# CLIUtils/CLI11

CLI11 is a command line parser for C++11 and beyond that provides a rich feature set with a simple and intuitive interface.

Repository: https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/cli11
Homepage: https://cliutils.github.io/CLI11/
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: cli-parser, cpp11, no-dependencies, cli
Last push: 2026-08-21T04:21:07+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 84, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3507, "days_push": 12, "days_rel": 31, "gap_med": 64.5, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4424, forks 463 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:48.844786+00:00)

## What it is
CLI11 is a header-only C++11 command line argument parser with a rich feature set including subcommands, validators, and configuration file support. It has no dependencies beyond C++11 and ships as a single-file header for easy inclusion.

## Use cases
- parse command line arguments in a C++ program
- add subcommands to a C++ CLI tool
- generate automatic --help output for a C++ app
- load CLI options from a configuration file
- validate command line option values in C++
- build a multi-command CLI tool in C++ without dependencies

## When to choose
- you need a modern, dependency-free C++11+ argument parser
- you want header-only, single-file integration
- you need subcommands, validators, or config file support
- you want cross-platform support with high test coverage

## When to avoid
- your project targets pre-C++11 compilers
- you need GUI or interactive TUI features rather than argument parsing
- you prefer a parser with code generation or a different API style

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: cli, parser, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: cpp, cross-platform, windows
- tags: header-only, command-line-parser, cpp11, no-dependencies, subcommands, config-file, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- CLIUtils/CLI11 (main) score 94

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:48.844786+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:20:57.772193+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/CLIUtils/CLI11 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:48.844786+00:00, sha adf142007476)
  - homepage: https://cliutils.github.io/CLI11/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:08:23.046885+00:00, sha c15fc6a770aa)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.