Boilerplate Generator

This skill generates the core/ and utils/ module scaffolds that are 80% identical across all cli-web-* CLIs. The methodology skill invokes this before writing implementation-specific code.

---

Step 1: Collect Inputs

Gather these parameters before generating any files. Each has a default or must be supplied by the calling skill.

Parameter	Type	Source	Example
app_name	str	From CLI name (cli-web-<app> -> <app>)	hackernews
APP_NAME	str	UPPER_SNAKE of app_name (replace hyphens with underscores before uppercasing, e.g., gh-trending -> GH_TRENDING)	HACKERNEWS
AppName	str	PascalCase of app_name	HackerNews
protocol	enum	Traffic analysis: rest, graphql, html-scraping, batchexecute	rest
http_client	enum	Traffic analysis: httpx, curl_cffi	httpx
auth_type	enum	Site profile: none, cookie, api-key, google-sso	cookie
resources	list[str]	From <APP>.md endpoint groups	["stories", "users", "search"]
has_polling	bool	Any async/long-running operations?	false
has_context	bool	Does the CLI need use <id> / status context?	false
has_partial_ids	bool	Do resource IDs support prefix matching?	false

---

Step 2: Decision Matrix

Which parameters affect which files:

File	Always	Conditional on
__init__.py	Yes	--
__main__.py	Yes	--
core/exceptions.py	Yes	--
core/config.py	Yes	auth_type (skip AUTH_FILE/AUTH_ENV_VAR if none)
core/client.py	Yes	protocol, http_client
core/auth.py	No	auth_type != none
utils/helpers.py	Yes	has_polling, has_context, has_partial_ids
utils/output.py	Yes	--
core/rpc/__init__.py	No	protocol == batchexecute
core/rpc/types.py	No	protocol == batchexecute
core/rpc/encoder.py	No	protocol == batchexecute
core/rpc/decoder.py	No	protocol == batchexecute

File Generation Table

Generate each file by copying the template below, replacing all {app_name}, {APP_NAME}, and {AppName} placeholders with the actual values. Include or exclude conditional sections as indicated by the decision matrix.

---

Step 3: Generate Files

3.1: cli_web/{app_name}/__init__.py

"""cli-web-{app_name}: CLI for {AppName}."""

__version__ = "0.1.0"

3.2: cli_web/{app_name}/__main__.py

"""Allow running as: python -m cli_web.{app_name}"""
from .{app_name}_cli import cli

if __name__ == "__main__":
    cli()

3.3: core/exceptions.py

"""Typed exception hierarchy for cli-web-{app_name}.

Every exception carries enough context for:
- Retry decisions (recoverable flag, retry_after)
- Structured JSON output (to_dict / error_code_for)
- CLI exit codes (auth=1, server=2, network=3)
"""
from __future__ import annotations


class {AppName}Error(Exception):
    """Base exception for all cli-web-{app_name} errors."""

    def to_dict(self) -> dict:
        return {{
            "error": True,
            "code": _error_code_for(self),
            "message": str(self),
        }}


class AuthError({AppName}Error):
    """Authentication failed -- expired cookies, invalid tokens, session timeout.

    Args:
        recoverable: If True, client retries once (token refresh).
                     If False, user must re-login.
    """

    def __init__(self, message: str, recoverable: bool = True):
        self.recoverable = recoverable
        super().__init__(message)


class RateLimitError({AppName}Error):
    """Server returned 429 -- too many requests.

    Args:
        retry_after: Seconds to wait before retrying (from Retry-After header).
    """

    def __init__(self, message: str, retry_after: float | None = None):
        self.retry_after = retry_after
        super().__init__(message)

    def to_dict(self) -> dict:
        d = super().to_dict()
        if self.retry_after is not None:
            d["retry_after"] = self.retry_after
        return d


class NetworkError({AppName}Error):
    """Connection failed -- DNS resolution, TCP connect, TLS handshake."""


class ServerError({AppName}Error):
    """Server returned 5xx -- internal error, bad gateway, service unavailable.

    Args:
        status_code: The HTTP status code (500, 502, 503, etc.)
    """

    def __init__(self, message: str, status_code: int = 500):
        self.status_code = status_code
        super().__init__(message)


class NotFoundError({AppName}Error):
    """Resource not found (HTTP 404)."""


class RPCError({AppName}Error):
    """RPC call failed (batchexecute decode error, unexpected response shape)."""


# --- HTTP status code mapping ---

_CODE_MAP = {{
    401: lambda msg: AuthError(msg, recoverable=True),
    403: lambda msg: AuthError(msg, recoverable=True),
    404: lambda msg: NotFoundError(msg),
    # 429 handled separately below to extract Retry-After header
}}


def _error_code_for(exc: {AppName}Error) -> str:
    """Map exception type to a JSON error code string."""
    mapping = {{
        AuthError: "AUTH_EXPIRED",
        RateLimitError: "RATE_LIMITED",
        NotFoundError: "NOT_FOUND",
        ServerError: "SERVER_ERROR",
        NetworkError: "NETWORK_ERROR",
        RPCError: "RPC_ERROR",
    }}
    for exc_type, code in mapping.items():
        if isinstance(exc, exc_type):
            return code
    return "UNKNOWN_ERROR"


def raise_for_status(response) -> None:
    """Map HTTP response status to a typed exception. Call after every request."""
    if response.status_code < 400:
        return

    text = getattr(response, "text", "")[:200]
    msg = f"HTTP {{response.status_code}}: {{text}}"

    # Specific status codes
    if response.status_code in _CODE_MAP:
        raise _CODE_MAP[response.status_code](msg)

    # Extract Retry-After for 429
    if response.status_code == 429:
        retry_after = None
        if hasattr(response, "headers"):
            raw = response.headers.get("Retry-After")
            if raw:
                retry_after = float(raw)
        raise RateLimitError(msg, retry_after=retry_after)

    # 5xx range
    if 500 <= response.status_code < 600:
        raise ServerError(msg, status_code=response.status_code)

    # 4xx fallback
    raise {AppName}Error(msg)

3.4: core/config.py

"""Configuration constants for cli-web-{app_name}."""
from pathlib import Path

APP_NAME = "cli-web-{app_name}"
CONFIG_DIR = Path.home() / ".config" / APP_NAME
# --- conditional: auth_type != "none" ---
AUTH_FILE = "auth.json"
AUTH_ENV_VAR = "CLI_WEB_{APP_NAME}_AUTH_JSON"
# --- end conditional ---
# --- conditional: has_context ---
CONTEXT_FILE = "context.json"
# --- end conditional ---


def get_config_dir() -> Path:
    """Return (and create) the config directory."""
    CONFIG_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
    return CONFIG_DIR


# --- conditional: auth_type != "none" ---
def get_auth_path() -> Path:
    """Return the path to auth.json, creating config dir if needed."""
    return get_config_dir() / AUTH_FILE
# --- end conditional ---

If auth_type == "none": Remove the lines between --- conditional: auth_type != "none" --- markers (AUTH_FILE, AUTH_ENV_VAR, and get_auth_path).

If has_context == false: Remove the CONTEXT_FILE line.

3.5: core/client.py

Generate ONE of the following variants based on protocol and http_client.

Variant A: REST + httpx

"""HTTP client for cli-web-{app_name}."""
from __future__ import annotations

import httpx

from .exceptions import (
    {AppName}Error,
    AuthError,
    NetworkError,
    raise_for_status,
)


class {AppName}Client:
    """REST client with auth retry and typed exceptions."""

    BASE_URL = "https://FILL_IN_BASE_URL"

    def __init__(self, cookies: dict | None = None, api_key: str | None = None):
        self._cookies = cookies or {{}}
        self._api_key = api_key
        headers = {{"User-Agent": "cli-web-{app_name}/0.1.0"}}
        if self._api_key:
            headers["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {{self._api_key}}"
        self._client = httpx.Client(
            base_url=self.BASE_URL,
            timeout=httpx.Timeout(connect=10.0, read=30.0, write=30.0, pool=30.0),
            headers=headers,
        )

    def _request(
        self,
        method: str,
        path: str,
        *,
        retry_on_auth: bool = True,
        **kwargs,
    ) -> httpx.Response:
        kwargs.setdefault("cookies", self._cookies)
        try:
            resp = self._client.request(method, path, **kwargs)
        except httpx.ConnectError as exc:
            raise NetworkError(f"Connection failed: {{exc}}")
        except httpx.TimeoutException as exc:
            raise NetworkError(f"Request timed out: {{exc}}")

        if resp.status_code in (401, 403) and retry_on_auth:
            self._refresh_auth()
            return self._request(method, path, retry_on_auth=False, **kwargs)

        raise_for_status(resp)
        return resp

    def _refresh_auth(self) -> None:
        """Override to implement token refresh logic."""
        raise AuthError("Auth expired. Run: cli-web-{app_name} auth login", recoverable=False)

    # --- Add endpoint methods here ---
    # def list_items(self) -> list[dict]:
    #     resp = self._request("GET", "/api/items")
    #     return resp.json()

    def close(self):
        self._client.close()

    def __enter__(self):
        return self

    def __exit__(self, *args):
        self.close()

Variant B: REST + curl_cffi

"""HTTP client for cli-web-{app_name} (curl_cffi for anti-bot bypass)."""
from __future__ import annotations

from curl_cffi import requests as curl_requests

from .exceptions import (
    {AppName}Error,
    AuthError,
    NetworkError,
    raise_for_status,
)


class {AppName}Client:
    """REST client using curl_cffi Chrome TLS impersonation."""

    BASE_URL = "https://FILL_IN_BASE_URL"

    def __init__(self, cookies: dict | None = None):
        self._cookies = cookies or {{}}
        self._session = curl_requests.Session(impersonate="chrome")
        self._session.headers.update({{"User-Agent": "cli-web-{app_name}/0.1.0"}})

    def _request(
        self,
        method: str,
        url: str,
        *,
        retry_on_auth: bool = True,
        **kwargs,
    ):
        if not url.startswith("http"):
            url = self.BASE_URL + url
        kwargs.setdefault("cookies", self._cookies)
        try:
            resp = self._session.request(method, url, **kwargs)
        except Exception as exc:
            raise NetworkError(f"Connection failed: {{exc}}")

        if resp.status_code in (401, 403) and retry_on_auth:
            self._refresh_auth()
            return self._request(method, url, retry_on_auth=False, **kwargs)

        raise_for_status(resp)
        return resp

    def _refresh_auth(self) -> None:
        raise AuthError("Auth expired. Run: cli-web-{app_name} auth login", recoverable=False)

    # --- Add endpoint methods here ---

    def close(self):
        self._session.close()

    def __enter__(self):
        return self

    def __exit__(self, *args):
        self.close()

Variant C: HTML Scraping (httpx or curl_cffi)

Use Variant A or B as the base, then add this import and method:

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

# Add to class body:
def _parse_html(self, html: str) -> BeautifulSoup:
    """Parse HTML response into a BeautifulSoup tree."""
    return BeautifulSoup(html, "html.parser")

Variant D: GraphQL (httpx or curl_cffi)

Use Variant A or B as the base, then add this method:

# Add to class body:
def _graphql(self, query: str, variables: dict | None = None) -> dict:
    """Execute a GraphQL query and return the data payload."""
    payload = {{"query": query}}
    if variables:
        payload["variables"] = variables
    resp = self._request("POST", "/graphql", json=payload)
    body = resp.json()
    if "errors" in body:
        raise {AppName}Error(f"GraphQL error: {{body['errors'][0].get('message', body['errors'])}}")
    return body.get("data", {{}})

Variant E: batchexecute

"""HTTP client for cli-web-{app_name} (Google batchexecute RPC)."""
from __future__ import annotations

import httpx

from .exceptions import (
    {AppName}Error,
    AuthError,
    NetworkError,
    RPCError,
    raise_for_status,
)
from .rpc.encoder import encode_rpc
from .rpc.decoder import decode_response
from .rpc.types import RPCMethod


class {AppName}Client:
    """Google batchexecute RPC client."""

    BASE_URL = "https://FILL_IN_BASE_URL"
    BATCHEXECUTE_PATH = "/_/FILL_IN_SERVICE/data/batchexecute"

    def __init__(self, cookies: dict | None = None):
        self._cookies = cookies or {{}}
        self._csrf_token: str | None = None
        self._session_id: str | None = None
        self._client = httpx.Client(
            base_url=self.BASE_URL,
            timeout=httpx.Timeout(connect=10.0, read=60.0, write=30.0, pool=30.0),
            headers={{"User-Agent": "cli-web-{app_name}/0.1.0"}},
        )

    def _rpc(self, method: RPCMethod, params: list) -> list:
        """Execute an RPC call and return the decoded response."""
        body = encode_rpc(method, params, csrf_token=self._csrf_token)
        try:
            resp = self._client.post(
                self.BATCHEXECUTE_PATH,
                data=body,
                cookies=self._cookies,
            )
        except httpx.ConnectError as exc:
            raise NetworkError(f"Connection failed: {{exc}}")
        except httpx.TimeoutException as exc:
            raise NetworkError(f"Request timed out: {{exc}}")

        raise_for_status(resp)
        return decode_response(resp.text, method)

    def _refresh_tokens(self) -> None:
        """Fetch homepage to extract fresh CSRF/session tokens."""
        import re
        resp = self._client.get("/", cookies=self._cookies, follow_redirects=True)
        if resp.status_code != 200:
            raise AuthError("Token refresh failed. Run: cli-web-{app_name} auth login", recoverable=False)
        # Customize these regex patterns for the target app
        html = resp.text
        m = re.search(r'"SNlM0e"\s*:\s*"([^"]+)"', html)
        if m:
            self._csrf_token = m.group(1)

    # --- Add RPC method wrappers here ---

    def close(self):
        self._client.close()

    def __enter__(self):
        return self

    def __exit__(self, *args):
        self.close()

3.6: utils/helpers.py

"""Shared helpers for cli-web-{app_name}."""
from __future__ import annotations

import io
import json
import sys
from contextlib import contextmanager

import click

from ..core.exceptions import {AppName}Error, _error_code_for


# --- Windows UTF-8 fix (always include) ---
def ensure_utf8() -> None:
    """Force UTF-8 on stdout and stderr for Windows compatibility."""
    if sys.platform == "win32":
        if hasattr(sys.stdout, "reconfigure"):
            sys.stdout.reconfigure(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")
        else:
            sys.stdout = io.TextIOWrapper(
                sys.stdout.buffer, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace"
            )
        if hasattr(sys.stderr, "reconfigure"):
            sys.stderr.reconfigure(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")
        else:
            sys.stderr = io.TextIOWrapper(
                sys.stderr.buffer, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace"
            )


# --- Structured error handler ---
@contextmanager
def handle_errors(json_mode: bool = False):
    """Catch domain exceptions and emit structured output or Rich errors.

    Usage:
        with handle_errors(json_mode=ctx.obj.get("json")):
            do_something()
    """
    try:
        yield
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        raise SystemExit(130)
    except (click.exceptions.Exit, click.UsageError):
        raise
    except {AppName}Error as exc:
        if json_mode:
            print_json(exc.to_dict())
        else:
            click.secho(f"Error: {{exc}}", fg="red", err=True)
        raise SystemExit(1)
    except Exception as exc:
        if json_mode:
            print_json({{"error": True, "code": "INTERNAL_ERROR", "message": str(exc)}})
        else:
            click.secho(f"Error: {{exc}}", fg="red", err=True)
        raise SystemExit(2)


def print_json(data) -> None:
    """Print data as formatted JSON to stdout."""
    print(json.dumps(data, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False, default=str))


# --- conditional: has_partial_ids ---
def resolve_partial_id(partial: str, items: list[dict], key: str = "id") -> dict:
    """Resolve a partial ID prefix to a single item.

    Raises {AppName}Error if zero or multiple matches.
    """
    matches = [item for item in items if str(item.get(key, "")).startswith(partial)]
    if len(matches) == 0:
        raise {AppName}Error(f"No item found matching '{{partial}}'")
    if len(matches) > 1:
        ids = [str(m.get(key, "")) for m in matches[:5]]
        raise {AppName}Error(f"Ambiguous ID '{{partial}}', matches: {{', '.join(ids)}}")
    return matches[0]
# --- end conditional: has_partial_ids ---


# --- conditional: has_polling ---
def poll_until_complete(
    check_fn,
    *,
    timeout: float = 300.0,
    initial_delay: float = 2.0,
    max_delay: float = 10.0,
    backoff_factor: float = 1.5,
):
    """Poll check_fn with exponential backoff until it returns a truthy value.

    Args:
        check_fn: Callable that returns a result (truthy = done) or None/falsy.
        timeout: Maximum total wait time in seconds.
        initial_delay: First sleep interval.
        max_delay: Cap on sleep interval.
        backoff_factor: Multiplier per iteration.

    Returns:
        The truthy result from check_fn.

    Raises:
        {AppName}Error if timeout is exceeded.
    """
    import time

    elapsed = 0.0
    delay = initial_delay
    while elapsed < timeout:
        result = check_fn()
        if result:
            return result
        time.sleep(delay)
        elapsed += delay
        delay = min(delay * backoff_factor, max_delay)
    raise {AppName}Error(f"Operation timed out after {{timeout}}s")
# --- end conditional: has_polling ---


# --- conditional: has_context ---
def get_context_value(key: str) -> str | None:
    """Read a value from the persistent context file."""
    from ..core.config import CONFIG_DIR, CONTEXT_FILE

    path = CONFIG_DIR / CONTEXT_FILE
    if not path.exists():
        return None
    data = json.loads(path.read_text())
    return data.get(key)


def set_context_value(key: str, value: str) -> None:
    """Write a value to the persistent context file."""
    from ..core.config import CONFIG_DIR, CONTEXT_FILE

    path = CONFIG_DIR / CONTEXT_FILE
    CONFIG_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
    data = {{}}
    if path.exists():
        data = json.loads(path.read_text())
    data[key] = value
    path.write_text(json.dumps(data, indent=2))
# --- end conditional: has_context ---

Conditional sections: Remove the blocks between --- conditional: ... --- / --- end conditional: ... --- markers when the corresponding flag is false.

3.7: utils/output.py

"""Structured JSON output helpers for cli-web-{app_name}."""
from __future__ import annotations

import json


def json_success(data, **extra) -> str:
    """Format a successful result as JSON string."""
    payload = {{"success": True, "data": data}}
    payload.update(extra)
    return json.dumps(payload, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False, default=str)


def json_error(code: str, message: str, **extra) -> str:
    """Format an error result as JSON string."""
    payload = {{"error": True, "code": code, "message": message}}
    payload.update(extra)
    return json.dumps(payload, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False, default=str)

3.8: core/rpc/ (batchexecute only)

Only generate these files when protocol == "batchexecute".

core/rpc/__init__.py

"""RPC encoding/decoding for Google batchexecute protocol."""

core/rpc/types.py

"""RPC method definitions for cli-web-{app_name}.

Each method maps to a batchexecute RPC ID discovered from traffic capture.
IMPORTANT: Verify every RPC ID against captured traffic. The same endpoint
may use different param structures for different operations.
"""
from __future__ import annotations

from enum import Enum


class RPCMethod(Enum):
    """Known RPC methods.

    Format: NAME = ("rpc_id", "human_description")
    Fill in from <APP>.md after traffic analysis.
    """

    # EXAMPLE = ("AbCdEf", "Example operation description")
    pass

core/rpc/encoder.py

"""Encode RPC requests for Google batchexecute.

Builds the f.req form body expected by /_/SERVICE/data/batchexecute.
"""
from __future__ import annotations

import json

from .types import RPCMethod


def encode_rpc(
    method: RPCMethod,
    params: list,
    *,
    csrf_token: str | None = None,
) -> dict:
    """Encode an RPC call into a batchexecute form body.

    Returns a dict suitable for httpx data= parameter.
    """
    rpc_id = method.value[0]
    inner = json.dumps(params, separators=(",", ":"))
    req_body = json.dumps([[
        [rpc_id, inner, None, "generic"],
    ]], separators=(",", ":"))
    body = {{"f.req": req_body}}
    if csrf_token:
        body["at"] = csrf_token
    return body

core/rpc/decoder.py

"""Decode batchexecute RPC responses.

Google batchexecute responses have a prefix line (e.g., )]}'\\n) followed
by length-prefixed JSON arrays. This module strips the prefix and parses
the inner payload.
"""
from __future__ import annotations

import json

from ..exceptions import RPCError
from .types import RPCMethod


def decode_response(raw: str, method: RPCMethod) -> list:
    """Decode a batchexecute response and return the inner payload.

    Args:
        raw: The full response text from batchexecute endpoint.
        method: The RPC method that was called (for error context).

    Returns:
        Parsed inner JSON array from the RPC response.

    Raises:
        RPCError: If the response cannot be parsed.
    """
    # Strip the security prefix
    lines = raw.split("\\n")
    for i, line in enumerate(lines):
        if line.strip().startswith("[["):
            break
    else:
        raise RPCError(f"Cannot parse batchexecute response for {{method.value[0]}}")

    try:
        outer = json.loads(lines[i])
    except json.JSONDecodeError as exc:
        raise RPCError(f"JSON decode failed for {{method.value[0]}}: {{exc}}")

    # Navigate to inner payload: outer[0][2] contains the JSON string
    try:
        inner_str = outer[0][2]
        if isinstance(inner_str, str):
            return json.loads(inner_str)
        return inner_str
    except (IndexError, TypeError, json.JSONDecodeError) as exc:
        raise RPCError(f"Inner payload extraction failed for {{method.value[0]}}: {{exc}}")

---

Step 4: Post-Generation Checklist

After generating all files, verify:

• cli_web/ directory has NO __init__.py (namespace package)
• cli_web/{app_name}/ directory HAS __init__.py (sub-package)
• All {app_name}, {APP_NAME}, {AppName} placeholders are replaced with actual values
• FILL_IN_BASE_URL is noted as requiring replacement during implementation
• core/exceptions.py has to_dict() on base class and override on RateLimitError
• utils/helpers.py Windows UTF-8 fix covers BOTH stdout AND stderr
• Conditional sections (polling, context, partial IDs) match the collected inputs
• For batchexecute protocol: core/rpc/ directory exists with all four files
• For non-batchexecute protocol: core/rpc/ directory does NOT exist
• setup.py uses find_namespace_packages(include=["cli_web.*"])