Rust CLI Tools

Design and build production-grade command-line tools in Rust with proper argument parsing, error handling, async I/O, and cross-platform distribution.

Gold

v1.0.00 activationsSoftware EngineeringEngineeringadvanced

SupaScore

82.8

Research Quality (15%)

8.2

Prompt Engineering (25%)

8.5

Practical Utility (15%)

8.3

Completeness (10%)

8.4

User Satisfaction (20%)

8.2

Decision Usefulness (15%)

Best for

▸Building cross-platform CLI tools that replace traditional Unix utilities
▸Creating production-ready command-line applications with async I/O and proper error handling
▸Developing CLI tools for developer tooling, system administration, and data processing
▸Publishing single-binary CLI applications to package managers and GitHub releases
▸Migrating existing shell scripts or Python CLIs to performant Rust implementations

What you'll get

●Complete Cargo workspace with library and binary crates, Clap-based argument parsing, structured error types with thiserror/anyhow, and comprehensive test suite
●Cross-platform build configuration with GitHub Actions for automated releases, shell completion generation, and proper handling of TTY detection
●Production-ready CLI with async/await patterns for I/O-bound operations, progress bars, colored output, and XDG-compliant configuration management

Not designed for ↓

×Learning basic Rust language syntax and ownership concepts
×Building web applications or REST APIs
×GUI desktop application development
×Low-level systems programming like kernel modules or embedded firmware

Expects

Clear requirements for the CLI tool's functionality, target platforms, expected input/output formats, and whether it needs async I/O or CPU-intensive processing.

Returns

Complete Rust CLI application with proper argument parsing, error handling, testing setup, cross-platform build configuration, and distribution-ready packaging.

Evidence Policy

Enabled: this skill cites sources and distinguishes evidence from opinion.

rustclicommand-lineclaptokiocross-platformbinary-distributionerror-handlingsystems-programmingcargoterminal

Research Foundation: 7 sources (5 official docs, 1 web, 1 industry frameworks)

This skill was developed through independent research and synthesis. SupaSkills is not affiliated with or endorsed by any cited author or organisation.

Version History

v1.0.02/16/2026

Initial release

Works well with

API Design ArchitectPlatinum Error Handling & Resilience EngineerGold GitHub Actions EngineerPlatinum Technical Documentation WriterGold

Need more depth?

Specialist skills that go deeper in areas this skill touches.

Go Concurrency ArchitectGold Container Orchestration ExpertPlatinum

Common Workflows

CLI Tool Development to Production Pipeline

Build a Rust CLI tool, set up automated cross-platform builds and releases, then create comprehensive user documentation and man pages.

rust-cli-tools→GitHub Actions Engineer→Technical Documentation Writer

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