dart-cli-app-best-practices

name	dart-cli-app-best-practices
description	Best practices for creating high-quality, executable Dart CLI applications. Covers entrypoint structure, exit code handling, and recommended packages.
license	Apache-2.0

Dart CLI Application Best Practices

1. When to use this skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating a new Dart CLI application.
• Refactoring an existing CLI entrypoint (bin/).
• Reviewing CLI code for quality and standards.
• Setting up executable scripts for Linux/Mac.

2. Best Practices

Entrypoint Structure (bin/)

Keep the contents of your entrypoint file (e.g., bin/my_app.dart) minimal. This improves testability by decoupling logic from the process runner.

DO:

// bin/my_app.dart
import 'package:my_app/src/entry_point.dart';

Future<void> main(List<String> arguments) async {
  await runApp(arguments);
}

DON'T:

• Put complex logic directly in bin/my_app.dart.
• Define classes or heavy functions in the entrypoint.

Executable Scripts

For CLI tools intended to be run directly on Linux and Mac, add a shebang and ensure the file is executable.

DO:

1. Add #!/usr/bin/env dart to the first line.
2. Run chmod +x bin/my_script.dart to make it executable.

#!/usr/bin/env dart

void main() => print('Ready to run!');