Building the ClusterCost CLI: A Deep Dive Into the UX

We wanted the cost tool to feel like kubectl: fast, scriptable, and friendly. Here’s how that shaped the CLI.

• Subcommands mirror questions: report, status, allocations, waste, egress.
• Zero config by default: reads kubeconfig context and price sheet from one flag.
• Human + machine output: pretty tables for humans; --json for pipelines.
• Fast paths: caches cluster metadata; queries finish in seconds, not minutes.
• Safety: --audit mode installs temporarily and self-uninstalls.
• Inline help: --examples shows real commands; every error includes a fix.
• Exit codes that matter: non-zero on guardrail failures so CI can block merges.
• Color + quiet modes: readable locally, silent in CI logs when you need it.

Good UX is about speed and trust. The CLI keeps cost close to the engineers who can fix it.***