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CLI Demo GIF Generator

cli-demo-gif

Generate CLI demo GIFs using vhs (Charmbracelet). Use when creating terminal recordings for README files or documentation.

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SKILL.md

Full skill instructions

CLI Demo GIF Generator

Create polished terminal demo GIFs using vhs.

Prerequisites

brew install vhs

Usage

1. Create tape file

Place in docs/​demo/ to keep root clean:

mkdir -p docs/​demo

2. Tape file structure

# Description comment
Output docs/​demo/​demo.gif

Set Shell "bash"
Set FontSize 16
Set Width 900
Set Height 500
Set Padding 20
Set Theme "Catppuccin Mocha"
Set TypingSpeed 50ms

# Commands here
Type "command --help"
Enter
Sleep 2s

3. For unpublished CLI packages

Use Hide/​Show to set up aliases silently before the visible demo:

# Set up alias without showing it
Hide
Type "alias mycli='bun run src/​cli/​index.ts'"
Enter
Sleep 500ms
Show

# Now show the demo with clean commands
Type "mycli --help"
Enter
Sleep 2s

4. Generate GIF

vhs docs/​demo/​cli.tape

Tape Commands Reference

CommandDescription
Output <path>Output file path (.gif, .mp4, .webm)
Set Shell "bash"Shell to use
Set FontSize <n>Font size (16 recommended)
Set Width <n>Terminal width in pixels
Set Height <n>Terminal height in pixels
Set Padding <n>Padding around terminal
Set Theme "<name>"Color theme
Set TypingSpeed <duration>Delay between keystrokes
Type "<text>"Type text
EnterPress enter
Sleep <duration>Wait (e.g., 2s, 500ms)
HideStop recording
ShowResume recording
Ctrl+CSend interrupt

Recommended Themes

  • Catppuccin Mocha - dark, modern
  • Dracula - dark purple
  • Tokyo Night - dark blue
  • One Dark - dark
  • GitHub Dark - GitHub's dark theme

Tips

  • Keep GIFs under 1MB for fast loading
  • Use Sleep generously so viewers can read output
  • 50ms typing speed looks natural
  • 900x500 works well for most CLIs
  • Show 3-5 commands max per GIF