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Show HN: I built a tool that turns any API into a CLI for agents

stugreen13 Sunday, March 01, 2026

TLDR; I built a tool that turns any API into a CLI designed for ai agents

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Got tired of dealing with bloated context windows from MCP servers and skills that stuff entire API docs into the agent's context

CLIs fix this, agents run a single command to self-discover everything an API has to offer

So, built a tool to generate them for any api. All CLIs are written in Go, fast and lightweight, no dependencies

Help text (via the --help flag) is the killer feature: all context for each command/endpoint/parameter is extracted directly from the user-facing API docs and enhanced with llms. It's bundled directly with the CLI and agents fetch only what they need at runtime. No context overhead, no fumbled API calls.

Most APIs don't have a CLI yet. Can have Opus one-shot simple ones, but building a great one with cross-platform binaries, install scripts, detailed help text, and auto-updates takes time and is frustrating to repeat for every API. Maintaining it the API grows is a headache

Give InstantCLI any API docs url and it generates a production-ready CLI in minutes. It includes binaries + install scripts for all platforms, auto-updates as your API changes, docs-enhanced help text designed for agents, and hosting

Summary
InstantCLI is a web-based command line interface that allows users to execute commands and scripts in their web browser, without the need to install any software. It offers a streamlined and user-friendly interface for quick access to command line functionality.
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Summary
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