GUI4CLI docs

Introduction

GUI4CLI turns a Node.js CLI script into a desktop form. You keep the script. The tool reads the flags, opens a window, and runs that same file.

The product is a local CLI (gui4cli on npm). This site is the explainer. The window is a windowd app (NW.js + Vite), not a browser tab.

What it is

  • Detects Commander and yargs from the source (static AST)
  • Falls back to JSDoc, then optional config, then --help text
  • Opens one window: inputs, command preview, Run, live stdout/stderr, exit code
  • Remembers last-run values under ~/.gui4cli/lastrun/
  • --build writes a reusable folder that wraps the original script in place

It does not rewrite the script, emit a .exe, or host anything.

Two surfaces

Surface What it is
gui4cli.dev This site: what it is and how to use it
npm gui4cli The CLI. Instant window or --build folder, on your machine

The domain never runs your script.

Honest limits

The hero path works for typical Commander and yargs scripts. JSDoc detect is first-pass. --help fallback is thin. File fields are text paths. The first windowd launch downloads ~200 MB of NW.js; “under 30 seconds” does not apply to a cold machine.

If detect finds nothing, add gui4cli.config.js next to the script.

Next