Interactive CLI

# Interactive CLI > Create interactive CLI prompts (Inquirer.js) 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 ```javascript 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](https://github.com/Samarth0211/claude-skills-hub) 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 --- *From [CLSkills.in](https://clskills.in/browse) — 2,300+ free Claude Code skills*