targ
Build a Python CLI for your app, just using type hints and docstrings.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. targ is a lightweight, actively maintained tool that solves a real problem—turning functions into CLIs with zero special syntax. Low install friction, permissive license, no known vulnerabilities, and recent activity make it a safe choice for projects that need simple CLI generation. Best suited for straightforward use cases; verify whether it handles your specific type complexity before adopting for complex argument scenarios.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two lightweight dependencies (colorama for terminal colors and docstring-parser for documentation extraction).
- Actively maintained with a recent release 26 days ago.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-07-19 (26 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-25 · 22 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 690,227 downloads/mo, #5,330 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install targ
from targ import CLI
def add(a: int, b: int):
"""Add two numbers."""
print(a + b)
if __name__ == "__main__":
cli = CLI()
cli.register(add)
cli.run()- Whether the package handles complex type hints (unions, generics, optional types) beyond basic int/str/bool.
- Support for subcommands, command groups, or nested CLI hierarchies.
- Whether environment variables or configuration files can be integrated with the CLI.
- Performance characteristics when registering many functions or handling large argument sets.
What it is and what it does
targ is a CLI framework that builds command-line interfaces directly from Python function signatures and docstrings. You register type-annotated functions with a CLI object, and targ automatically generates argument parsing, help text, and command dispatch—no special syntax or configuration files needed. The package extracts parameter documentation from docstrings and uses type hints to determine argument types and validation.
It's designed for developers who want to expose Python functions as CLI tools without learning argparse or click's decorator syntax. The framework depends on colorama for terminal output formatting and docstring-parser to extract parameter descriptions from docstrings. It supports Python 3.10 through 3.14 and has been actively maintained since its 2020 release.
Use it for
- Quickly expose internal Python functions as command-line tools for scripting or automation without writing CLI boilerplate.
- Build simple admin or utility CLIs where function signatures naturally map to command arguments.
- Generate self-documenting CLI tools where help text is automatically derived from existing docstrings.
- Prototype CLI applications during development when you want minimal overhead before committing to a larger framework.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
targ is a lightweight, actively maintained tool that solves a real problem—turning functions into CLIs with zero special syntax. Low install friction, permissive license, no known vulnerabilities, and recent activity make it a safe choice for projects that need simple CLI generation. Best suited for straightforward use cases; verify whether it handles your specific type complexity before adopting for complex argument scenarios.
Install
targ on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two lightweight dependencies (colorama for terminal colors and docstring-parser for documentation extraction). Actively maintained with a recent release 26 days ago.
Requires Python 3.10 or later.
License in practice
MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install targ
from targ import CLI
def add(a: int, b: int):
"""Add two numbers."""
print(a + b)
if __name__ == "__main__":
cli = CLI()
cli.register(add)
cli.run()Verify before relying
- Whether the package handles complex type hints (unions, generics, optional types) beyond basic int/str/bool.
- Support for subcommands, command groups, or nested CLI hierarchies.
- Whether environment variables or configuration files can be integrated with the CLI.
- Performance characteristics when registering many functions or handling large argument sets.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10.0 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagescoloramadocstring-parser |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 26 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 690,227 / month, #5,330 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPython |
Evidence: targ-0.7.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also arguably · clize · tyro · argbind · mando · entrypoint2 · docopt · cyclopts · jsonargparse · annotated-doc