joshuakgoldberg/rocket.chat.apps-cli

Rocket.Chat Apps CLI is a command-line tool that helps developers build, package, and upload custom apps for Rocket.Chat, a team communication platform. Think of it as a helper that takes care of the repetitive setup and deployment work so you can focus on what your app actually does for users. After installing the tool, you can run a single command to generate a new app project with all the necessary files and structure already in place. From there, you write your app's logic by extending a base class provided by Rocket.Chat's app engine. The project includes an app.json file that holds metadata like the app's name, version, description, and author info. When you are ready to share your app, the CLI packages everything into a zip file and can even upload it directly to a Rocket.Chat server using credentials you configure in a settings file. This tool is for developers who want to extend Rocket.Chat with custom functionality, whether that is a todo list integration, a notification tool, or a workflow automation specific to their organization. For example, a company using Rocket.Chat for internal communication might build an app that connects their chat to a project management tool, or a support team might create an app that surfaces customer data directly in conversations. A couple of practical details worth noting: the tool includes a custom logging system because of technical limitations in how Rocket.Chat runs apps, so developers use a specific method to write logs instead of standard console commands. It also supports shell autocomplete for bash and zsh, which makes typing commands faster and less error-prone. The README does not go into much detail about the full range of available commands or configuration options beyond what is described above.