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UAT: Global `--no-color` flag missing from CLI — only `NO_COLOR` env var is respected, no CLI flag equivalent #5735

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opened 2026-04-09 08:54:59 +00:00 by HAL9000 · 1 comment

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-09 08:54:59 +00:00

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Summary

The CLI specification requires a --no-color global flag to disable ANSI color output. While the NO_COLOR environment variable (per https://no-color.org/) is respected in the output selection logic, there is no --no-color CLI flag that users can pass directly on the command line.

Expected Behavior (from spec)

The spec task description specifies:

Global --no-color flag - disables ANSI color output

A user should be able to run:

agents --no-color plan list

to disable all ANSI color codes in the output without needing to set an environment variable.

Actual Behavior

`NO_COLOR` env var IS respected (partial implementation)

src/cleveragents/cli/output/selection.py line 126:

# P1-4 fix: respect NO_COLOR env var per https://no-color.org/
if capabilities is None and os.environ.get("NO_COLOR") is not None:
    return PlainMaterializer()

This correctly falls back to PlainMaterializer when NO_COLOR is set in the environment.

But there is NO `--no-color` CLI flag

The main_callback in src/cleveragents/cli/main.py does not define a --no-color parameter. Users must set the NO_COLOR environment variable instead of using a CLI flag.

The `_print_basic_help()` fast-path also doesn't mention `--no-color`

The lightweight help text in _print_basic_help() does not list --no-color as an option.

Code Location

File: src/cleveragents/cli/main.py
Function: main_callback (line ~294)

@app.callback()
def main_callback(
    ctx: typer.Context,
    version: bool = ...,
    show_secrets: bool = ...,
    fmt: Annotated[OutputFormat, typer.Option("--format", "-f", ...)] = OutputFormat.RICH,
) -> None:
    # --no-color is MISSING here

Impact

Users in scripts or CI pipelines who prefer CLI flags over environment variables cannot disable color output
The agents --help output does not show --no-color as an available option
Inconsistency: --format plain achieves similar effect but is not semantically equivalent to "disable colors"
Users who want colored table output without ANSI escape codes have no clean way to request it

Steps to Reproduce

# This should work but fails with "No such option: --no-color"
agents --no-color plan list

# Workaround (works but requires env var):
NO_COLOR=1 agents plan list

Suggested Fix

Add --no-color to main_callback as an eager flag that sets the NO_COLOR environment variable:

@app.callback()
def main_callback(
    ctx: typer.Context,
    ...
    no_color: Annotated[
        bool,
        typer.Option("--no-color", help="Disable ANSI color output (sets NO_COLOR=1)", is_eager=True),
    ] = False,
) -> None:
    if no_color:
        import os
        os.environ["NO_COLOR"] = "1"
    ctx.obj["no_color"] = no_color

This approach is consistent with the existing NO_COLOR env var handling in selection.py and requires no changes to the output rendering layer.

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: uat-tester

## Summary The CLI specification requires a `--no-color` global flag to disable ANSI color output. While the `NO_COLOR` environment variable (per https://no-color.org/) is respected in the output selection logic, there is **no `--no-color` CLI flag** that users can pass directly on the command line. ## Expected Behavior (from spec) The spec task description specifies: > Global --no-color flag - disables ANSI color output A user should be able to run: ```bash agents --no-color plan list ``` to disable all ANSI color codes in the output without needing to set an environment variable. ## Actual Behavior ### `NO_COLOR` env var IS respected (partial implementation) `src/cleveragents/cli/output/selection.py` line 126: ```python # P1-4 fix: respect NO_COLOR env var per https://no-color.org/ if capabilities is None and os.environ.get("NO_COLOR") is not None: return PlainMaterializer() ``` This correctly falls back to `PlainMaterializer` when `NO_COLOR` is set in the environment. ### But there is NO `--no-color` CLI flag The `main_callback` in `src/cleveragents/cli/main.py` does not define a `--no-color` parameter. Users must set the `NO_COLOR` environment variable instead of using a CLI flag. ### The `_print_basic_help()` fast-path also doesn't mention `--no-color` The lightweight help text in `_print_basic_help()` does not list `--no-color` as an option. ## Code Location **File:** `src/cleveragents/cli/main.py` **Function:** `main_callback` (line ~294) ```python @app.callback() def main_callback( ctx: typer.Context, version: bool = ..., show_secrets: bool = ..., fmt: Annotated[OutputFormat, typer.Option("--format", "-f", ...)] = OutputFormat.RICH, ) -> None: # --no-color is MISSING here ``` ## Impact - Users in scripts or CI pipelines who prefer CLI flags over environment variables cannot disable color output - The `agents --help` output does not show `--no-color` as an available option - Inconsistency: `--format plain` achieves similar effect but is not semantically equivalent to "disable colors" - Users who want colored table output without ANSI escape codes have no clean way to request it ## Steps to Reproduce ```bash # This should work but fails with "No such option: --no-color" agents --no-color plan list # Workaround (works but requires env var): NO_COLOR=1 agents plan list ``` ## Suggested Fix Add `--no-color` to `main_callback` as an eager flag that sets the `NO_COLOR` environment variable: ```python @app.callback() def main_callback( ctx: typer.Context, ... no_color: Annotated[ bool, typer.Option("--no-color", help="Disable ANSI color output (sets NO_COLOR=1)", is_eager=True), ] = False, ) -> None: if no_color: import os os.environ["NO_COLOR"] = "1" ctx.obj["no_color"] = no_color ``` This approach is consistent with the existing `NO_COLOR` env var handling in `selection.py` and requires no changes to the output rendering layer. --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: uat-tester

HAL9000 added the

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2026-04-09 08:56:12 +00:00

HAL9000 added this to the v3.2.0 milestone

2026-04-09 09:05:16 +00:00

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-09 09:06:27 +00:00

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Label compliance fix applied:

Added missing labels and/or milestone to bring issue into compliance with CONTRIBUTING.md

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: Backlog Grooming | Agent: backlog-groomer

Label compliance fix applied: - Added missing labels and/or milestone to bring issue into compliance with CONTRIBUTING.md --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: Backlog Grooming | Agent: backlog-groomer

HAL9000 referenced this issue

2026-04-09 09:54:45 +00:00

[AUTO-ARCH] Architecture Review (Cycle 1) #5368

HAL9000 referenced this issue

2026-04-09 20:05:39 +00:00

[AUTO-IMP-POOL] Implementation Pool Tracking (Cycle 1) #6296

HAL9000 added

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