scripting

name	scripting
description	Use when the OPERATOR asks a question that needs code to answer — data processing, CSV/JSON parsing, API calls, domain lookups, web scraping, calculations, or anything beyond a single coreutils command. MUST READ before writing any Python or running python/python3 commands.

Scripting

When answering a question that requires code, write a clean, reusable script rather than a throwaway command. This makes your work reproducible and discoverable.

Before Writing

Check if you already have a script for this:

knowledge_search query="<what you need>" categories=["scripts"]

If found, read it with file_read and run it. Update it if the OPERATOR's request is a variation.

File Organization

Scripts live in the workspace under scripts/{topic}/{name}.py:

• topic: broad category (e.g., finance, domains, weather, system)
• name: descriptive, lowercase with underscores (e.g., spending_by_category.py)

Python Scripts (Default)

Use Python with uv inline metadata (PEP 723). Every script MUST have:

1. PEP 723 metadata block — declares dependencies inline
2. Module docstring — what it does, when to use it (this powers search)
3. typer for scripts with arguments — gives automatic --help

Template (with arguments)

# /// script
# requires-python = ">=3.12"
# dependencies = ["httpx", "typer"]
# ///
"""Short description of what this script does.

Longer explanation of when to use it and what it expects.
"""

import typer

def main(
    arg1: str = typer.Argument(help="Description of arg1"),
    flag: bool = typer.Option(False, help="Description of flag"),
):
    """One-line description for --help."""
    ...

if __name__ == "__main__":
    typer.run(main)

Template (no arguments)

# /// script
# requires-python = ">=3.12"
# dependencies = ["httpx"]
# ///
"""Short description of what this script does.

Longer explanation.
"""

def main():
    ...

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Running

shell command="uv run scripts/{topic}/{name}.py [args]"

Non-Python Scripts

Use Bash only for thin wrappers around existing CLI tools with no complex logic:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Short description of what this script does.
set -euo pipefail

# ... implementation

For other languages (Go, Rust), add required toolchains to the workspace nix shell (shell/) and document the build step in the script header.

When NOT to Script

• Single coreutils command (ls, grep, wc, df, du) — just run it
• Quick one-liner with no dependencies — just run it

When to Script

• Needs a Python library (parsing, HTTP, data processing)
• Has logic (conditionals, loops over data, error handling)
• Would benefit from reuse (OPERATOR might ask again)
• Needs structured output (tables, formatted reports)

Library Documentation

If you're unsure about a library's API, import its documentation first:

# For PyPI packages with docs sites:
shell command="ghost reference import crawl --url https://typer.tiangolo.com/ --topic typer --max-depth 2"

# For GitHub repos:
shell command="ghost reference import git --url https://github.com/tiangolo/typer --topic typer --paths docs/ --extensions md"

Then search your references:

knowledge_search query="typer argument" categories=["references"] topic="typer"