool into something an AI agent can call reliably and parse. The output is a thin, well-documented wrapper contract — never a reimplementation of the tool. Use the real tool; document how to drive it.

When to use

You have a CLI (your own, or a third-party binary) and you want an agent to invoke it predictably, read structured results, and recover from errors. This skill produces a SKILL.md wrapper that encodes that contract.

Step 1 — Introspect the CLI (do not guess)

Enumerate the real surface before writing anything:

Run <tool> --help and <tool> <subcommand> --help for each subcommand.
Capture: subcommands, flags (required vs optional), positional args, exit codes, and the output format (human text vs structured).
If --help is thin, read the source or man page. Every claim in the wrapper must trace to observed behavior.

Step 2 — Define the output contract

Prefer a --json machine-readable mode for every command an agent will call. Document the exact JSON keys the agent should read (one shape per command).
If the tool has no JSON mode, say so honestly and document what to parse from stdout (and which token carries the answer). Do not pretend output is structured when it is not.
Human output stays the default; structured output is the agent path.

Step 3 — Define the error contract

Map exit codes to meaning (0 = success; document each non-zero class).
On failure, surface a parseable signal ({"error": "...", "code": N} if the tool supports it, otherwise the captured stderr) — never a bare stack trace.
Fail loud and parseable. Never half-succeed silently.

Step 4 — Write the SKILL.md wrapper

Standard structure so an agent can discover and drive the tool:

Frontmatter: name, description (include natural trigger phrases).
Commands — each command: purpose, exact invocation, args, and the result shape it returns.
Examples — 2-4 real invocations with expected output.
Errors — the exit-code/error contract from Step 3.
Notes — auth, side effects, idempotency, network egress, prerequisites.

Step 5 — Verify against reality

Run each documented command once; confirm the real output matches what the wrapper claims.
Confirm any --json shape parses.
A wrapper that drifts from reality is worse than none — re-introspect and fix.

Principles

Use the real tool; never reimplement its logic in the wrapper.
Deterministic and structured beats clever.
The wrapper is a contract: introspect, structure, document, verify.

Worked example

skills/coco-cli/SKILL.md is a wrapper produced with this pattern over the cocosuperintelligence command — note how it documents the (human-only) output contract honestly rather than inventing a JSON mode the tool lacks.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Cli Anything AI skill do?

Why use Cli Anything on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Cli Anything is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Cli Anything in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/coco-research/coco/tree/main/skills/cli-anything. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Cli Anything?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Cli Anything?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Cli Anything with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Cli Anything AI skill free?

It is published on GitHub by coco-research. Check the repository for licensing terms. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

cli-anything: wrap any CLI into an agent skill

When to use

Step 1 — Introspect the CLI (do not guess)

Step 2 — Define the output contract

Step 3 — Define the error contract

Step 4 — Write the SKILL.md wrapper

Step 5 — Verify against reality

Principles

Worked example

Frequently asked questions

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