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Config70%
Feature30%
#27851feat(editor): Add topic descriptions to CLI help output (no-changelog)

CLI help now shows descriptive topic summaries

The n8n CLI now displays clear, descriptive summaries for each command group in help output—workflow, execution, credential, and nine other topics all get meaningful descriptions instead of showing the first subcommand's description.

The n8n CLI help output was showing unhelpful summaries for command groups. When a user ran n8n-cli --help, the TOPICS section would display whatever description belonged to the first alphabetical subcommand in that group—often contextless or misleading.

Now each command topic gets its own description. Users see "workflow Create, update, and manage workflows" instead of "workflow Activate (publish) a workflow." The same treatment was applied to execution, credential, project, tag, variable, data-table, user, config, source-control, and skill topics.

This makes the CLI self-documenting and easier to navigate, especially for new users exploring what commands are available. Better help text reduces friction for anyone learning the tool or quick-reference searching.

View Original GitHub Description

Summary

Adds topics configuration to the oclif config in package.json so that n8n-cli --help shows meaningful descriptions for each command group instead of falling back to the first alphabetical subcommand's description.

ex: Before:

TOPICS
  workflow  Activate (publish) a workflow
  execution  Delete an execution
  ...

After:

TOPICS
  workflow  Create, update, and manage workflows
  execution  Monitor and control workflow executions
  ...

Related Linear tickets, Github issues, and Community forum posts

Review / Merge checklist

  • PR title and summary are descriptive. (conventions)
  • Docs updated or follow-up ticket created.
  • Tests included.
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