Improving bdk-cli usability by introducing single-letter command aliases for core top-level commands

[AmosOO7]

Improving bdk-cli usability by introducing single-letter command aliases for core top-level commands

Problem

Some bdk-cli commands are verbose and require repetitive typing, especially for frequently used top-level commands such as wallet, key, compile, repl, and descriptor. This can slow down power users and make command examples harder to scan.

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Proposal

Introduce single-letter, capitalized aliases for core top-level commands. These aliases act as shortcuts to the existing commands and do not replace or change current behavior.

Proposed Aliases

Command	Alias
wallet	W
key	K
compile	C
repl	R
descriptor	D

Aliases map directly to their corresponding commands and remain fully optional.

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Example: Wallet Command

Current Usage

cargo run wallet -w test2 -e $EXT -d sqlite new_address

With Aliases

cargo run W -w test2 -e $EXT -d sqlite new_add

Where:

• W is an alias for wallet
• new_add is an alias for new_address
• All flags, arguments, and command logic remain unchanged

CLI Structure

• The command-line interface structure remains the same
• Global args (e.g. --pretty) continue to apply globally but can be easily represented with P
• Aliases only reduce typing and improve readability
• Existing commands remain fully supported

Benefits

• Reduced typing and faster workflows
• Cleaner and more readable command examples
• Easy mental mapping (W → wallet, D → descriptor, etc.)
• Backward-compatible and non-breaking
• Improved ergonomics for frequent users

Documentation

Aliases would be documented clearly in:

• --help output
• README / CLI usage documentation

Example:

wallet      (alias: W)
descriptor  (alias: D)
key         (alias: K)
compile     (alias: C)
repl        (alias: R)

Scope

• Applies only to top-level commands
• No changes to internal handlers or business logic
• Can be introduced incrementally

Open Questions

• Should aliases be uppercase-only or case-insensitive?
• Should all top-level commands have aliases or only common ones?
• Should aliases be shown by default in help output?

Motivation

This change improves bdk-cli usability for both new and experienced users by reducing friction in everyday usage while keeping the interface backward-compatible and easy to understand.

If agreed on, I can:

• Adapt this to match bdk-cli’s current clap structure
• Rewrite it to sound more conservative or more opinionated
• Add example code snippets for how aliases would be defined in ReadMe