dotnet-cli-architecture
dotnet-cli-architecture
Layered CLI application architecture for .NET: command/handler/service separation following clig.dev principles, configuration precedence (appsettings → environment variables → CLI arguments), structured logging in CLI context, exit code conventions, stdin/stdout/stderr patterns, and testing CLI applications via in-process invocation with output capture.
Version assumptions: .NET 8.0+ baseline. Patterns apply to CLI tools built with System.CommandLine 2.0 and generic host.
Out of scope: System.CommandLine API details (RootCommand, Option, middleware, hosting setup) -- see [skill:dotnet-system-commandline]. Native AOT compilation and publish pipeline -- see [skill:dotnet-native-aot]. CLI distribution, packaging, and release automation -- see [skill:dotnet-cli-distribution] and [skill:dotnet-cli-packaging]. General CI/CD patterns -- see [skill:dotnet-gha-patterns] and [skill:dotnet-ado-patterns]. DI container internals -- see [skill:dotnet-csharp-dependency-injection]. General testing strategies -- see [skill:dotnet-testing-strategy].
Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-system-commandline] for System.CommandLine 2.0 API, [skill:dotnet-native-aot] for AOT publishing CLI tools, [skill:dotnet-csharp-dependency-injection] for DI patterns, [skill:dotnet-csharp-configuration] for configuration integration, [skill:dotnet-testing-strategy] for general testing patterns.
clig.dev Principles for .NET CLI Tools
The Command Line Interface Guidelines provide language-agnostic principles for well-behaved CLI tools. These translate directly to .NET patterns.
Core Principles
| Principle | Implementation |
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