This is a submission for the GitHub Copilot CLI Challenge
What I Built
I built ExplainThisCLI, a risk-aware static CLI command analyzer that explains shell commands in plain English and evaluates their potential danger before execution.
Unlike basic command explainers, ExplainThisCLI understands:
- pipelines (
|) - redirection (
>,>>) - combined flags (e.g.
-rf) - destructive intent across an entire command chain
The tool performs pure static analysis — it never executes commands — and assigns a LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH danger level based on pipeline-level risk aggregation.
ExplainThisCLI is designed to help users understand:
- what a command does
- how data flows between commands
- how risky it is
- why it may be dangerous
Demo
🔗 GitHub Repository: https://github.com/rk-005/explain-this-cli
Run the tool locally:
python -m explain.cli "rm -rf / | tee log.txt"
ExplainThisCLI outputs:
- a step-by-step explanation of each command stage
- detected destructive operations
- an aggregated risk level for the entire pipeline
My Experience with GitHub Copilot CLI
GitHub Copilot CLI was used as a reasoning assistant to help interpret shell command intent and explain potential side effects in natural language.
During development, I used Copilot CLI to:
- reason about complex shell pipelines
- validate interpretations of destructive commands (e.g.
rm -rf) - refine explanations so they are understandable before execution
Example Copilot CLI usage:
gh copilot -p "Explain the risks of running: rm -rf / | tee log.txt"
Top comments (0)