pretty-output-pattern

name	Pretty Output Pattern
description	Developer reference for implementing commands with TaskCreate/TaskUpdate spinners. Not user-facing — used when building marauder commands.
disable-model-invocation	true
version	1.0.0

Pretty Output Pattern

All marauder commands should provide clean visual feedback using Claude Code's native Task system.

Why Pretty Output

• Users see a spinner with descriptive text instead of verbose command output
• Clean, consistent experience across all commands
• Verbose details only shown on error or in final summary
• Native Claude Code UI integration

The Pattern

1. Create Task at Start

TaskCreate(
  subject: "Brief action description",
  description: "Detailed context for task tracking",
  activeForm: "Doing the thing..."  // Shown with spinner
)

2. Do Work Silently

Run the actual operations. Output is captured, not streamed.

3. Update Status on Completion

TaskUpdate(taskId: "...", status: "completed")

4. Show Clean Summary

After completing, display a concise summary:

• Success indicator
• Key metrics (files processed, time taken, etc.)
• Any warnings

activeForm Guidelines

The activeForm text appears next to a spinner. Keep it:

• Short: Under 40 characters
• Active voice: "Indexing code...", not "Code is being indexed"
• No periods: "Fetching zone info" not "Fetching zone info."

Good Examples

Operation	activeForm
Store memory	"Storing memory..."
Recall memories	"Searching memories..."
Index code	"Indexing 247 files..."
Save session	"Saving session state..."
TTS speak	"Synthesizing speech..."

Bad Examples

• "Working..." (too vague)
• "The system is currently processing your request." (too long)
• "Running the index_code command" (too technical)

Command Template

---
name: action:name
description: Brief description
allowed-tools:
  - TaskCreate
  - TaskUpdate
  - relevant_tool
argument-hint: "[args]"
---

# Action Name

Brief description.

## Execution Flow

1. **Create task with spinner**:
   - TaskCreate with descriptive activeForm

2. **Execute operation**:
   - Call relevant tools
   - Capture results

3. **Complete task**:
   - TaskUpdate to mark completed

4. **Show summary**:
   - Clean output with key info
   - Errors/warnings if any

## Example

User: `/action:name arg`

Claude creates task: "Doing action..." (spinner)
Claude executes operation
Claude completes task
Claude shows:

Done: processed 42 items

Details:

• 40 successful
• 2 skipped (already exists)

Error Handling

On error:

1. Still complete the task (don't leave it hanging)
2. Show clear error message
3. Include actionable next steps

Error: Could not connect to database

- Check network connectivity: `ping <host>`
- Verify the service is running

Multiple Operations

For commands with multiple steps, update the activeForm:

TaskCreate(subject: "Full operation", activeForm: "Step 1 of 3...")
// do step 1
TaskUpdate(taskId: "...", activeForm: "Step 2 of 3...")
// do step 2
TaskUpdate(taskId: "...", activeForm: "Step 3 of 3...")
// do step 3
TaskUpdate(taskId: "...", status: "completed")

When NOT to Use

• Quick queries that return instantly (< 500ms)
• Interactive prompts requiring user input
• Streaming output that user needs to see in real-time

Related Tools

Tool	Purpose
TaskCreate	Create task with spinner
TaskUpdate	Update progress or complete
TaskList	Check existing tasks
TaskGet	Get task details