Package Manager Integration

Tab provides a standalone CLI tool that enhances package manager completions with automatic discovery of CLI tools that support Tab completions. This guide focuses on the advanced features and unique capabilities of Tab’s package manager integration.

Quick Setup

For basic setup instructions, see the Getting Started guide. Here’s the minimal setup:

# Install and configure
npm install -g @bombsh/tab
tab pnpm zsh > ~/.zsh_completions/tab-pnpm.zsh
echo 'source ~/.zsh_completions/tab-pnpm.zsh' >> ~/.zshrc

Advanced Features

Automatic CLI Discovery

Tab automatically detects and provides completions for CLI tools in your project:

# Tab automatically discovers and provides completions for:
pnpm vite dev --port  # ← Vite completions
pnpm tsc --target     # ← TypeScript completions
pnpm eslint --ext     # ← ESLint completions
pnpm jest --config    # ← Jest completions

The discovery process:

1. Scans node_modules/.bin/ for available CLI tools
2. Tests each tool for Tab compatibility (has a complete command)
3. Provides completions automatically for compatible tools

Tab-Compatible CLIs

A CLI tool is “Tab-compatible” if it follows the Tab protocol:

# Test compatibility
my-cli complete -- --help

# Expected output:
--help  Show help information
:0

Dynamic Script Completions

Tab reads your package.json to provide intelligent completions:

# Automatically suggests scripts from package.json
pnpm run <TAB>  # Shows: dev, build, test, lint, etc.

# Suggests dependencies for add/remove commands
pnpm add <TAB>  # Shows installed packages
pnpm remove <TAB>  # Shows installed packages

Workspace Support

Enhanced completions for monorepo setups:

# Workspace filtering
pnpm --filter my-app run build
pnpm --filter "packages/*" run test
pnpm --filter "!packages/docs" run lint

# Tab provides workspace-aware completions for:
# - Workspace names
# - Workspace patterns
# - Workspace-specific scripts

Context-Aware Completions

Completions adapt based on your project context:

# In a TypeScript project
pnpm tsc --target <TAB>  # Shows: es2020, es2021, es2022, etc.

# In a Vite project
pnpm vite build --mode <TAB>  # Shows: development, production, etc.

# In a React project
pnpm create-react-app <TAB>  # Shows: my-app, my-component, etc.

Package Manager Specific Features

pnpm Enhancements

# Enhanced workspace commands
pnpm workspace <TAB>  # Shows workspace commands
pnpm --filter <TAB>   # Shows workspace names and patterns

# Advanced install options
pnpm add --save-dev <TAB>  # Shows dependency types
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile  # Shows install options

npm Enhancements

# Config management
npm config get <TAB>  # Shows config keys
npm config set <TAB>  # Shows config keys

# Package management
npm install --save-dev <TAB>  # Shows dependency types
npm run <TAB>  # Shows scripts with descriptions

yarn Enhancements

# Workspace operations
yarn workspace <TAB>  # Shows workspace commands
yarn workspaces <TAB>  # Shows workspace operations

# Cache management
yarn cache <TAB>  # Shows cache operations
yarn cache list  # Shows cached packages

bun Enhancements

# Runtime commands
bun run <TAB>  # Shows scripts
bun x <TAB>    # Shows available binaries

# Development features
bun dev <TAB>  # Shows dev commands
bun test <TAB> # Shows test options

Configuration

Environment Variables

# Debug mode for troubleshooting
export DEBUG=1

# Custom timeout for slow completions
export TAB_COMPLETION_TIMEOUT=3000

# Disable automatic discovery (fallback to basic completions)
export TAB_DISABLE_DISCOVERY=1

Performance Optimization

For large projects, you can optimize performance:

# Increase timeout for projects with many dependencies
export TAB_COMPLETION_TIMEOUT=5000

# Cache completions (experimental)
export TAB_CACHE_COMPLETIONS=1

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Completions are slow

# Increase timeout
export TAB_COMPLETION_TIMEOUT=3000

# Check for slow CLI tools
DEBUG=1 tab pnpm complete -- --help

Some CLIs don’t show completions

# Test CLI compatibility
my-cli complete -- --help

# Check if CLI follows Tab protocol
# Should output completions ending with :{number}

Workspace completions not working

# Verify workspace configuration
cat package.json | grep workspaces

# Check workspace structure
ls packages/  # Should show workspace directories

Debug Mode

Enable detailed logging:

# Full debug output
DEBUG=1 tab pnpm complete -- --help

# Check discovery process
DEBUG=1 tab pnpm complete -- vite dev

Advanced Usage

Custom Completion Handlers

For advanced users, you can extend Tab’s completion handlers by modifying the source:

tab/bin/completion-handlers.ts

# The completion handlers are in:
# tab/bin/package-manager-completion.ts

Integration with Other Tools

Tab works alongside other completion tools:

# Use with existing pnpm completions
source <(pnpm completion)

# Tab enhances existing completions
# rather than replacing them

Best Practices

1. Use Consistent Package Manager

Stick to one package manager per project for the best experience.

2. Keep CLI Tools Updated

Regularly update your CLI tools to ensure Tab compatibility.

3. Test in Your Projects

# Test completions in your specific projects
tab pnpm complete -- --help
pnpm vite complete -- --help

4. Share with Team

Share your Tab setup to ensure consistent experience across your team.

Next Steps

• Learn about Framework Adapters for building Tab-compatible CLIs
• Check out Best Practices for effective autocompletions
• Explore the API Reference for building your own CLI tools