rendo-aclip 0.2.0

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.

It keeps normal CLI usage natural while standardizing the parts agents actually depend on:

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

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 canonical dependency name in project manifests, prefer rendo-aclip. If you want the shortest install command, aclip is the official alias.

Smallest End-to-End CLI

src/notes_cli/app.py

from aclip import AclipApp


def create_app() -> AclipApp:
    app = AclipApp(
        name="notes",
        version="0.2.0",
        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}}

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

    return app

src/notes_cli/__main__.py

from aclip import cli_main


cli_main("notes_cli.app:create_app")

Run it like a normal CLI:

python -m notes_cli --help
python -m notes_cli note --help
python -m notes_cli note create --help
python -m notes_cli note create --title hello --body world

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

Build A Distributable CLI

From a dedicated build script:

from aclip import build_cli


artifact = build_cli(
    app_factory="notes_cli.app:create_app",
)

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

app_factory is the import target the packaged binary will execute at runtime. That is why the recommended pattern is a separate build.py script instead of having the app object “build itself”.

In a conventional project layout, ACLIP infers:

• project root
• source root
• executable name

Advanced overrides such as project_root, source_root, and extra_paths are still available for monorepos or non-standard layouts, but they are no longer the default path.

What You Get

• AclipApp for tree-shaped CLI authoring
• direct handler=... registration and decorator authoring
• cli_main(...) so launchers do not need manual sys.argv[1:]
• build_cli() as the canonical packaging API

When To Use ACLIP

Use rendo-aclip when you want a CLI that still feels natural to command-line users while 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

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