C Academy · Lesson

Building a CLI Tool

Practical example.

Building a CLI Tool is a free C Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 4 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the C Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Putting it together

Now we combine arguments, options, and parsing into a small but complete CLI tool.

Our example is a number-formatting utility that reads a value and a few options, then prints a result.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    if (argc < 2) {
        printf("Usage: %s <number>\n", argv[0]);
        return 1;
    }
    printf("You passed: %s\n", argv[1]);
    return 0;
}

Designing the interface

Good CLI tools define their interface up front. Ours will accept:

-v verbose output
-r N repeat the output N times
one positional argument: the text to print

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {
    printf("Interface: prog [-v] [-r N] <text>\n");
    return 0;
}

Declaring settings

Hold each configurable behavior in a variable with a sensible default. This keeps parsing separate from the actual work.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {
    int verbose = 0;
    int repeat = 1;
    const char *text = NULL;
    printf("defaults: verbose=%d repeat=%d\n", verbose, repeat);
    return 0;
}

Parsing with getopt

Use getopt to fill in the flags. -r takes a value, so its optstring entry is r:.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    int verbose = 0, repeat = 1, opt;
    while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "vr:")) != -1) {
        if (opt == 'v') verbose = 1;
        else if (opt == 'r') repeat = atoi(optarg);
    }
    printf("verbose=%d repeat=%d\n", verbose, repeat);
    return 0;
}

Reading the positional argument

After getopt, optind points to the first non-option argument. We grab the text from there.

If none is present, we print usage and exit with an error code.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    while (getopt(argc, argv, "vr:") != -1) { }
    if (optind >= argc) {
        printf("Error: missing text argument\n");
        return 1;
    }
    printf("text = %s\n", argv[optind]);
    return 0;
}

Validating numeric input

A robust tool checks that -r received a sensible number. Reject zero or negative repeat counts.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    int repeat = 1, opt;
    while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "r:")) != -1) {
        if (opt == 'r') repeat = atoi(optarg);
    }
    if (repeat < 1) {
        printf("Error: repeat must be >= 1\n");
        return 1;
    }
    printf("repeat = %d\n", repeat);
    return 0;
}

Doing the work

With settings parsed and validated, perform the actual task. Here we print the text repeat times.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {
    const char *text = "hello";
    int repeat = 3;
    for (int i = 0; i < repeat; i++) {
        printf("%s\n", text);
    }
    return 0;
}

Verbose output

The verbose flag can add diagnostic information. Guard such prints behind the flag so normal output stays clean.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {
    int verbose = 1;
    const char *text = "hi";
    if (verbose) printf("[debug] about to print text\n");
    printf("%s\n", text);
    return 0;
}

The complete tool

Here is the full program tying every piece together: parse, validate, then run.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    int verbose = 0, repeat = 1, opt;
    while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "vr:")) != -1) {
        if (opt == 'v') verbose = 1;
        else if (opt == 'r') repeat = atoi(optarg);
    }
    if (optind >= argc) { printf("Usage: prog [-v] [-r N] <text>\n"); return 1; }
    const char *text = argv[optind];
    if (verbose) printf("[debug] repeat=%d\n", repeat);
    for (int i = 0; i < repeat; i++) printf("%s\n", text);
    return 0;
}

Exit codes matter

CLI tools communicate success through their exit code. Return 0 on success and non-zero on errors.

Scripts and other programs rely on this to decide what to do next.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    if (argc < 2) {
        printf("failure\n");
        return 2;
    }
    printf("success\n");
    return 0;
}

Writing errors to stderr

By convention, normal output goes to stdout and errors go to stderr via fprintf(stderr, ...).

This lets users separate results from diagnostics when redirecting output.

#include <stdio.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    if (argc < 2) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Error: need an argument\n");
        return 1;
    }
    printf("%s\n", argv[1]);
    return 0;
}

Quick Check

Test your understanding of CLI tool conventions.

Recap

You built a complete CLI tool:

Define the interface, declare settings with defaults.
Parse flags with getopt; read positional args from optind.
Validate inputs before doing work.
Return meaningful exit codes and send errors to stderr.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Building a CLI Tool” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Building a CLI Tool” is free to read here on the web, and the C Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the C Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Building a CLI Tool”?

Practical example. You practise C Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start C Academy?

No prior experience is required. C Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 4 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Building a CLI Tool” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this C Academy lesson?

Yes. Every C Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

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