proffesor-for-testing__agentic-qe/docs/fixes/cli-non-interactive-implementation.md

CLI Non-Interactive Mode Implementation (Release 1.2.0)

Problem

P1 Issue: The aqe init command prompted for user input even when CLI options were provided, breaking CI/CD automation.

Symptoms:

• npx aqe init --topology mesh --max-agents 5 would still prompt interactively
• Cannot use in automated scripts or CI pipelines
• Blocks automated testing and deployment workflows

Solution

Added non-interactive mode support with two approaches:

1. CLI Flags

Added --yes and --non-interactive flags to skip all prompts:

# Using --yes flag
npx aqe init --topology mesh --max-agents 5 --yes

# Using --non-interactive flag
npx aqe init --topology mesh --max-agents 5 --non-interactive

2. Environment Variables

All configuration can be provided via environment variables:

# Environment variable configuration
AQE_PROJECT_NAME=my-project \
AQE_LANGUAGE=typescript \
AQE_ROUTING_ENABLED=true \
AQE_STREAMING_ENABLED=true \
AQE_LEARNING_ENABLED=true \
AQE_PATTERNS_ENABLED=true \
AQE_IMPROVEMENT_ENABLED=true \
npx aqe init -y

Implementation Details

File Changes

1. /workspaces/agentic-qe-cf/src/cli/index.ts

Added CLI options:

program
  .command('init')
  .description('Initialize the AQE Fleet')
  .option('-c, --config <path>', 'Configuration file path')
  .option('-t, --topology <type>', 'Swarm topology', 'hierarchical')
  .option('-m, --max-agents <number>', 'Maximum agents', '10')
  .option('-f, --focus <areas>', 'Testing focus areas', 'unit,integration')
  .option('-e, --environments <envs>', 'Target environments', 'development')
  .option('--frameworks <frameworks>', 'Test frameworks', 'jest')
  .option('-y, --yes', 'Skip all prompts and use defaults (non-interactive mode)')
  .option('--non-interactive', 'Same as --yes (skip all prompts)')

2. /workspaces/agentic-qe-cf/src/cli/commands/init.ts

Added non-interactive logic:

// Detect non-interactive mode
const isNonInteractive = (options as any).nonInteractive || (options as any).yes;

if (!options.config && !isNonInteractive) {
  // Interactive mode: prompt user
  const projectAnswers = await inquirer.prompt([...]);
  // ... use answers
} else {
  // Non-interactive mode: use defaults or environment variables
  (fleetConfig as any).project = {
    name: process.env.AQE_PROJECT_NAME || path.basename(process.cwd()),
    path: process.cwd(),
    language: (process.env.AQE_LANGUAGE || 'typescript').toLowerCase()
  };

  // Use environment variables or defaults
  if (fleetConfig.routing) {
    fleetConfig.routing.enabled = process.env.AQE_ROUTING_ENABLED === 'true' || false;
  }
  if (fleetConfig.streaming) {
    fleetConfig.streaming.enabled = process.env.AQE_STREAMING_ENABLED !== 'false';
  }

  // Phase 2 features
  (options as any).enableLearning = process.env.AQE_LEARNING_ENABLED !== 'false';
  (options as any).enablePatterns = process.env.AQE_PATTERNS_ENABLED !== 'false';
  (options as any).enableImprovement = process.env.AQE_IMPROVEMENT_ENABLED !== 'false';

  // User feedback
  console.log(chalk.gray('  ℹ️  Running in non-interactive mode with defaults'));
  console.log(chalk.gray(`  • Project: ${(fleetConfig as any).project.name}`));
  console.log(chalk.gray(`  • Language: ${(fleetConfig as any).project.language}`));
  console.log(chalk.gray(`  • Routing: ${fleetConfig.routing?.enabled ? 'enabled' : 'disabled'}`));
  console.log(chalk.gray(`  • Streaming: ${fleetConfig.streaming?.enabled ? 'enabled' : 'disabled'}`));
}

Usage Examples

Basic Non-Interactive Initialization

# Simplest form - use all defaults
npx aqe init -y

# With custom topology and agent count
npx aqe init --topology mesh --max-agents 8 --yes

# With custom frameworks
npx aqe init --frameworks jest,vitest --non-interactive

CI/CD Pipeline Usage

# GitHub Actions / GitLab CI
- name: Initialize AQE Fleet
  run: |
    npx aqe init \
      --topology hierarchical \
      --max-agents 10 \
      --focus unit,integration,e2e \
      --environments development,staging,production \
      --frameworks jest \
      --yes

Docker/Container Usage

# Dockerfile
RUN npx aqe init \
    --topology mesh \
    --max-agents 5 \
    --yes

# Or with environment variables
ENV AQE_PROJECT_NAME=my-app \
    AQE_TOPOLOGY=mesh \
    AQE_ROUTING_ENABLED=true

RUN npx aqe init -y

Automated Script Usage

#!/bin/bash
# setup-aqe.sh

# Set configuration via environment
export AQE_PROJECT_NAME="automated-tests"
export AQE_LANGUAGE="typescript"
export AQE_ROUTING_ENABLED="true"
export AQE_STREAMING_ENABLED="true"

# Initialize without prompts
npx aqe init \
  --topology hierarchical \
  --max-agents 10 \
  --focus unit,integration \
  --environments development,staging \
  --yes

echo "AQE Fleet initialized successfully"

Environment Variables Reference

Variable	Type	Default	Description
AQE_PROJECT_NAME	string	Current directory name	Project name
AQE_LANGUAGE	string	typescript	Primary programming language
AQE_ROUTING_ENABLED	boolean	false	Enable Multi-Model Router
AQE_STREAMING_ENABLED	boolean	true	Enable streaming progress
AQE_LEARNING_ENABLED	boolean	true	Enable Q-learning
AQE_PATTERNS_ENABLED	boolean	true	Enable pattern bank
AQE_IMPROVEMENT_ENABLED	boolean	true	Enable improvement loop

CLI Options Reference

Option	Alias	Default	Description
--topology <type>	-t	hierarchical	Fleet topology (hierarchical, mesh, ring, adaptive)
--max-agents <number>	-m	10	Maximum number of agents (5-50)
--focus <areas>	-f	unit,integration	Comma-separated testing focus areas
--environments <envs>	-e	development	Comma-separated environments
--frameworks <frameworks>	-	jest	Comma-separated test frameworks
--yes	-y	-	Skip all prompts (non-interactive)
--non-interactive	-	-	Same as --yes
--config <path>	-c	-	Use configuration file

Verification

Test Non-Interactive Mode

# Test 1: Basic non-interactive
npx aqe init -y

# Expected output:
# ℹ️  Running in non-interactive mode with defaults
# • Project: agentic-qe-cf
# • Language: typescript
# • Routing: disabled
# • Streaming: enabled

Test Environment Variables

# Test 2: Environment variable override
AQE_PROJECT_NAME=test-project \
AQE_ROUTING_ENABLED=true \
npx aqe init --yes

# Expected: Project name should be "test-project", routing enabled

Test CLI Options

# Test 3: CLI options
npx aqe init \
  --topology mesh \
  --max-agents 8 \
  --frameworks jest,vitest \
  --non-interactive

# Expected: No prompts, uses specified values

Backward Compatibility

✅ Fully backward compatible

• Without --yes or --non-interactive: Interactive mode (original behavior)
• With flags: Non-interactive mode (new behavior)
• Existing scripts without flags continue to work

Impact

• Before: Cannot use in CI/CD or automation (blocks on prompts)
• After: Full automation support via flags or environment variables
• Breaking Changes: None
• Migration: None required (opt-in feature)

Related Issues

This fixes P1 blocker for Release 1.2.0 enabling CI/CD integration.

Testing

Manual testing performed:

1. ✅ Interactive mode still works (no flags)
2. ✅ --yes flag skips all prompts
3. ✅ --non-interactive flag skips all prompts
4. ✅ Environment variables properly applied
5. ✅ CLI options properly used
6. ✅ Default values applied when not specified

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Implemented by: Claude Code (Backend API Developer agent) Date: 2025-10-21 Release: 1.2.0