clize
Turn functions into command-line interfaces
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, for stable CLI projects. Clize is production-ready and permissively licensed, with low install friction and no known vulnerabilities. Dormant maintenance is acceptable if you need a simple, proven argument parser and do not require active feature development. Not recommended if you need ongoing support or anticipate heavy customization beyond what decorators provide.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with four lightweight runtime dependencies.
- Dormant maintenance (last commit 2023-11-24, 1132 days ago) but marked Production/Stable; suitable for stable CLI use cases where active development is not expected.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive); you can use, modify, and distribute clize freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2023-07-09 (1132 days) · last repo commit 2023-11-24 · 496 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 207,721 downloads/mo, #9,543 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install clize
from clize import run
def greet(name=None):
"""Greet someone.
:param name: Person to greet
"""
return f'Hello {name or "world"}!'
if __name__ == '__main__':
run(greet)- Whether dormant status (no commits since 2023-11-24) poses a risk for future Python version compatibility or security patches.
- Performance characteristics compared to argparse for large CLI applications with many subcommands.
What it is and what it does
Clize is an argument parser that eliminates boilerplate by deriving CLI interfaces directly from Python function definitions. Instead of writing separate argparse code, you define a function with typed parameters and a docstring, pass it to clize.run(), and get a fully functional command-line tool with automatic help text, option parsing, and subcommand support.
The package works by introspecting function signatures to infer positional arguments, optional flags, and keyword arguments, then generates help messages from docstrings. It supports decorators for composing multiple commands and extending parameter behavior. Runtime dependencies are minimal (sigtools, attrs, od, docutils), and it runs on Python 3.6+ across CPython and PyPy.
Use it for
- Build a simple CLI tool for a utility function without writing argparse boilerplate.
- Create multi-command CLI applications using decorators to compose related functions.
- Generate self-documenting command-line tools where help text comes directly from docstrings.
- Prototype command-line interfaces quickly during development before committing to a larger framework.
- Add CLI entry points to existing Python libraries by wrapping functions with clize.run().
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, for stable CLI projects.
Clize is production-ready and permissively licensed, with low install friction and no known vulnerabilities. Dormant maintenance is acceptable if you need a simple, proven argument parser and do not require active feature development. Not recommended if you need ongoing support or anticipate heavy customization beyond what decorators provide.
Install
clize on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with four lightweight runtime dependencies. Dormant maintenance (last commit 2023-11-24, 1132 days ago) but marked Production/Stable; suitable for stable CLI use cases where active development is not expected.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive); you can use, modify, and distribute clize freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install clize
from clize import run
def greet(name=None):
"""Greet someone.
:param name: Person to greet
"""
return f'Hello {name or "world"}!'
if __name__ == '__main__':
run(greet)Verify before relying
- Whether dormant status (no commits since 2023-11-24) poses a risk for future Python version compatibility or security patches.
- Performance characteristics compared to argparse for large CLI applications with many subcommands.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.6 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 4 packagessigtoolsattrsoddocutils |
| Maintenance | Dormant 1,132 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 207,721 / month, #9,543 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 :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software DevelopmentTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: Software Development :: User Interfaces |
Evidence: clize-5.0.2-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also entrypoint2 · mando · targ · fire · argbind · arguably · click · autocommand · cleo · decli