---
title: "Tiny CLI Tools That Earn Their Keep"
description: "A few dozen lines of Python can replace a habit. Here are the little command-line tools I actually reach for every day."
url: "https://mynerdylife.com/blog/tiny-cli-tools-that-earn-their-keep/"
author: "Jared"
published: "2026-07-18"
category: "Coding"
tags: ["cli","automation","productivity"]
---

# Tiny CLI Tools That Earn Their Keep

Not every project needs a framework. Some of my favourite code is under 40
lines and lives in `~/bin`.

## The pattern

Each tool is a single file, made executable, with a shebang and `argparse`:

```python
#!/usr/bin/env python3
import argparse

def main():
    p = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="do one small thing well")
    p.add_argument("name")
    args = p.parse_args()
    print(f"hello, {args.name}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()
```

`chmod +x`, drop it on your `PATH`, and it feels like a real command.

## Why bother

The value isn't the code — it's that the friction of *doing the thing* drops to
nearly zero. A tool I have to think about is a tool I won't use.