The CLI

be <type> <verb> <name>. The command is the name. Built for an agent to call.

be reads the naming scheme left to right:

  be-wiki-zoom-etl          the thing
  be  wiki  new  zoom-etl   the command that makes it

be wiki new zoom-etl        # github repo from be-wiki-template, cloned to ~/be-wiki-zoom-etl, stamped, pushed
be wiki pull zoom-etl       # a teammate gets it
be wiki list                # every be-wiki-* in the org
be doctor                   # tools, auth, config, every repo's harness
be upgrade                  # refresh the harness in this repo

Every type, the same four verbs

  new    <name>   create from be-<type>-template, land in it
  pull   <name>   clone or update, land in it
  go     <name>   pull if absent, land in it
  list            what exists

A type may add verbs (wiki archive). It may not rename these.

One file per type

  be-cli/
  ├── bin/be                  dispatcher: be <x> … → libexec/be-<x>. Knows nothing.
  ├── libexec/be-wiki         a type: TYPE=wiki; the four verbs come from lib/types.sh
  ├── libexec/be-cli          another type — twenty lines
  ├── libexec/be-doctor       a tool
  ├── libexec/be-upgrade      a tool
  └── lib/types.sh            new · pull · go · list, once

Adding a type is adding one file and publishing be-<type>-template. It shows up in be help and tab completion with no other change.

Built for an agent

The employee says what they want in ~; Claude runs be. So the CLI holds to standards that suit that caller, and be-cli-template enforces them on every CLI we make:

  never prompt         flags in, message out — no questions
  exit codes           0 ok · 1 error · 2 usage · 127 missing tool
  the contract         every command answers --summary --verbs --help
  one item per line    stdout is the answer, stderr is commentary
  POSIX sh             runs on the box and on a laptop, nothing to install
  config precedence    environment > ~/.config/be/config > defaults

sh .be/scripts/validate.sh in a CLI repo parses every script and calls every command with all three contract flags. A command that skips one cannot be pushed.

The cd trick

A process cannot change its parent shell’s directory. be … new writes cd '~/be-wiki-x' && claude to a file; the function from eval "$(be shell-init)" sources it after be exits. Without the wrapper, be prints the line. BE_NO_LAUNCH=1 lands without starting the agent — that is what Claude uses, since it is already running.

It is an instance too

be-cli was created from be-cli-template the same way be cli new deploy would create be-cli-deploy. The template that standardises CLIs standardised the CLI.