bootstrap-go-cli

name	bootstrap-go-cli
description	Bootstrap a Go CLI application with Cobra, Viper config, slog structured logging, justfile, and goreleaser. Use when the user says "bootstrap go cli", "new go cli", "create a cli app in go", "go cobra app", "scaffold go command line", or wants to start a new Go CLI project from scratch.

Bootstrap Go CLI

Scaffold a production-ready Go CLI application using Cobra + Viper + slog.

Gather Input

Ask the user for:

1. App name — binary/project name (lowercase, hyphen-separated, e.g. my-tool)
2. Module path — Go module path (e.g. github.com/user/my-tool)
3. Subcommands — initial subcommands to scaffold (e.g. serve, init, sync)

Derive ENV_PREFIX from app name: uppercase, hyphens replaced with underscores (e.g. my-tool → MY_TOOL).

Generate Project

Read references/templates.md for all file templates.

Create files in this order:

1. Initialize Go module

mkdir -p <app-name>/cmd
cd <app-name>
go mod init <module-path>

2. Create files from templates

Apply placeholder substitution ({{APP_NAME}}, {{MODULE_PATH}}, {{ENV_PREFIX}}) to each template:

File	Template
main.go	main.go template
cmd/root.go	cmd/root.go template
cmd/<subcmd>.go	subcommand template (one per requested subcommand)
.gitignore	.gitignore template
.goreleaser.yaml	.goreleaser.yaml template
justfile	justfile template

3. Install dependencies

go get github.com/spf13/cobra@latest
go get github.com/spf13/viper@latest
go mod tidy

4. Initialize git and verify

git init
go build ./...

Output

After generation, print a summary:

Created <app-name>/ with:
  main.go              — entry point with version/commit/date ldflags
  cmd/root.go          — root command with Viper config + slog logging
  cmd/<subcmd>.go      — subcommand stubs (one per requested command)
  .goreleaser.yaml     — cross-platform release config
  justfile             — build/test/lint/release recipes
  .gitignore           — Go + editor + OS ignores

Run it:
  cd <app-name> && just run --help

Next steps:
  - Implement subcommand logic in cmd/*.go
  - Add config options via Viper (flags, env vars, or .yaml file)
  - Run `just test` to verify, `just snapshot` to test releases