Guide · Agent skill

How to use the CLI-Anything Reasonix skill (cli-anything)

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The cli-anything skill teaches the Reasonix coding agent to build CLI-Anything harnesses: small Python command-line wrappers that let an AI agent control a graphical application or source repository through text commands. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it from the HKUDS/CLI-Anything repository, how to ask for a harness in plain language, and what to check before running a build. You do not need prior experience with agent skills to follow it.

CLI-Anything for ReasonixHKUDS/CLI-Anything · Apache-2.0 Download the skill

Quick start

1Get the CLI-Anything repository. Clone the HKUDS/CLI-Anything repository with git, which contains the reasonix-skill folder.
2Run the install script. From reasonix-skill, run ./scripts/install.sh on macOS or Linux, or install.ps1 on Windows. The script copies the skill to ~/.reasonix/skills/cli-anything.
3Check your Reasonix settings. Set agent.max_steps in reasonix.toml to 0 or a high value so the build has enough rounds.
4Describe the software to wrap. Give Reasonix a local path or GitHub URL and say whether you want a new harness, a refinement, tests or validation.
5Review the output. Check the generated files, the validation commands Reasonix ran and the open risks it lists before using the harness.
6Install and verify the harness. Ask Reasonix to run pip install -e . and confirm the cli-anything-<software> command works.

What does the cli-anything skill make Reasonix do?

Once the skill is installed, asking Reasonix to make a command-line interface for a program, such as GIMP, or for a source repository makes it follow a multi-phase method. The agent analyses the source, designs commands, implements a Click CLI with JSON output and a REPL, writes tests, and packages the result with pip.

The skill also covers refining an existing harness, testing it, and validating it. The skill text says the harness format stays the same as CLI-Anything's generated Python harness; the adapter changes how Reasonix carries out the work, not the output format. If the methodology file is not available locally, the skill may fetch it from the project's GitHub folder.

Build: create a new harness with one-shot subcommands, a default REPL, --json output and session undo/redo where the software supports it.
Refine: inventory existing commands and tests, then add missing features without removing existing commands.
Test: plan unit tests (test_core.py) and end-to-end tests (test_full_e2e.py), ideally run against the installed cli-anything-<software> command.
Validate: check the namespace package layout, setup.py entry point, JSON output, REPL default, matching SKILL.md files and documentation.

How do you install the cli-anything skill for Reasonix?

The source repository documents installation with git and the included install script. On macOS or Linux, clone the CLI-Anything repository, enter the reasonix-skill folder and run the install script. The script copies the skill to Reasonix's global skill directory at ~/.reasonix/skills/cli-anything.

On Windows, the README lists a PowerShell script, install.ps1, in the same folder, which also copies the skill to that location. The skill folder includes agents/reasonix.yaml, README.md, scripts/install.sh and SKILL.md.

The source material for this page does not document installing the skill from a downloaded ZIP or uploading it through the Claude apps, and it names ~/.reasonix/skills rather than ~/.claude/skills. Check the location Reasonix reads before copying files by hand.

git clone https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git
cd CLI-Anything/reasonix-skill
./scripts/install.sh

How do you trigger the skill with a natural request?

The skill's description tells Reasonix to use it when you want it to build, refine, test or validate a CLI-Anything harness for a GUI application or source repository. You do not need to name a command. Describe the software you want wrapped and what you want done.

Inputs can be a local source path, such as ./gimp or /path/to/software, or a GitHub repository URL. When a URL is given, Reasonix clones the repository and derives the software name from the directory name.

Make a CLI-Anything harness for the GIMP source at ./gimp.
Refine the existing harness for the Blender project so it covers the missing export commands.
Test and validate the harness in ./myapp and tell me what is missing from packaging.
Build a harness for https://github.com/example/project (replace with your own repository URL).

What does a build produce and what does it need?

A build creates a canonical skills/cli-anything-<software>/SKILL.md file, a <software>/agent-harness/ folder with setup.py and a cli_anything/<software>/ package containing the Click CLI, backend and test modules. The skill says a full build typically needs 25 to 40 tool-call rounds.

The skill's requirements are a Reasonix agent runtime, Python and pip for the generated harness and pip install -e, and Git when a GitHub URL is given. CodeGraph is optional and adds code graph tools. The target software's own executable or scripting interface is needed when the harness wraps a native backend.

Set agent.max_steps in reasonix.toml to 0 (unlimited) or to a high value such as 64 or more. A finite value gives the subagent half that budget, which may stop a build early.
Prefer wrapping the real software backend over reimplementing it.
Expect the reported output to list the target software, source path, files changed, validation commands and open risks.

What are the safety notes for scripts and network access?

The skill runs scripts and uses the network. Its build runs bash commands, pip install -e and pytest, and it can clone repositories or fetch files from GitHub. The generated code drives real applications, so it can change files or run programs on your machine.

Review the generated Python packaging and test code before relying on it. Only wrap software you have the rights to automate. Do not use this skill where an agent running unrestricted shell commands and pip installs is not acceptable.

Read the generated setup.py, backend and test files before running them.
Run builds in a project or sandbox you control.
Check the source of any remote methodology file the skill fetches.

What tips help a build go smoothly?

Point the skill at a local copy of the CLI-Anything repository when you can. The skill first looks for HARNESS.md in the workspace and in the adapter's parent folder, and only falls back to network retrieval when local files are unavailable. The skill also checks registry.json at the CLI-Anything root for existing harness patterns.

Ask for a refinement rather than a rebuild when a harness already exists. The skill is designed not to remove existing commands unless you explicitly request a breaking change.

Keep the target software's executable on your PATH so the harness can wrap it.
Enable CodeGraph if you want deeper symbol and architecture analysis.
Ask Reasonix to verify installation with pip install -e . and a which cli-anything-<software> check.

What people use it for

Generating a stateful command-line wrapper for a GUI image editor so scripts can call it with --json output.
Adding missing commands to an existing CLI-Anything harness while keeping current commands intact.
Creating a test suite and packaging for a source repository that a team wants to drive from a terminal.
Producing a repeatable harness-building workflow for a team already using Reasonix.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cli-anything Reasonix skill free?

The source repository is licensed under Apache-2.0, which the item listing states. The material for this page does not give pricing for the skill or for Reasonix, so check those sources directly.

What do I need to run the cli-anything skill?

You need the Reasonix agent runtime, Python and pip for the generated harnesses and pip install -e, and Git if you give a GitHub URL. CodeGraph is optional. Where the harness wraps a native backend, you also need that software's own executable or scripting interface.

Where does the cli-anything skill install to?

The included install script copies the skill to ~/.reasonix/skills/cli-anything. The source does not document ZIP downloads or Claude app uploads, so confirm where Reasonix looks for skills before copying files manually.

Is the cli-anything skill safe to run?

It runs scripts and uses the network. The build executes bash commands, pip install -e and pytest, and it can clone repositories or fetch files from GitHub. Review the generated code and only wrap software you have rights to automate.

What are the alternatives to the cli-anything skill?

The source material does not compare this skill with other tools, so it cannot make a claim here. If you want an everyday productivity tool rather than generated Python packaging and test code, this skill is not designed for that use.

Why does my cli-anything build stop partway through?

The skill's documentation says a finite agent.max_steps gives the subagent half that budget, with a minimum of 5, which may truncate a build. Set max_steps to 0 or to 64 or more and run the build again.

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Our verdict

Use this skill if you are a developer who wants Reasonix to generate and test a command-line wrapper for a GUI tool or codebase, and you can review Python code and allow shell and pip commands. Pick something else if you need an everyday productivity tool, if you cannot let an agent run bash, pip and pytest, or if you do not have rights to automate the software you want to wrap.

Download the skill