[docs] CLI dispatcher rewrite: document 5-rule auto-discovery routing after PraisonAI #1577 (supersedes #282 dispatcher section)

[MervinPraison]

Context

PraisonAI PR MervinPraison/PraisonAI#1577 — fix(wrapper): restore #1561 auto-discovery dispatcher in __main__.py (closes #1576) — was merged to main on 2026-04-28 (head SHA 8d373843dc062f358ff5be7722a8cadbe71ce105).

This PR replaces the entire CLI dispatcher implementation that issues #282 and #276 were drafted against. The previous heuristic-based routing (_is_legacy_invocation()) is gone; the routing model is now Typer-first auto-discovery with five explicit precedence rules. Any unmerged doc work targeting the old 3-tier routing diagram in #282 is now factually wrong and must be updated against this PR's source-of-truth.

The dispatcher is the single user-facing entry point for everything typed as praisonai ... — its routing rules are non-obvious (--help and --version go to different paths, a YAML filename routes by command-set membership rather than file existence, etc.) and have never been documented in MervinPraison/PraisonAIDocs. The 26 unit tests added in #1577 pin the contract precisely; treat each test name as a documented behavior.

Relationship to existing issues

• Supersedes the dispatcher section (Task 2) of [docs] Update wrapper async bridge + CLI dispatcher docs after PraisonAI #1575 #282 — keep [docs] Update wrapper async bridge + CLI dispatcher docs after PraisonAI #1575 #282 open for its docs/features/gateway.mdx atexit correction, but the new docs/features/cli-dispatcher.mdx page should be created against this issue's spec, not [docs] Update wrapper async bridge + CLI dispatcher docs after PraisonAI #1575 #282's.
• Partially supersedes the "Typer-first CLI dispatch" task in Docs needed for PR #1548: framework-adapter plugins, Typer-first CLI dispatch, run_sync() loop safety #276 — Docs needed for PR #1548: framework-adapter plugins, Typer-first CLI dispatch, run_sync() loop safety #276 was based on PR #1548's heuristic dispatcher, which #1577 has now replaced.

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SDK Truth (read these files before writing the doc)

Per AGENTS.md §1.2 SDK-First cycle — read source, understand, then document. Do not copy from #282/#276 prose; those describe the old model.

Module-path note: In MervinPraison/PraisonAIDocs (synced via update_repos.sh), wrapper sources land at repo-root praisonai/, not src/praisonai/. Verify paths against the synced tree before quoting them in docs.

File (PraisonAI repo path)	PraisonAIDocs mirror	Why read it
src/praisonai/praisonai/__main__.py	praisonai/__main__.py	The dispatcher itself — main(), _get_typer_commands(), _find_first_command(), _run_typer(), _run_legacy(), _typer_commands_cache, _typer_commands_lock.
src/praisonai/praisonai/cli/app.py	praisonai/cli/app.py	register_commands() — the registration is now wrapped in the same lock the discoverer uses, and _commands_registered = True is flipped only after the last add_typer() succeeds (no half-registered command tree).
src/praisonai/tests/unit/cli/test_main_dispatcher.py	(tests live in PraisonAI repo only)	26 tests across 6 classes — each test name is a documented behavior.

Key facts to extract from the source

1. Routing precedence (from main() in __main__.py, in order):

   1. --version / -V → print version and return — does not import praisonai.cli.* (proven by TestVersionShortCircuit::test_version_does_not_import_typer_or_legacy, which evicts praisonai.cli.* from sys.modules and asserts they stay absent).
   2. --help / -h → Typer (so help auto-discovers all registered subcommands).
   3. No argv → Typer (interactive TUI).
   4. First non-flag positional ∈ _get_typer_commands() → Typer.
   5. Otherwise (free-text prompts, .yaml/.yml paths, deprecated flags) → legacy PraisonAI().main().

2. First-positional discovery (_find_first_command(argv)):

   • Skips leading global flags like --verbose, --debug, --json.
   • Treats --output-format and -o as value flags — also skips the value that follows them.
   • Returns None when argv has only flags (rule 5 above falls through to "Typer for global-flag handling").
   • Free-text prompts (token containing a space) and .yaml paths are returned as-is — the routing decision happens in main() based on command-set membership, not by inspecting the filesystem.

3. Auto-discovery cache (_get_typer_commands()):

   • Lazily loads app + calls register_commands(), then introspects via click.Context(typer.main.get_command(app)).list_commands(ctx).
   • Result cached in module-global _typer_commands_cache under _typer_commands_lock.
   • Cache is NOT poisoned on failure: a discovery error returns set() for that call but leaves _typer_commands_cache = None so the next caller retries (verified by TestGetTyperCommandsCache::test_failure_does_not_poison_cache).
   • Concurrent callers get the same cached object — 8-thread stress test in TestGetTyperCommandsCache::test_concurrent_callers_get_same_result.

4. Failure modes (fail-loud invariant):

   • register_commands() exceptions inside _run_typer propagate — they are NOT wrapped in try/except. A missing optional dep surfaces as the underlying ImportError, not as Typer's empty-app behavior. Pinned by TestTyperRegistrationFailureFailsLoud.
   • _run_typer and _run_legacy both restore sys.argv in finally: even on SystemExit — pinned by TestRunTyperArgvRestoration and TestRunLegacyArgvRestoration (both use argv[0] = "/usr/local/bin/some-launcher" so the assertion has discriminating power against a missing finally).

5. Why this matters to users (extensibility):

   • Adding a Typer subcommand → automatic routing. No manual command list, no opt-in. As soon as the new command is registered in praisonai.cli.app, typing praisonai <new-command> routes to Typer.
   • No filesystem dependency for YAML routing. A typo'd YAML path no longer silently falls into legacy because the file doesn't exist — it falls into legacy because it isn't a registered command. Misroutes that used to depend on os.path.isfile() are gone.

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Task — NEW page: docs/features/cli-dispatcher.mdx

Folder placement (AGENTS.md §1.8 — non-negotiable):

• Place at docs/features/cli-dispatcher.mdx. NEVER docs/concepts/.
• Add an entry to docs.json under the Features group (not Concepts, not the auto-managed docs/js/ or docs/rust/ groups).
• Validate docs.json is still valid JSON after editing.

Required frontmatter

---
title: "CLI Dispatcher"
sidebarTitle: "CLI Dispatcher"
description: "How praisonai routes your command — version, Typer subcommand, or legacy prompt/YAML"
icon: "terminal"
---

Required structure (per AGENTS.md §2)

1. One-sentence intro — agent-centric, beginner-friendly. Example tone: "praisonai picks one of five paths based on what you type — and adding a new subcommand means it Just Works."
2. Hero Mermaid diagram (see exact spec below).
3. ## Quick Start with <Steps> — show the five routing paths as five Steps (praisonai --version, praisonai, praisonai --help, praisonai chat "...", praisonai "free-text prompt").
4. ## How It Works — sequenceDiagram showing User → main() → [version|help|empty|known-cmd|fallback] → [Typer|Legacy|exit].
5. ## Routing Rules — the precedence table below, copied verbatim.
6. ## Auto-Discovery — explain why adding a new Typer subcommand "just works" (one short paragraph + 4-line example of registering a command and seeing it route).
7. ## Common Patterns — 3 examples: bare prompt, .yaml file, subcommand with global flags (e.g. praisonai --verbose chat "hi" — show that --verbose is skipped when finding the first positional).
8. ## Best Practices with <AccordionGroup>:
   • "Why --version is fast" (no praisonai.cli.* imports → still works with broken optional deps).
   • "Adding a new subcommand" (register in cli/app.py, no dispatcher changes needed).
   • "Free-text prompts vs. typo'd command names" (a typo routes to legacy, not to a Typer "command not found" error — explain why).
   • "Failure visibility" (registration errors propagate; the dispatcher does NOT swallow them).
9. ## Related with <CardGroup cols={2}> — link to /docs/cli/cli, /docs/cli/cli-reference, /docs/features/gateway, /docs/cli/version.

Hero diagram (use these exact colors — AGENTS.md §3.1)

graph TB
    Start[📋 praisonai argv] --> V{🔍 --version<br/>or -V?}
    V -->|Yes| Print[⚡ Print version<br/>no cli.* imports]
    V -->|No| H{🔍 --help<br/>or -h?}
    H -->|Yes| Typer1[🧰 Typer help]
    H -->|No| E{🔍 argv empty?}
    E -->|Yes| Typer2[🧰 Typer TUI]
    E -->|No| F[🔎 first non-flag positional]
    F --> K{🧠 in registered<br/>Typer commands?}
    K -->|Yes| Typer3[🧰 Typer subcommand]
    K -->|No| Legacy[🤖 Legacy<br/>PraisonAI().main]

    classDef input fill:#6366F1,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
    classDef check fill:#F59E0B,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
    classDef route fill:#10B981,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff
    classDef agent fill:#8B0000,stroke:#7C90A0,color:#fff

    class Start input
    class V,H,E,K check
    class F input
    class Print,Typer1,Typer2,Typer3 route
    class Legacy agent

Loading

Routing rules table (copy verbatim — derived from __main__.py:main() post-#1577)

#	What you type	Route	Notes
1	praisonai --version / praisonai -V	Version short-circuit	Prints version and returns. Does not import praisonai.cli.* — stays fast even with broken optional deps. Pinned by TestVersionShortCircuit.
2	praisonai --help / praisonai -h	Typer	Typer's auto-generated help lists every registered subcommand (auto-discovered, no manual list).
3	praisonai (no argv)	Typer	Drops into Typer's interactive TUI.
4	praisonai --verbose / praisonai -o json (only flags)	Typer	_find_first_command returns None → Typer handles global-flag-only cases.
5	praisonai chat ... (first positional ∈ registered commands)	Typer	Auto-discovered via Click introspection of app. Adding a new subcommand to cli/app.py makes it routable here with zero dispatcher changes.
6	praisonai "Build a weather agent" (free-text — token contains a space)	Legacy PraisonAI().main()	Free-text prompts always fall through to legacy.
7	praisonai agents.yaml (filename, not a registered command)	Legacy PraisonAI().main()	Routing decision is by command-set membership, NOT by os.path.isfile(). A typo'd YAML path also routes to legacy and surfaces there.
8	praisonai totally-unknown (unknown positional)	Legacy PraisonAI().main()	Same as row 7 — anything not in the discovered command set falls through.

Auto-discovery callout

Add a <Note> block:

Adding a new subcommand? Register it in praisonai/cli/app.py (e.g. app.add_typer(my_app, name="mycmd")) and the dispatcher picks it up automatically — praisonai mycmd ... routes to Typer with no changes to __main__.py. The command set is discovered once via click.Context.list_commands() and cached behind a thread-safe lock.

Failure-modes callout

Add a <Warning> block:

Registration errors fail loud. If register_commands() raises (e.g. an ImportError from a missing optional dep), the exception propagates from praisonai ... — you see the real error, not Typer's "no command" page. This is intentional and pinned by tests.

---

Acceptance criteria

• New file docs/features/cli-dispatcher.mdx exists, follows the structure above, passes the AGENTS.md §9 quality checklist (frontmatter, hero diagram, Steps, AccordionGroup, CardGroup all present).
• Hero diagram uses the AGENTS.md §3.1 color palette exactly (#6366F1 input, #F59E0B check, #10B981 route, #8B0000 legacy/agent, white text, #7C90A0 strokes).
• Routing rules table is the 8-row table above, verbatim.
• At least one <Note> covers auto-discovery and one <Warning> covers fail-loud registration.
• docs.json updated to add the new page under the Features group; docs.json is still valid JSON.
• No edits to docs/concepts/. No edits to docs/js/ or docs/rust/.
• No invented APIs — every claim traces to praisonai/__main__.py or praisonai/cli/app.py post-#1577 (head SHA 8d373843dc062f358ff5be7722a8cadbe71ce105).
• Document does not reference the old _is_legacy_invocation() heuristic — it was removed in #1577.

Out of scope (do NOT do in this PR)

• Don't fix the atexit wording in docs/features/gateway.mdx — that lives in [docs] Update wrapper async bridge + CLI dispatcher docs after PraisonAI #1575 #282 and should stay there.
• Don't touch the _async_bridge docs — also [docs] Update wrapper async bridge + CLI dispatcher docs after PraisonAI #1575 #282.
• Don't auto-regenerate docs/js/ or docs/rust/ parity — handled by the generate_docs_parity.py script, not manually.

References

• Source PR: fix(wrapper): restore #1561 auto-discovery dispatcher in __main__.py (closes #1576) PraisonAI#1577
• Originating bug: Regression: __main__.py lost auto-discovery dispatcher from #1561 (2 tests failing on main) PraisonAI#1576
• Earlier-implementation issue (now superseded for the dispatcher portion): [docs] Update wrapper async bridge + CLI dispatcher docs after PraisonAI #1575 #282
• Related (#1548 Typer-first dispatch documentation): Docs needed for PR #1548: framework-adapter plugins, Typer-first CLI dispatch, run_sync() loop safety #276

[MervinPraison]

🤖 Auto-triaging with Claude. Analyzing issue and implementing a fix...

Claude will:

1. Classify this issue
2. Search codebase for root cause
3. Implement a minimal fix following AGENTS.md
4. Create a PR with the changes

[MervinPraison]

Claude finished @MervinPraison's task —— View job • claude/issue-286-20260428-1649 • [Create PR ➔](https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAIDocs/compare/main...claude/issue-286-20260428-1649?quick_pull=1&title=Issue%20%23286%3A%20Changes%20from%20Claude&body=This%20PR%20addresses%20issue%20%23286%0A%0AGenerated%20with%20%5BClaude%20Code%5D(https%3A%2F%2Fclaude.ai%2Fcode)

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✅ CLI Dispatcher Documentation Complete

I've successfully created comprehensive documentation for the CLI dispatcher rewrite based on PraisonAI PR #1577.

What was implemented:

• Created docs/features/cli-dispatcher.mdx following AGENTS.md structure template
• 5-rule routing precedence table extracted from praisonai/__main__.py:main()
• Auto-discovery explanation with thread-safe caching mechanism
• Hero Mermaid diagram using standard color scheme (#6366F1, #F59E0B, #10B981, #8B0000)
• Sequence diagram showing dispatcher flow and auto-discovery process
• Updated docs.json to add page under "Advanced Features" group

Key features documented:

1. Version short-circuit - Fast --version with no heavy imports
2. Auto-discovery - Click introspection of registered Typer commands
3. Thread-safe caching - _typer_commands_cache with failure resilience
4. Fail-loud errors - Registration exceptions propagate (not swallowed)
5. Routing precedence - Exact 8-row table from source analysis

Quality assurance:

• ✅ All content verified against source files (praisonai/__main__.py, praisonai/cli/app.py)
• ✅ Follows AGENTS.md structure (Steps, AccordionGroup, CardGroup components)
• ✅ Hero diagram uses exact color scheme from AGENTS.md §3.1
• ✅ docs.json validated as valid JSON
• ✅ No invented APIs - everything traces to post-#1577 source

Pull Request: #289
Branch: claude/issue-286-20260428-1649

The documentation covers the "single user-facing entry point" behavior with its non-obvious routing rules that have never been documented before. Each routing rule maps directly to test behaviors pinned in the 26 unit tests from #1577.