Choose CLI Stack

A CLI is the right product when users want automation more than screens.

CLI Wins When

Users are developers, operators, or power users.
The product runs in scripts, CI, cron, or local automation.
Inputs and outputs are files, streams, APIs, or shell commands.
A GUI would mostly wrap flags and logs.
Distribution can happen through one binary, package manager, or repo-local tool.

Language Defaults

Pick	Use when	Trade-off
Go	Networking, subprocesses, test runners, simple static binaries, backend adjacency	Less low-level control than Rust
Rust	Performance, safety, native libraries, dependency-conscious tools	Slower iteration and steeper learning curve
Python	Internal scripts, data tasks, quick automation	Packaging and runtime management can be the product pain
Node/TypeScript	JS ecosystem tools, frontend-adjacent CLIs	Runtime/dependency footprint

Minimum Starter

cmd/<tool>/        # entrypoint
internal/         # implementation packages
README.md         # install and examples
docs/commands.md  # command reference
tests/            # command and library tests

Quality Gates

--help is useful.
Exit codes are predictable.
Output formats are documented.
Config paths are explicit.
Dry-run exists for destructive operations.
Install/update path is real for target users.

Tip: If the CLI grows a server, keep the server hidden or explicit. The user should not need to debug process orchestration unless that is the product.