Make Exec Tools Noninteractive

BOUNDARY-MAKE-EXEC-TOOLS-NONINTERACTIVE

Summary

Default agent, CI, and background exec paths away from prompts, editors, pagers, and credential UI. Commands then fail or complete predictably, while human interactive modes remain explicit opt-ins.

Rule

Make exec-like tools noninteractive by default.

Why

Exec-like tools called by agents, CI, or background tasks cannot safely wait for prompts, editors, pagers, or credential UI. Noninteractive defaults make commands fail or complete predictably instead of hanging in unattended workflows.

Helps

  • Prevents stuck jobs and makes tool execution reproducible in automation.

Limits

Interactive modes are fine for explicit human commands. Keep them opt-in and separate from automation defaults.

Agent Instruction

Make exec-like tools noninteractive by default because exec-like tools called by agents, CI, or
background tasks cannot safely wait for prompts, editors, pagers, or credential UI.

Mechanisms

Supported by --no-pager, --yes or dry-run flags, disabled editors, timeouts, stdin policy, environment overrides, and tests for unattended execution.

References