Keep the terminal UI runtime out of the CLI startup path

[isaacroldan]

Why

Every CLI invocation loads common output code. That code imported a small text-formatting helper from a React and Ink component, so even shopify --version loaded the terminal UI runtime. The error path also loaded graphql-request for one type check.

This work made startup slower before a command could run.

What

• Move the token types and pure formatting helpers into a dependency-free module.
• Keep React and Ink imports in rendering modules.
• Replace the eager ClientError import with a structural check that preserves the existing expected-error cases.

No output changes are intended.

Impact

On clean bundled builds with the Nx cache disabled:

• shopify --version: 174 ms to 99 ms, with 52% fewer instructions.
• shopify --help: 50% fewer instructions.
• JavaScript loaded at startup: 5.31 MB to 4.16 MB.

Testing

• Type-check, lint, Knip, bundle, unit, and E2E checks pass.
• Output is unchanged for --version, --help, app --help, and commands.
• Existing tests use real ClientError instances and pass with the structural check.

Context: https://shopify.slack.com/archives/C0AG0L37Q4C/p1785681072538939

[gonzaloriestra]

/snapit

[github-actions]

🫰✨ Thanks @gonzaloriestra! Your snapshot has been published to npm.

Test the snapshot by installing your package globally:

pnpm i -g --@shopify:registry=https://registry.npmjs.org @shopify/cli@0.0.0-snapshot-20260806094115

Caution

After installing, validate the version by running shopify version in your terminal.
If the versions don't match, you might have multiple global instances installed.
Use which shopify to find out which one you are running and uninstall it.

[gonzaloriestra]

Nice! Simple change, good improvement 👌

[github-actions]

Differences in type declarations

We detected differences in the type declarations generated by Typescript for this branch compared to the baseline ('main' branch). Please, review them to ensure they are backward-compatible. Here are some important things to keep in mind:

• Some seemingly private modules might be re-exported through public modules.
• If the branch is behind main you might see odd diffs, rebase main into this branch.

New type declarations

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/token-item.d.ts

export interface LinkToken {
    link: {
        label?: string;
        url: string;
    };
}
export interface UserInputToken {
    userInput: string;
}
export interface ListToken {
    list: {
        title?: TokenItem<InlineToken>;
        items: TokenItem<InlineToken>[];
        ordered?: boolean;
    };
}
export interface BoldToken {
    bold: string;
}
export type Token = string | {
    command: string;
} | LinkToken | {
    char: string;
} | UserInputToken | {
    subdued: string;
} | {
    filePath: string;
} | ListToken | BoldToken | {
    info: string;
} | {
    warn: string;
} | {
    error: string;
};
export type InlineToken = Exclude<Token, ListToken>;
export type TokenItem<T extends Token = Token> = T | T[];
export declare function tokenItemToString(token: TokenItem): string;
export declare function appendToTokenItem(token: TokenItem, suffix: string): TokenItem;

Existing type declarations

packages/cli-kit/dist/public/common/string.d.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { Token, TokenItem } from '../../private/node/ui/components/TokenizedText.js';
+import type { Token, TokenItem } from '../../private/node/ui/components/token-item.js';
 export type RandomNameFamily = 'business' | 'creative';
 /**
  * Generates a random name by combining an adjective and noun.

packages/cli-kit/dist/public/node/error.d.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { OutputMessage } from './output.js';
-import { InlineToken, TokenItem } from '../../private/node/ui/components/TokenizedText.js';
+import { type InlineToken, type TokenItem } from '../../private/node/ui/components/token-item.js';
 import type { AlertCustomSection } from './ui.js';
 export { ExtendableError } from 'ts-error';
 export declare enum FatalErrorType {

packages/cli-kit/dist/public/node/ui.d.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { AlertOptions } from '../../private/node/ui/alert.js';
 import { CustomSection } from '../../private/node/ui/components/Alert.js';
 import ScalarDict from '../../private/node/ui/components/Table/ScalarDict.js';
 import { TableColumn, TableProps } from '../../private/node/ui/components/Table/Table.js';
-import { Token, InlineToken, LinkToken, ListToken, TokenItem } from '../../private/node/ui/components/TokenizedText.js';
+import { type InlineToken, type LinkToken, type ListToken, type Token, type TokenItem } from '../../private/node/ui/components/token-item.js';
 import { DangerousConfirmationPromptProps } from '../../private/node/ui/components/DangerousConfirmationPrompt.js';
 import { SelectPromptProps } from '../../private/node/ui/components/SelectPrompt.js';
 import { Task } from '../../private/node/ui/components/Tasks.js';

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/utilities.d.ts

@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
-import { TokenItem } from './components/TokenizedText.js';
-export declare function messageWithPunctuation(message: TokenItem): string | {
+import { type TokenItem } from './components/token-item.js';
+export declare function messageWithPunctuation(message: TokenItem): string | import("./components/token-item.js").LinkToken | import("./components/token-item.js").UserInputToken | import("./components/token-item.js").ListToken | {
     command: string;
-} | import("./components/TokenizedText.js").LinkToken | {
+} | {
     char: string;
-} | import("./components/TokenizedText.js").UserInputToken | {
+} | {
     subdued: string;
 } | {
     filePath: string;
-} | import("./components/TokenizedText.js").ListToken | import("./components/TokenizedText.js").BoldToken | {
+} | import("./components/token-item.js").BoldToken | {
     info: string;
 } | {
     warn: string;
 } | {
     error: string;
-} | import("./components/TokenizedText.js").Token[];
\ No newline at end of file
+} | import("./components/token-item.js").Token[];
\ No newline at end of file

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/Alert.d.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { BannerType } from './Banner.js';
-import { BoldToken, InlineToken, LinkToken, TokenItem } from './TokenizedText.js';
 import { TabularDataProps } from './TabularData.js';
 import { FunctionComponent } from 'react';
+import type { BoldToken, InlineToken, LinkToken, TokenItem } from './token-item.js';
 export interface CustomSection {
     title?: string;
     body: TabularDataProps | TokenItem;

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/DangerousConfirmationPrompt.d.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-import { InlineToken, TokenItem } from './TokenizedText.js';
 import { InfoTableProps } from './Prompts/InfoTable.js';
 import { AbortSignal } from '../../../../public/node/abort.js';
 import { FunctionComponent } from 'react';
+import type { InlineToken, TokenItem } from './token-item.js';
 export interface DangerousConfirmationPromptProps {
     message: string;
     confirmation: string;

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/List.d.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-import { InlineToken, TokenItem } from './TokenizedText.js';
 import { TextProps } from 'ink';
 import { FunctionComponent } from 'react';
+import type { InlineToken, TokenItem } from './token-item.js';
 export interface CustomListItem {
     type?: string;
     item: TokenItem<InlineToken>;

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/TabularData.d.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { InlineToken } from './TokenizedText.js';
+import { type InlineToken } from './token-item.js';
 import { FunctionComponent } from 'react';
 export interface TabularDataProps {
     tabularData: InlineToken[][];

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/TextPrompt.d.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-import { InlineToken, TokenItem } from './TokenizedText.js';
 import { AbortSignal } from '../../../../public/node/abort.js';
 import { FunctionComponent } from 'react';
+import type { InlineToken, TokenItem } from './token-item.js';
 export interface TextPromptProps {
     message: TokenItem;
     onSubmit: (value: string) => void;

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/TokenizedText.d.ts

@@ -1,42 +1,5 @@
 import { FunctionComponent } from 'react';
-export interface LinkToken {
-    link: {
-        label?: string;
-        url: string;
-    };
-}
-export interface UserInputToken {
-    userInput: string;
-}
-export interface ListToken {
-    list: {
-        title?: TokenItem<InlineToken>;
-        items: TokenItem<InlineToken>[];
-        ordered?: boolean;
-    };
-}
-export interface BoldToken {
-    bold: string;
-}
-export type Token = string | {
-    command: string;
-} | LinkToken | {
-    char: string;
-} | UserInputToken | {
-    subdued: string;
-} | {
-    filePath: string;
-} | ListToken | BoldToken | {
-    info: string;
-} | {
-    warn: string;
-} | {
-    error: string;
-};
-export type InlineToken = Exclude<Token, ListToken>;
-export type TokenItem<T extends Token = Token> = T | T[];
-export declare function tokenItemToString(token: TokenItem): string;
-export declare function appendToTokenItem(token: TokenItem, suffix: string): TokenItem;
+import type { TokenItem } from './token-item.js';
 interface TokenizedTextProps {
     item: TokenItem;
 }

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/Prompts/InfoMessage.d.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-import { InlineToken, LinkToken, TokenItem, UserInputToken } from '../TokenizedText.js';
 import { TextProps } from 'ink';
 import { FunctionComponent } from 'react';
+import type { InlineToken, LinkToken, TokenItem, UserInputToken } from '../token-item.js';
 export interface InfoMessageProps {
     message: {
         title: {

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/Prompts/InfoTable.d.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { CustomListItem } from '../List.js';
-import { InlineToken, TokenItem } from '../TokenizedText.js';
 import { TextProps } from 'ink';
 import { FunctionComponent } from 'react';
+import type { InlineToken, TokenItem } from '../token-item.js';
 type Items = (TokenItem<InlineToken> | CustomListItem)[];
 export interface InfoTableSection {
     color?: TextProps['color'];

packages/cli-kit/dist/private/node/ui/components/Prompts/PromptLayout.d.ts

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 import { InfoTableProps } from './InfoTable.js';
 import { InfoMessageProps } from './InfoMessage.js';
-import { InlineToken, LinkToken, TokenItem } from '../TokenizedText.js';
 import { AbortSignal } from '../../../../../public/node/abort.js';
 import { PromptState } from '../../hooks/use-prompt.js';
 import { ReactElement } from 'react';
+import type { InlineToken, LinkToken, TokenItem } from '../token-item.js';
 export type Message = TokenItem<Exclude<InlineToken, LinkToken>>;
 interface PromptLayoutProps {
     message: Message;