pp-npm

name	pp-npm
description	Printing Press CLI for npm package intelligence
author	Hiten Shah
license	Apache-2.0
argument-hint	<command> [args] | install cli|mcp
allowed-tools	Read Bash
metadata	{"openclaw":{"requires":{"bins":["npm-pp-cli"]}}}

npm — Printing Press CLI

Prerequisites: Install the CLI

This skill drives the npm-pp-cli binary. You must verify the CLI is installed before invoking any command from this skill. If it is missing, install it first:

1. Install via the Printing Press installer. It defaults binaries to $HOME/.local/bin on macOS/Linux and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\PrintingPress\bin on Windows:

   npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install npm --cli-only
   

2. Verify: npm-pp-cli --version
3. Ensure the reported install directory is on $PATH for the agent/runtime that will invoke this skill.

If the npx install fails (no Node, offline, etc.), fall back to a direct Go install (requires Go 1.26.4 or newer). This installs into $GOPATH/bin (default $HOME/go/bin), so add that directory to $PATH instead:

go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/developer-tools/npm/cmd/npm-pp-cli@latest

If --version reports "command not found" after install, the runtime cannot see the binary directory on $PATH. Do not proceed with skill commands until verification succeeds.

Research npm packages by metadata, downloads, maintainers, freshness, and dependency risk.

When Not to Use This CLI

Do not activate this CLI for requests that require creating, updating, deleting, publishing, commenting, upvoting, inviting, ordering, sending messages, booking, purchasing, or changing remote state. This printed CLI exposes read-only commands for inspection, export, sync, and analysis.

HTTP Transport

This CLI uses Chrome-compatible HTTP transport for browser-facing endpoints. It does not require a resident browser process for normal API calls.

Command Reference

intelligence — Agent-first package research

• npm-pp-cli package <name> — Summarize one package with latest version, maintainers, dependencies, publish freshness, and last-month downloads.
• npm-pp-cli compare <package> [package...] — Compare packages by adoption, freshness, maintainers, and dependency surface.
• npm-pp-cli risk <package> — Score package maintenance and adoption risk with explicit signals.

downloads — Manage downloads

• npm-pp-cli downloads get — Gets the downloads per day for a given period for all packages.
• npm-pp-cli downloads get-point — Gets the downloads per day for a given period for a specific package.
• npm-pp-cli downloads get-range — Gets the downloads per day for a given period for all packages.
• npm-pp-cli downloads get-range-2 — Gets the downloads per day for a given period for a specific package.

versions — Manage versions

Finding the right command

When you know what you want to do but not which command does it, ask the CLI directly:

npm-pp-cli which "<capability in your own words>"

which resolves a natural-language capability query to the best matching command from this CLI's curated feature index. Exit code 0 means at least one match; exit code 2 means no confident match — fall back to --help or use a narrower query.

Auth Setup

No credentials are required for public npm registry reads.

Run npm-pp-cli doctor to verify setup.

Agent Mode

Add --agent to any command. Expands to: --json --compact --no-input --no-color --yes.

• Pipeable — JSON on stdout, errors on stderr

• Filterable — --select keeps a subset of fields. Dotted paths descend into nested structures; arrays traverse element-wise. Critical for keeping context small on verbose APIs:

  npm-pp-cli compare react vue svelte --agent --select name,latest_version,last_month_downloads
  

• Previewable — --dry-run shows the request without sending

• Offline-friendly — sync/search commands can use the local SQLite store when available

• Non-interactive — never prompts, every input is a flag

• Read-only — do not use this CLI for create, update, delete, publish, comment, upvote, invite, order, send, or other mutating requests

Response envelope

Commands that read from the local store or the API wrap output in a provenance envelope:

{
  "meta": {"source": "live" | "local", "synced_at": "...", "reason": "..."},
  "results": <data>
}

Parse .results for data and .meta.source to know whether it's live or local. A human-readable N results (live) summary is printed to stderr only when stdout is a terminal — piped/agent consumers get pure JSON on stdout.

Agent Feedback

When you (or the agent) notice something off about this CLI, record it:

npm-pp-cli feedback "the --since flag is inclusive but docs say exclusive"
npm-pp-cli feedback --stdin < notes.txt
npm-pp-cli feedback list --json --limit 10

Entries are stored locally at ~/.npm-pp-cli/feedback.jsonl. They are never POSTed unless NPM_FEEDBACK_ENDPOINT is set AND either --send is passed or NPM_FEEDBACK_AUTO_SEND=true. Default behavior is local-only.

Write what surprised you, not a bug report. Short, specific, one line: that is the part that compounds.

Output Delivery

Every command accepts --deliver <sink>. The output goes to the named sink in addition to (or instead of) stdout, so agents can route command results without hand-piping. Three sinks are supported:

Sink	Effect
stdout	Default; write to stdout only
file:<path>	Atomically write output to <path> (tmp + rename)
webhook:<url>	POST the output body to the URL (application/json or application/x-ndjson when --compact)

Unknown schemes are refused with a structured error naming the supported set. Webhook failures return non-zero and log the URL + HTTP status on stderr.

Named Profiles

A profile is a saved set of flag values, reused across invocations. Use it when a scheduled agent calls the same command every run with the same configuration - HeyGen's "Beacon" pattern.

npm-pp-cli profile save briefing --json
npm-pp-cli --profile briefing downloads get mock-value
npm-pp-cli profile list --json
npm-pp-cli profile show briefing
npm-pp-cli profile delete briefing --yes

Explicit flags always win over profile values; profile values win over defaults. agent-context lists all available profiles under available_profiles so introspecting agents discover them at runtime.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
2	Usage error (wrong arguments)
3	Resource not found
4	Authentication required
5	API error (upstream issue)
7	Rate limited (wait and retry)
10	Config error

Argument Parsing

Parse $ARGUMENTS:

1. Empty, help, or --help → show npm-pp-cli --help output
2. Starts with install → ends with mcp → MCP installation; otherwise → see Prerequisites above
3. Anything else → Direct Use (execute as CLI command with --agent)

MCP Server Installation

Install the MCP binary from this CLI's published public-library entry or pre-built release, then register it:

claude mcp add npm-pp-mcp -- npm-pp-mcp

Verify: claude mcp list

Direct Use

1. Check if installed: which npm-pp-cli If not found, offer to install (see Prerequisites at the top of this skill).
2. Match the user query to the best command from the Unique Capabilities and Command Reference above.
3. Execute with the --agent flag:

   npm-pp-cli <command> [subcommand] [args] --agent
   

4. If ambiguous, drill into subcommand help: npm-pp-cli <command> --help.