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yargs-interactive

library3.0.1jsnpmunverified

yargs-interactive is a JavaScript library designed to integrate interactive command-line prompts, powered by Inquirer.js, directly into yargs-based CLIs. This enables developers to create flexible command-line tools that can either parse arguments non-interactively (suitable for scripting and automation) or dynamically prompt users for missing information (for human interaction). The current stable version is 3.0.1, released in April 2022. The project's release cadence appears to be irregular, suggesting a maintenance-focused development cycle rather than active feature additions. Its key differentiation lies in its seamless blending of Yargs' robust argument parsing with Inquirer.js's user-friendly prompting, allowing the same CLI tool to serve diverse use cases, from automated CI/CD pipelines to interactive user experiences, without extensive conditional logic.

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npm install yargs-interactive

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · YARGS-INTERACTIVE

yargs-interactive

devopsjavascriptv3.0.1

Install

—

Import

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Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

yargsInteractive

✓ const yargsInteractive = require("yargs-interactive");

✗ import yargsInteractive from 'yargs-interactive';

This library is primarily CommonJS. While Node.js can sometimes interop, direct ESM 'import' might not work as expected without a bundler or specific configuration, leading to `TypeError: yargsInteractive is not a function` or `ReferenceError: require is not defined` if used in an ESM file.

.interactive(options)

✓ yargsInteractive().interactive(options)

✗ yargsInteractive.interactive(options)

The `interactive` method is called on the builder returned by `yargsInteractive()`, not directly on the imported module object.

Demonstrates the basic setup of an interactive CLI, prompting for user input if arguments are not provided via command line.

#!/usr/bin/env node const yargsInteractive = require("yargs-interactive"); const options = { name: { type: "input", default: "A robot", describe: "Enter your name" }, likesPizza: { type: "confirm", default: false, describe: "Do you like pizza?" } }; yargsInteractive() .usage("$0 <command> [args]") .interactive(options) .then(result => { // Your business logic goes here. // Get the arguments from the result console.log(`\nResult is:\n` + `- Name: ${result.name}\n` + `- Likes pizza: ${result.likesPizza}\n`); });

Debug

Known issues

breakingVersion 3.0.0 introduced breaking changes by updating its underlying `yargs` dependency to v14. Users upgrading from v2.x should consult the `yargs` v14 release notes for potential incompatibilities.

fix

Review the `yargs` v14 migration guide and adjust CLI option definitions and usage patterns accordingly. Thorough testing is recommended.

affects: >=3.0.0

breakingVersion 2.0.0 introduced breaking changes to the `prompt` option's contract. Implementations using custom `prompt` behavior will need to be updated.

fix

Refer to the v2.0.0 release notes and documentation for the updated contract of the `prompt` option.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaVersions prior to 2.2.0 contained security vulnerabilities. It is crucial to upgrade to v2.2.0 or newer to ensure your CLI is protected against known issues.

fix

Upgrade to `yargs-interactive@^2.2.0` or `yargs-interactive@^3.0.0` immediately.

affects: <2.2.0

gotchaThe minimum Node.js version required is 8. While it may still function on Node.js 8, this version is long End-of-Life and lacks critical security updates and modern JavaScript features. It's recommended to run on a supported Node.js version.

fix

Ensure your environment uses a currently supported Node.js LTS version (e.g., Node.js 16 or newer) for security and performance.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

TypeError: yargsInteractive is not a function

Attempting to call `yargsInteractive()` when it's not correctly imported/required, often due to ESM `import` in a CJS context or destructuring.

fix

Ensure you are using `const yargsInteractive = require("yargs-interactive");` for CommonJS environments.

Error: Unknown option: --interactive

The `--interactive` flag is not being properly recognized by the `yargs` instance because `.interactive(options)` has not been called on the builder before parsing arguments, or the flag itself is misspelled.

fix

Verify that `yargsInteractive().interactive(options)` is called before any `argv` or `parse` methods, and that the `--interactive` flag is correctly spelled.

ReferenceError: require is not defined in ES module scope

Using `require()` in a JavaScript file that is treated as an ES module (e.g., `.mjs` file or `"type": "module"` in `package.json`).

fix

This library is primarily CJS. Consider sticking to CJS for your CLI entry point, or use a bundler to consume it in an ESM project.

Upgrade

Version history

3.0.1latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

yargsrequiredCore dependency for parsing command-line arguments and defining CLI structure.

inquirerrequiredCore dependency for handling interactive prompts and user input.

Agent activity

32 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/nanovazquez/yargs-interactive ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/yargs-interactive ↗