⁓ bargs ⁓

"Ex argumentis, veritas"
by @boneskull

Install

npm install @boneskull/bargs

Why bargs?

Most argument parsers make you choose: either a simple API with weak types, or a complex and overengineered DSL. bargs provides a combinator-style API for building type-safe CLIs—composable schema definitions with full type inference.

Also: this is the only argument parser I know of that comes with frickin' themes. Themes, dogg.

Quick Start

A CLI with an optional command and a couple options:

import { bargs, opt, pos } from '@boneskull/bargs';

await bargs('greet', { version: '1.0.0' })
  .globals(
    opt.options({
      name: opt.string({ default: 'world' }),
      loud: opt.boolean({ aliases: ['l'] }),
    }),
  )
  .command(
    'say',
    pos.positionals(pos.string({ name: 'message', required: true })),
    ({ positionals, values }) => {
      const [message] = positionals;
      const greeting = `${message}, ${values.name}!`;
      console.log(values.loud ? greeting.toUpperCase() : greeting);
    },
    'Say a greeting',
  )
  .defaultCommand('say')
  .parseAsync();

$ greet Hello --name Alice --loud
HELLO, ALICE!

Usage

Type-Safe by Construction

Each helper returns a fully-typed definition:

import { opt, pos } from '@boneskull/bargs';

const verbose = opt.boolean({ aliases: ['v'] });
// Type: BooleanOption & { aliases: ['v'] }

const level = opt.enum(['low', 'medium', 'high'], { default: 'medium' });
// Type: EnumOption<'low' | 'medium' | 'high'> & { default: 'medium' }

const file = pos.string({ name: 'file', required: true });
// Type: StringPositional & { name: 'file', required: true }

When you build a CLI with these, the result types flow through automatically—options with defaults or required: true are non-nullable.

Composable

Options and positionals can be merged using callable parsers:

import { opt, pos } from '@boneskull/bargs';

// Create separate parsers
const options = opt.options({
  verbose: opt.boolean({ aliases: ['v'] }),
  output: opt.string({ aliases: ['o'], default: 'stdout' }),
});

const positionals = pos.positionals(
  pos.string({ name: 'input', required: true }),
);

// Merge them: positionals(options) combines both
const parser = positionals(options);
// Type: Parser<{ verbose: boolean | undefined, output: string }, [string]>

Simple CLI

For a CLI without subcommands, use .globals() with merged options and positionals, then handle the result yourself:

import { bargs, opt, pos } from '@boneskull/bargs';

// Merge options and positionals into one parser
// when a positional is variadic, it becomes an array within the result
const parser = pos.positionals(pos.variadic('string', { name: 'text' }))(
  opt.options({
    uppercase: opt.boolean({ aliases: ['u'], default: false }),
  }),
);

const { values, positionals } = await bargs('echo', {
  description: 'Echo text to stdout',
  version: '1.0.0',
})
  .globals(parser)
  .parseAsync();

const [words] = positionals;
const text = words.join(' ');
console.log(values.uppercase ? text.toUpperCase() : text);

Command-Based CLI

For a CLI with multiple subcommands:

import { bargs, merge, opt, pos } from '@boneskull/bargs';

await bargs('tasks', {
  description: 'A task manager',
  version: '1.0.0',
})
  .globals(
    opt.options({
      verbose: opt.boolean({ aliases: ['v'], default: false }),
    }),
  )
  .command(
    'add',
    // Use merge() to combine positionals with command-specific options
    merge(
      opt.options({
        priority: opt.enum(['low', 'medium', 'high'], { default: 'medium' }),
      }),
      pos.positionals(pos.string({ name: 'text', required: true })),
    ),
    ({ positionals, values }) => {
      const [text] = positionals;
      console.log(`Adding ${values.priority} priority task: ${text}`);
      if (values.verbose) console.log('Verbose mode enabled');
    },
    'Add a task',
  )
  .command(
    'list',
    opt.options({
      all: opt.boolean({ default: false }),
    }),
    ({ values }) => {
      console.log(values.all ? 'All tasks' : 'Pending tasks');
    },
    'List tasks',
  )
  .defaultCommand('list')
  .parseAsync();

$ tasks add "Buy groceries" --priority high --verbose
Adding high priority task: Buy groceries
Verbose mode enabled

$ tasks list --all
All tasks

Nested Commands (Subcommands)

Commands can be nested to arbitrary depth. Use the factory pattern for full type inference of parent globals:

import { bargs, opt, pos } from '@boneskull/bargs';

await bargs('git')
  .globals(opt.options({ verbose: opt.boolean({ aliases: ['v'] }) }))
  // Factory pattern: receives a builder with parent globals already typed
  .command(
    'remote',
    (remote) =>
      remote
        .command(
          'add',
          pos.positionals(
            pos.string({ name: 'name', required: true }),
            pos.string({ name: 'url', required: true }),
          ),
          ({ positionals, values }) => {
            const [name, url] = positionals;
            // values.verbose is fully typed! (from parent globals)
            if (values.verbose) console.log(`Adding ${name}: ${url}`);
          },
          'Add a remote',
        )
        .command('remove' /* ... */)
        .defaultCommand('add'),
    'Manage remotes',
  )
  .command('commit', commitParser, commitHandler) // Regular command
  .parseAsync();

$ git --verbose remote add origin https://github.com/...
Adding origin: https://github.com/...

$ git remote remove origin

The factory function receives a CliBuilder that already has parent globals typed, so all nested command handlers get full type inference for merged global + command options.

You can also pass a pre-built CliBuilder directly (see .command(name, cliBuilder)), but handlers won't have parent globals typed at compile time. See examples/nested-commands.ts for a full example.

API

bargs(name, options?)

Create a CLI builder.

Option	Type	Description
description	string	Description shown in help
version	string	Enables --version flag
epilog	string or false	Footer text in help (see Epilog)
theme	Theme	Help color theme (see Theming)

.globals(parser)

Set global options and transforms that apply to all commands.

bargs('my-cli').globals(opt.options({ verbose: opt.boolean() }));
// ...

.command(name, parser, handler, description?)

Register a command. The handler receives merged global + command types.

.command(
  'build',
  opt.options({ watch: opt.boolean() }),
  ({ values }) => {
    // values has both global options AND { watch: boolean }
    console.log(values.verbose, values.watch);
  },
  'Build the project',
)

.command(name, cliBuilder, description?)

Register a nested command group. The cliBuilder is another CliBuilder whose commands become subcommands. Parent globals are passed down to nested handlers at runtime, but handlers won't have parent globals typed at compile time.

const subCommands = bargs('sub').command('foo', ...).command('bar', ...);

bargs('main')
  .command('nested', subCommands, 'Nested commands')  // nested group
  .parseAsync();

// $ main nested foo
// $ main nested bar

.command(name, factory, description?)

Register a nested command group using a factory function. This is the recommended form because the factory receives a builder that already has parent globals typed, giving full type inference in nested handlers.

bargs('main')
  .globals(opt.options({ verbose: opt.boolean() }))
  .command(
    'nested',
    (nested) =>
      nested
        .command('foo', fooParser, ({ values }) => {
          // values.verbose is typed correctly!
        })
        .command('bar', barParser, barHandler),
    'Nested commands',
  )
  .parseAsync();

.defaultCommand(name)

Or .defaultCommand(parser, handler)

Set the command that runs when no command is specified.

// Reference an existing command by name
.defaultCommand('list')

// Or define an inline default
.defaultCommand(
  pos.positionals(pos.string({ name: 'file' })),
  ({ positionals }) => console.log(positionals[0]),
)

.parse(args?) / .parseAsync(args?)

Parse arguments and execute handlers.

• .parse() - Synchronous. Throws if any transform or handler returns a Promise.
• .parseAsync() - Asynchronous. Supports async transforms and handlers.

// Async (supports async transforms/handlers)
const result = await bargs('my-cli').globals(...).parseAsync();
console.log(result.values, result.positionals, result.command);

// Sync (no async transforms/handlers)
const result = bargs('my-cli').globals(...).parse();

Option Helpers

import { opt } from '@boneskull/bargs';

opt.string({ default: 'value' }); // --name value
opt.number({ default: 42 }); // --count 42
opt.boolean({ aliases: ['v'] }); // --verbose, -v
opt.enum(['a', 'b', 'c']); // --level a
opt.array('string'); // --file x --file y
opt.array(['low', 'medium', 'high']); // --priority low --priority high
opt.count(); // -vvv → 3

Option Properties

Property	Type	Description
aliases	string[]	Short flags (e.g., ['v'] for -v)
default	varies	Default value (makes the option non-nullable)
description	string	Help text description
group	string	Groups options under a custom section header
hidden	boolean	Hide from --help output
required	boolean	Mark as required (makes the option non-nullable)

Boolean Negation (--no-<flag>)

All boolean options automatically support a negated form --no-<flag> to explicitly set the option to false:

$ my-cli --verbose      # verbose: true
$ my-cli --no-verbose   # verbose: false
$ my-cli                # verbose: undefined (or default)

If both --flag and --no-flag are specified, bargs throws an error:

$ my-cli --verbose --no-verbose
Error: Conflicting options: --verbose and --no-verbose cannot both be specified

In help output, booleans with default: true display as --no-<flag> (since that's how users would turn them off):

opt.options({
  colors: opt.boolean({ default: true, description: 'Use colors' }),
});
// Help output shows: --no-colors  Use colors  [boolean] default: true

opt.options(schema)

Create a parser from an options schema:

const parser = opt.options({
  verbose: opt.boolean({ aliases: ['v'] }),
  output: opt.string({ default: 'out.txt' }),
});
// Type: Parser<{ verbose: boolean | undefined, output: string }, []>

Positional Helpers

import { pos } from '@boneskull/bargs';

pos.string({ required: true }); // <file>
pos.number({ default: 8080 }); // [port]
pos.enum(['dev', 'prod']); // [env]
pos.variadic('string'); // [files...]

Positional Properties

Property	Type	Description
default	varies	Default value
description	string	Help text description
name	string	Display name in help (defaults to arg0, arg1, ...)
required	boolean	Mark as required (shown as <name> vs [name])

pos.positionals(...defs)

Create a parser from positional definitions:

const parser = pos.positionals(
  pos.string({ name: 'source', required: true }),
  pos.string({ name: 'dest', required: true }),
);
// Type: Parser<{}, [string, string]>

Use variadic for rest arguments (must be last):

const parser = pos.positionals(pos.variadic('string', { name: 'files' }));
// Type: Parser<{}, [string[]]>

Merging Parsers

Use merge() to combine multiple parsers into one:

import { merge, opt, pos } from '@boneskull/bargs';

const combined = merge(
  opt.options({
    priority: opt.enum(['low', 'medium', 'high'], { default: 'medium' }),
  }),
  pos.positionals(pos.string({ name: 'task', required: true })),
);
// Type: Parser<{ priority: 'low' | 'medium' | 'high' }, [string]>

You can merge as many parsers as needed—options are merged (later overrides earlier), and positionals are concatenated.

Alternatively, parsers can be merged by calling one with the other:

const options = opt.options({ priority: opt.enum(['low', 'medium', 'high']) });
const positionals = pos.positionals(
  pos.string({ name: 'task', required: true }),
);

// These are equivalent:
const combined1 = positionals(options);
const combined2 = options(positionals);

Use whichever style you find more readable.

Transforms

Use map() to transform parsed values before they reach your handler:

import { bargs, map, opt } from '@boneskull/bargs';

const globals = map(
  opt.options({
    config: opt.string(),
    verbose: opt.boolean({ default: false }),
  }),
  ({ values, positionals }) => ({
    positionals,
    values: {
      ...values,
      // Add computed properties
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      configLoaded: !!values.config,
    },
  }),
);

await bargs('my-cli')
  .globals(globals)
  .command(
    'info',
    opt.options({}),
    ({ values }) => {
      // values.timestamp and values.configLoaded are available
      console.log(values.timestamp);
    },
    'Show info',
  )
  .parseAsync();

Transforms are fully type-safe—the return type becomes the type available in handlers.

Async Transforms

Transforms can be async:

const globals = map(
  opt.options({ url: opt.string({ required: true }) }),
  async ({ values, positionals }) => {
    const response = await fetch(values.url);
    return {
      positionals,
      values: {
        ...values,
        data: await response.json(),
      },
    };
  },
);

CamelCase Option Keys

If you prefer camelCase property names instead of kebab-case, use the camelCaseValues transform:

import { bargs, map, opt, camelCaseValues } from '@boneskull/bargs';

const { values } = await bargs('my-cli')
  .globals(
    map(
      opt.options({
        'output-dir': opt.string({ default: '/tmp' }),
        'dry-run': opt.boolean(),
      }),
      camelCaseValues,
    ),
  )
  .parseAsync(['--output-dir', './dist', '--dry-run']);

console.log(values.outputDir); // './dist'
console.log(values.dryRun); // true

The camelCaseValues transform:

• Converts all kebab-case keys to camelCase (output-dir → outputDir)
• Preserves keys that are already camelCase or have no hyphens
• Is fully type-safe—TypeScript knows the transformed key names

Epilog

By default, bargs displays your package's homepage and repository URLs (from package.json) at the end of help output. URLs become clickable hyperlinks in supported terminals.

// Custom epilog
bargs('my-cli', {
  epilog: 'For more info, visit https://example.com',
});

// Disable epilog entirely
bargs('my-cli', { epilog: false });

Theming

Customize help output colors with built-in themes or your own:

// Use a built-in theme: 'default', 'mono', 'ocean', 'warm'
bargs('my-cli', { theme: 'ocean' });

// Disable colors entirely
bargs('my-cli', { theme: 'mono' });

The ansi export provides common ANSI escape codes for styled terminal output:

import { ansi } from '@boneskull/bargs';

bargs('my-cli', {
  theme: {
    command: ansi.bold,
    flag: ansi.brightCyan,
    positional: ansi.magenta,
    // ...
  },
});

Available theme color slots:

Slot	What it styles
command	Command names (e.g., init, build)
defaultText	The default: label
defaultValue	Default value (e.g., false, "hello")
description	Description text for options and commands
epilog	Footer text (homepage, repository)
example	Example code/commands
flag	Flag names (e.g., --verbose, -v)
positional	Positional argument names (e.g., <file>)
scriptName	CLI name shown in header
sectionHeader	Section headers (e.g., USAGE, OPTIONS)
type	Type annotations (e.g., [string], [number])
url	URLs (for clickable hyperlinks)
usage	The usage line text

Tip

You don't need to specify all color slots. Missing colors fall back to the default theme.

Advanced Usage

Error Handling

bargs exports some Error subclasses:

import {
  bargs,
  BargsError,
  HelpError,
  ValidationError,
} from '@boneskull/bargs';

try {
  await bargs('my-cli').parseAsync();
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof ValidationError) {
    // Config validation failed (e.g., invalid schema)
    // i.e., "you screwed up"
    console.error(`Config error at "${error.path}": ${error.message}`);
  } else if (error instanceof HelpError) {
    // Likely invalid options, command or positionals;
    // re-throw to trigger help display
    throw error;
  } else if (error instanceof BargsError) {
    // General bargs error
    console.error(error.message);
  }
}

Programmatic Help

Generate help text programmatically:

import { generateHelp, generateCommandHelp } from '@boneskull/bargs';

// These require the internal config structure—see source for details
const helpText = generateHelp(config);
const commandHelp = generateCommandHelp(config, 'migrate');

Hyperlink Utilities

Create clickable terminal hyperlinks (OSC 8):

import { link, linkifyUrls, supportsHyperlinks } from '@boneskull/bargs';

// Check if terminal supports hyperlinks
if (supportsHyperlinks()) {
  // Create a hyperlink
  console.log(link('Click me', 'https://example.com'));

  // Auto-linkify URLs in text
  console.log(linkifyUrls('Visit https://example.com for more info'));
}

Tip

bargs already automatically links URLs in --help output if the terminal supports hyperlinks.

Additional Theme Utilities

import {
  ansi, // ANSI escape codes
  createStyler, // Create a styler from a theme
  defaultTheme, // The default theme object
  stripAnsi, // Remove ANSI codes from string
  themes, // All built-in themes
} from '@boneskull/bargs';

// Create a custom styler
const styler = createStyler({ colors: { flag: ansi.green } });
console.log(styler.flag('--verbose'));

// Strip ANSI codes for plain text output
const plain = stripAnsi('\x1b[32m--verbose\x1b[0m'); // '--verbose'

Low-Level Utilities

The handle(parser, fn) function is exported for advanced use cases where you need to create a Command object outside the fluent builder. It's mostly superseded by .command(name, parser, handler).

Dependencies

bargs has zero (0) dependencies. Only Node.js v22+.

Motivation

I've always reached for yargs in my CLI projects. However, I find myself repeatedly doing the same things; I have a sort of boilerplate in my head, ready to go (requiresArg: true and nargs: 1, amirite?). I don't want boilerplate in my head. I wanted to distill my chosen subset of yargs' behavior into a composable API. And so bargs was begat.

License

Copyright © 2025 Christopher "boneskull" Hiller. Licensed under the Blue Oak Model License 1.0.0.