UMS CLI

A CLI tool for composing, managing, and building modular AI assistant instructions using the Unified Module System (UMS) v2.0 TypeScript format.

Status: the CLI is in the middle of a UMS v1 → v2 migration. The commands documented below reflect the currently implemented, TypeScript-first behaviors.

Package name: ums-cli Binary commands: copilot-instructions, ums

Installation

npm install -g ums-cli

Usage

Note: You can use either copilot-instructions or ums as the binary name. Both execute the same CLI entry point.

Most commands expect module discovery to be configured through a modules.config.yml file (see Configuration).

Build Instructions

# Build from persona file
copilot-instructions build --persona ./personas/my-persona.persona.ts
# or: ums build --persona ./personas/my-persona.persona.ts

# Build with custom output
copilot-instructions build --persona ./personas/my-persona.persona.ts --output ./dist/instructions.md

Requirements:

• The persona must be a TypeScript .persona.ts file that exports a UMS v2.0 Persona object.
• All referenced modules must be discoverable through modules.config.yml (there is no implicit instructions-modules/ fallback).
• Standard input piping is not supported yet; pass --persona explicitly.

List Modules

# List all modules
copilot-instructions list

# Filter by cognitive level
copilot-instructions list --level 0
copilot-instructions list --level 2,3

# Filter by capability
copilot-instructions list --capability testing
copilot-instructions list --capability testing,debugging

# Filter by domain
copilot-instructions list --domain typescript

# Filter by tags
copilot-instructions list --tag best-practices

# Combine multiple filters
copilot-instructions list --level 2 --capability testing --domain typescript

Lists modules resolved through modules.config.yml with optional filtering by cognitive level (0-6), capabilities, domain, or tags.

Search Modules

# Search by keyword
copilot-instructions search "react"

# Search with filters
copilot-instructions search "error" --level 2
copilot-instructions search "testing" --capability debugging
copilot-instructions search "async" --domain typescript

# Combine multiple filters
copilot-instructions search "pattern" --level 2,3 --capability architecture

Performs a case-insensitive substring search across module metadata (name, description, semantic, tags) for all modules discovered via modules.config.yml. Supports filtering by cognitive level, capabilities, domain, and tags.

Validate

# Validation entry point (prints TypeScript guidance)
copilot-instructions validate

# Verbose mode (adds extra tips)
copilot-instructions validate --verbose

At present the command emits instructions for running tsc --noEmit. Runtime validation for UMS v2.0 modules/personas is on the roadmap.

Inspect Registry

# Inspect registry summary
copilot-instructions inspect

# Show only conflicts
copilot-instructions inspect --conflicts-only

# Inspect a single module ID
copilot-instructions inspect --module-id foundation/design/user-centric-thinking

# Emit JSON for tooling
copilot-instructions inspect --format json

Provides visibility into the module registry created from discovery, including conflict diagnostics and source annotations.

MCP Development Helpers

The mcp command group wraps developer utilities for the MCP server bundled with this repository:

copilot-instructions mcp start --transport stdio
copilot-instructions mcp test --verbose
copilot-instructions mcp validate-config
copilot-instructions mcp list-tools

These commands are primarily used when iterating on the MCP server in packages/ums-mcp.

Configuration

The CLI resolves modules exclusively through modules.config.yml. A minimal example:

conflictStrategy: warn
localModulePaths:
    - path: ./instructions-modules-v2
        onConflict: replace
    - path: ./overrides

• Omit conflictStrategy to default to error.
• Each localModulePaths entry must point to a directory containing .module.ts files.
• Paths are resolved relative to the current working directory.
• Standard-library modules are not loaded automatically; include them explicitly if needed.

Features

• ✅ TypeScript-first builds: Render UMS v2.0 personas by composing .module.ts files
• ✅ Config-driven discovery: Load modules via modules.config.yml with conflict strategies
• ✅ Registry inspection: Diagnose conflicts and sources with inspect
• ✅ MCP tooling: Run and probe the bundled MCP server from the CLI
• ⚠️ Validation via TypeScript: Use tsc --noEmit; dedicated runtime validation is still on the roadmap

Limitations

• Standard input builds are not yet supported—always supply --persona.
• Module discovery currently ignores implicit standard libraries; configure every path explicitly.
• Runtime validation for UMS v2.0 modules/personas is pending future iterations.

Project Structure

The CLI expects this directory structure:

your-project/
├── modules.config.yml             # Discovery configuration (required)
├── instruct-modules-v2/           # One or more module directories listed in config
│   ├── modules/                   # Organized by domain/category
│   │   ├── communication/
│   │   ├── testing/
│   │   ├── typescript/
│   │   └── ...
└── personas/                      # Persona TypeScript files
    └── my-persona.persona.ts

Modules are organized by domain and category rather than rigid tiers. Use the cognitiveLevel field (0-6) to indicate abstraction level.

Dependencies

This CLI uses the ums-lib library for all UMS operations, ensuring consistency and reusability.

License

GPL-3.0-or-later