rendo-aclip 0.1.2

Python reference SDK for the Agent Command Line Interface Protocol

rendo-aclip

rendo-aclip is the canonical Python SDK for ACLIP, the Agent Command Line Interface Protocol.

ACLIP keeps normal CLI invocation natural:

• tool --help
• tool group --help
• tool command --help
• tool command --flag value

At the same time, it standardizes the parts agents actually depend on:

• progressive Markdown help
• structured result and error envelopes
• sidecar manifests for registry and distribution flows
• packaging helpers for shipping runnable CLI artifacts

Which package name should I install?

Canonical package:

pip install rendo-aclip

Short-name official alias:

pip install aclip

Both install paths are first-party and synchronized. The import path is the same either way:

from aclip import AclipApp

If you want the official dependency name for long-term project manifests, prefer rendo-aclip.

If you want the shortest install command, aclip is the official alias.

What you get

• AclipApp for tree-shaped CLI authoring
• direct handler=... registration and decorator authoring
• canonical ACLIP Markdown help rendering
• structured JSON result and error envelopes
• build_cli() and app.build_cli() for building a distributable binary CLI
• aclip-build-cli as the canonical packaging CLI entrypoint

First Working CLI

from __future__ import annotations

import sys

from aclip import AclipApp


app = AclipApp(
    name="notes",
    version="0.1.2",
    summary="A minimal notes CLI.",
    description="Create and list notes from a small local CLI.",
)
def create_note(title: str, body: str) -> dict:
    """Create a note in a local JSON store.

    Args:
        title: Title for the note.
        body: Body text for the note.
    """
    return {"note": {"title": title, "body": body}}


note = app.group(
    "note",
    summary="Manage notes",
    description="Create and inspect notes.",
).command(
    "create",
    handler=create_note,
    examples=["notes note create --title hello --body world"],
)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    raise SystemExit(app.run(sys.argv[1:]))

Run it like a normal CLI:

notes --help
notes note --help
notes note create --help
notes note create --title hello --body world

The final command returns a structured result envelope instead of ad hoc text.

If you prefer decorators, @app.command(...) and @group.command(...) remain fully supported.

Binary Packaging

from pathlib import Path

artifact = app.build_cli(
    entry_script=Path("src/notes_cli/__main__.py"),
    project_root=Path(".").resolve(),
)

print(artifact.binary_path)
print(artifact.manifest_path)

This produces:

• a runnable CLI binary
• a sidecar .aclip.json manifest

The lower-level build_cli(...) function is also available if you prefer a module-level API.

The packaged CLI wrapper is:

aclip-build-cli --app-factory notes_cli.app:create_app --entry-script ./src/notes_cli/__main__.py

When to use ACLIP

Use rendo-aclip when you want to build a CLI that should feel natural to normal command-line users while also giving agents:

• predictable help disclosure
• predictable machine-readable command results
• a stable packaging and distribution path

If your goal is only a human-first CLI with free-form text output, ACLIP is probably more structure than you need.

Repository

Source repository:

• https://github.com/rendo-studio/aclip