# command-line-usage > Generates command-line usage information Latest version **7.0.4** (published 2026-03-02) · MIT license · 0 weekly downloads ## Install ```sh npm install command-line-usage pnpm add command-line-usage yarn add command-line-usage bun add command-line-usage ``` ## Health **Score 58/100 (C)** — status: stable. Positive: has types package; esm support; no vulnerabilities; high quality score. Warnings: low downloads. ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Version | 7.0.4 | | Published | 2026-03-02 | | First published | 2015-06-28 | | Weekly downloads | 0 | | License | MIT | | TypeScript types | separate (@types/command-line-usage) | | Module format | ESM | | Node | >=12.20.0 | | Dependencies | 4 | | Unpacked size | 105.8 KB | | Known vulnerabilities | 0 | | Install scripts | no | | GitHub stars | 221 | | Author | Lloyd Brookes | | Maintainers | 75lb | | Keywords | terminal, command line, usage, generator | ## Links - npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/command-line-usage - Repository: https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage - Homepage: https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage#readme - Issues: https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/issues - npm.io page: https://npm.io/package/command-line-usage ## Dependencies (4) - [typical](https://npm.io/package/typical.md) ^7.3.0 - [array-back](https://npm.io/package/array-back.md) ^6.2.2 - [table-layout](https://npm.io/package/table-layout.md) ^4.1.1 - [chalk-template](https://npm.io/package/chalk-template.md) ^0.4.0 ## Alternatives - [localforage](https://npm.io/package/localforage.md) — 6.2M weekly downloads - [localforage-observable](https://npm.io/package/localforage-observable.md) — 30.8K weekly downloads - [@y/y](https://npm.io/package/@y/y.md) — 30.1K weekly downloads - [@metaobjectsdev/render](https://npm.io/package/@metaobjectsdev/render.md) — 3.5K weekly downloads - [@ledgerhq/coin-algorand](https://npm.io/package/@ledgerhq/coin-algorand.md) — 1.1K weekly downloads ## Recent versions - 7.0.4 (latest) — 2026-03-02 - 7.0.3 — 2024-07-18 - 7.0.2 — 2024-07-06 - 7.0.1 — 2023-03-06 - 7.0.0 — 2023-03-05 - 7.0.0-beta.0 — 2023-02-14 - 6.1.3 — 2022-04-13 - 6.1.2 — 2022-04-01 - 6.1.1 — 2020-11-07 - 6.1.0 — 2019-11-03 - 6.0.2 — 2019-07-05 - 6.0.1 — 2019-07-01 - 6.0.0 — 2019-06-30 - 6.0.0-2 — 2019-06-30 - 6.0.0-1 — 2019-06-27 - … 37 more at https://npm.io/package/command-line-usage/versions ## README [![view on npm](https://badgen.net/npm/v/command-line-usage)](https://www.npmjs.org/package/command-line-usage) [![npm module downloads](https://badgen.net/npm/dt/command-line-usage)](https://www.npmjs.org/package/command-line-usage) [![Gihub repo dependents](https://badgen.net/github/dependents-repo/75lb/command-line-usage)](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/network/dependents?dependent_type=REPOSITORY) [![Gihub package dependents](https://badgen.net/github/dependents-pkg/75lb/command-line-usage)](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/network/dependents?dependent_type=PACKAGE) [![Node.js CI](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/actions/workflows/node.js.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/actions/workflows/node.js.yml) # command-line-usage ***Upgraders, please check the [release notes](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/releases).*** A simple, data-driven module for creating a usage guide. ## Synopsis A usage guide is created by first defining an arbitrary number of sections, e.g. a description section, synopsis, option list, examples, footer etc. Each section has an optional header, some content and must be of type [`content`](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/blob/master/doc/api.md#module_command-line-usage--commandLineUsage..content) or [`optionList`](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/blob/master/doc/api.md#module_command-line-usage--commandLineUsage..optionList). This section data is passed to [`commandLineUsage()`](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/blob/master/doc/api.md#exp_module_command-line-usage--commandLineUsage) which returns a usage guide. Inline ansi formatting can be used anywhere within section content using [chalk template literal syntax](https://github.com/chalk/chalk/tree/v2.4.2#tagged-template-literal). For example, this script: ```js import commandLineUsage from 'command-line-usage' const sections = [ { header: 'A typical app', content: 'Generates something {italic very} important.' }, { header: 'Options', optionList: [ { name: 'input', typeLabel: '{underline file}', description: 'The input to process.' }, { name: 'help', description: 'Print this usage guide.' } ] } ] const usage = commandLineUsage(sections) console.log(usage) ``` Outputs this guide: ## Some examples ### Typical A fairly typical usage guide with three sections - description, option list and footer. [Code](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki/How-to-create-a-typical-usage-guide). ### Option List groups Demonstrates breaking the option list up into groups. [Code](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki/How-to-break-the-option-list-up-into-groups). ### Banners A banner is created by adding the `raw: true` property to your `content`. This flag disables any formatting on the content, displaying it raw as supplied. #### Header Demonstrates a banner at the top. This example also adds a `synopsis` section. [Code](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki/How-to-add-a-banner-to-your-usage-guide#code). #### Footer Demonstrates a footer banner. [Code](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki/How-to-add-a-banner-to-your-usage-guide#code-1). ### Examples section (table layout) An examples section is added. To achieve this table layout, supply the `content` as an array of objects. The property names of each object are not important, so long as they are consistent throughout the array. [Code](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki/How-to-add-an-examples-section-to-your-usage-guide). ### Advanced optionList layout The `optionList` layout is fully configurable by setting the `tableOptions` property with an options object suitable for passing into [table-layout](https://github.com/75lb/table-layout#table-). This example overrides the default column widths and adds flame padding. [Code](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki/How-to-use-advanced-optionList-table-formatting). ### Command list Useful if your app is command-driven, like git or npm. [Code](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki/How-to-add-a-command-list-to-your-usage-guide). ### Description section (table layout) Demonstrates supplying specific [table layout](https://github.com/75lb/table-layout) options to achieve more advanced layout. In this case the second column (containing the hammer and sickle) has a fixed `width` of 40 and `noWrap` enabled (as the input is already formatted as desired). [Code](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki/How-to-add-a-description-section-to-your-usage-guide). ### Real-life The [polymer-cli](https://github.com/Polymer/tools/tree/master/packages/cli) usage guide is a good real-life example. ## Documentation * [API Reference](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/blob/master/doc/api.md) * [The full list of examples](https://github.com/75lb/command-line-usage/wiki) * * * © 2015-26 Lloyd Brookes \. Documented by [jsdoc-to-markdown](https://github.com/75lb/jsdoc-to-markdown). --- _Source: https://npm.io/package/command-line-usage · Machine-readable twin of the npm.io package page. Health data is recomputed on every publish._