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---
name: click
description: Best practices for building CLI applications with Click including commands, groups, options, and testing.
---
# Skill: Click
Best practices for building CLI applications with Click including commands, groups, options, and testing.
## When to Use
Apply this skill when building command-line interfaces with Click — commands, groups, options, arguments, and prompts.
## Commands
- Use `@click.command()` for single commands, `@click.group()` for multi-command CLIs.
- Declare options with `@click.option()` and positional args with `@click.argument()`.
- Use `help=` on every option and command for auto-generated help text.
- Use `envvar=` to allow environment variable fallback for sensitive options.
## Groups
- Organize subcommands with `@click.group()` and `group.add_command()`.
- Use `@click.pass_context` to share state between group and subcommands.
## Type Safety
- Use Click's built-in types (`click.Path(exists=True)`, `click.Choice([...])`, `click.IntRange()`).
- Use callbacks for custom validation.
## Testing
- Use `click.testing.CliRunner()` for testing commands without subprocess overhead.
- Assert on `result.exit_code` and `result.output`.
- Use `mix_stderr=False` to test stderr separately.
## Pitfalls
- Don't use `sys.exit()` — use `click.exceptions.Exit` or return from the command.
- Don't use `print()` — use `click.echo()` for proper encoding handling.
- Always handle `KeyboardInterrupt` / abort prompts gracefully.
