cleo
Cleo allows you to create beautiful and testable command-line interfaces.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Cleo is a stable, actively maintained framework (last commit 2026-08-03, 1351 stars) with low install friction, permissive MIT licensing, and zero known vulnerabilities. It is well-suited for any Python CLI project that needs structured command parsing and colored output. The two runtime dependencies are lightweight and widely used.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction; pure Python wheel.
- Actively maintained with recent commits (last 2026-08-03) and 1351 repository stars.
- Supports Python 3.7 through 3.11.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive); no restrictions on commercial or proprietary use, modification, or distribution provided the license text is included.
last release 2023-10-30 (1019 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-03 · 1,351 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 80,505,852 downloads/mo, #419 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install cleo
from cleo.commands.command import Command
from cleo.application import Application
class GreetCommand(Command):
name = "greet"
description = "Greets someone"
def handle(self):
self.line("Hello World")
app = Application()
app.add(GreetCommand())
app.run()- Whether crashtest and rapidfuzz are required at runtime or only for testing/development
- Performance characteristics with large numbers of commands or complex option hierarchies
What it is and what it does
Cleo is a Python framework for building command-line applications with structured argument and option handling. It provides a Command base class where you define arguments, options, and a handle() method; the framework parses user input, validates it against your schema, and calls your handler. It includes built-in support for colored terminal output using inline tags, verbosity levels (quiet, normal, verbose, very verbose, debug), and custom styling.
The package is designed for testability—commands are plain Python classes that can be instantiated and tested without spawning subprocesses. It depends on crashtest (for exception handling) and rapidfuzz (for fuzzy matching, likely for command suggestions). It supports Python 3.7 through 3.11 and is actively maintained by the Poetry project team.
Use it for
- Build a CLI tool with subcommands, arguments, and flags without manually parsing sys.argv
- Create colored, formatted terminal output with semantic tags like <info>, <error>, and custom styles
- Implement a command-line application that needs different output verbosity levels (-q, -v, -vv, -vvv)
- Write testable CLI commands as Python classes that can be unit-tested in isolation
- Develop a multi-command application (like Poetry itself) with consistent help text and option handling
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Cleo is a stable, actively maintained framework (last commit 2026-08-03, 1351 stars) with low install friction, permissive MIT licensing, and zero known vulnerabilities. It is well-suited for any Python CLI project that needs structured command parsing and colored output. The two runtime dependencies are lightweight and widely used.
Install
cleo on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction; pure Python wheel. Actively maintained with recent commits (last 2026-08-03) and 1351 repository stars. Supports Python 3.7 through 3.11.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive); no restrictions on commercial or proprietary use, modification, or distribution provided the license text is included.
Quickstart
pip install cleo
from cleo.commands.command import Command
from cleo.application import Application
class GreetCommand(Command):
name = "greet"
description = "Greets someone"
def handle(self):
self.line("Hello World")
app = Application()
app.add(GreetCommand())
app.run()Verify before relying
- Whether crashtest and rapidfuzz are required at runtime or only for testing/development
- Performance characteristics with large numbers of commands or complex option hierarchies
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7,<4.0 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagescrashtestrapidfuzz |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 1,019 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 80,505,852 / month, #419 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Software DevelopmentTopic :: Software Development :: LibrariesTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Application FrameworksTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: cleo-2.1.0-py3-none-any.whl
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