FAILBad invocation exits with structured usage-error code (2)Structured, Parseable Outputbinary silently accepted invalid flag (exit 0). Bad invocation must signal usage error via a non-zero exit code.
FAILError messages include a hint or remediation phraseFail-Fast, Actionable Errorsstderr lacks a hint phrase. Looked for one of: try , use , expected , did you mean, see , run , for more, tip:, help:, hint:, suggestion:, available . Error messages must name what to do next, not just the symptom.
target satisfies P1 via alternative gate (help-on-bare or stdin-primary)
WARN
Flags advertise env-var bindings in --help
44 flag(s) found in --help but no `[env: NAME]` bindings advertised
PASS
Secret-bearing flags expose stdin or *-file companion
WARN
`--help` advertises default values for flags
no default-value annotations found in --help. SHOULD-tier — agents reading help text need to see what value a flag falls back to when omitted (`[default: <value>]` per clap convention).
WARN
Rich-TUI affordance for TTY contexts
no rich-TUI affordance detected (no `--tui`/`--interactive`/`--ui` flag, no spinner/progress/tui mention in --help). MAY-tier — rich TUI in TTY contexts is a nice-to-have, not required.
no --output/--format flag detected — tool does not ship structured output. Schema-discovery requirements (p2-must-schema-print, p2-should-schema-file) collapse to n/a via antecedent propagation.
N/A
Structured-output CLI exposes its schema at runtime
antecedent `p2-json-output` is opt_out: no --output/--format flag detected — tool does not ship structured output. Schema-discovery requirements (p2-must-schema-print, p2-should-schema-file) collapse to n/a via antecedent propagation.
WARN
--json / --jsonl short aliases for --output
no --json or --jsonl short alias found. Agents and pipelines benefit from short forms alongside the canonical `--output` enum.
WARN
`--raw` flag for pipe-safe unformatted output
no `--raw` flag advertised. MAY-tier — useful for pipelines that want to strip formatting before piping to other tools.
`examples` subcommand or `--examples` flag for curated usage patterns
no `examples` subcommand or `--examples` flag found. MAY-tier — a curated usage block keeps agents from hunting through long help text.
WARN
Short `-h` summary differs from `--help` long form
`-h` and `--help` produce byte-identical output. SHOULD-tier — clap renders the short summary on `-h` and the full description on `--help` when `long_about` is set; collapsing them gives agents no concise list-level grep target.
SKIP
Each subcommand's `--help` ships at least one invocation example
binary has no subcommands; MUST applies conditionally to CLIs that use them.
WARN
Help text pairs human and `--output json` example invocations
no paired text + `--output json` example found within 5 lines in top-level or any subcommand `--help`. Pairing keeps agents from reverse-engineering the JSON invocation from the text one.
Error messages include a hint or remediation phrase
stderr lacks a hint phrase. Looked for one of: try , use , expected , did you mean, see , run , for more, tip:, help:, hint:, suggestion:, available . Error messages must name what to do next, not just the symptom.
SKIP
`--output json` produces JSON-formatted errors
binary does not advertise `--output json` in --help; SHOULD applies only to CLIs that opt into the JSON contract.
pager referenced in --help but no --no-pager escape hatch advertised
PASS
Respects NO_COLOR
SKIP
Subcommand verbs follow community-standard names
no subcommands parsed from --help
WARN
`--color` flag for explicit color control
no `--color` flag advertised. MAY-tier — `auto|always|never` lets agents and pipelines override the TTY-based default.
SKIP
Input-accepting commands read from stdin when no file is given
no input-accepting subcommand detected (process/parse/convert/transform/analyze/validate/format/lint/audit); vacuous skip for the conditional SHOULD.
SKIP
Subcommand naming follows a consistent verb/noun convention
fewer than 2 user-defined subcommands; vacuous skip for the conditional SHOULD.
WARN
Operations are subcommands, not verb-shaped flags
top-level verb-shaped flag(s) found: --remove. Operations belong under the `Commands:` block (`tool search "q"`), not on the flag namespace where they fight the `--help` filtering agents rely on.
`--limit` / `--max-results` flag for list operations
no list-style subcommand detected (list/ls/search/query/find/show/get); vacuous skip for the list-only SHOULD.
SKIP
Cursor-based pagination flags for list traversal
no list-style subcommand detected; vacuous skip for the list-only MAY.
SKIP
`--timeout` flag for long-running operations
no long-running subcommand detected (serve/daemon/watch/tail/monitor/follow/run/start/stream); vacuous skip for the conditional SHOULD.
WARN
Help text advertises TTY-aware verbosity behavior
no TTY-aware language found in `--help`. MAY-tier — automatic verbosity reduction when stdout is piped or redirected lets agents skip the explicit `--quiet` flag. Behavioral probes cannot simulate a real TTY without a pty crate, so this audit relies on documented intent.
Skill bundle has install path (`tool skill install [<host>]`)
PASS
`skill install --all` for multi-runtime install
PASS
`skill update` / `skill upgrade` for bundle refresh
Details
Version scored
3.6.31
Audit date
2026-06-02 16:53:39 UTC
Duration
5.3s
Platform
linux/x86_64
Mode
command
Anc build
0.5.0
Install
included with Cursor IDE distribution
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Reproduce this scorecard for cursor locally and inspect the failing audits:
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Add --output json to get the same JSON shape committed under
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