Add requiredIfNonInteractive flag factory and apply to app init --template

packages/app/src/cli/commands/app/init.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import {appNamePrompt, createAsNewAppPrompt, selectAppPrompt} from '../../prompt
 import {searchForAppsByNameFactory} from '../../services/dev/prompt-helpers.js'
 import {isValidName} from '../../models/app/validation/common.js'
 import {Flags} from '@oclif/core'
-import {globalFlags} from '@shopify/cli-kit/node/cli'
+import {globalFlags, requiredIfNonInteractive} from '@shopify/cli-kit/node/cli'
 import {resolvePath, cwd} from '@shopify/cli-kit/node/path'
 import {addPublicMetadata} from '@shopify/cli-kit/node/metadata'
 
@@ -38,12 +38,14 @@ export default class Init extends AppLinkedCommand {
       default: async () => cwd(),
       hidden: false,
     }),
-    template: Flags.string({
-      description: `The app template. Accepts one of the following:
+    template: requiredIfNonInteractive(
+      Flags.string({
+        description: `The app template. Accepts one of the following:
        - <${visibleTemplates.join('|')}>
        - Any GitHub repo with optional branch and subpath, e.g., https://github.com/Shopify/<repository>/[subpath]#[branch]`,
-      env: 'SHOPIFY_FLAG_TEMPLATE',
-    }),
+        env: 'SHOPIFY_FLAG_TEMPLATE',
+      }),
+    ),
     flavor: Flags.string({
       description: 'Which flavor of the given template to use.',
       env: 'SHOPIFY_FLAG_TEMPLATE_FLAVOR',

packages/cli-kit/src/public/node/base-command.ts

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
     error.skipOclifErrorHandling = true
     const {errorHandler} = await import('./error-handler.js')
     await errorHandler(error, this.config)
     return Errors.handle(error)
   }
 
   protected async init(): Promise<unknown> {
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@
     let result = await super.parse<TFlags, TGlobalFlags, TArgs>(options, argv)
     result = await this.resultWithEnvironment<TFlags, TGlobalFlags, TArgs>(result, options, argv)
     await addFromParsedFlags(result.flags)
+    this.failMissingNonTTYFlags(result.flags, this.nonInteractiveRequiredFlags())
     return {...result, ...{argv: result.argv as string[]}}
   }
 
@@ -130,6 +131,17 @@
     })
   }
 
+  // Collects the names of flags marked with the `requiredIfNonInteractive` factory (see
+  // `requiredIfNonInteractive` in `cli.ts`). The custom property is read from the live command class
+  // rather than the cached manifest, where it would have been stripped.
+  private nonInteractiveRequiredFlags(): string[] {
+    const ctor = this.constructor as unknown as {flags?: FlagInput; baseFlags?: FlagInput}
+    const allFlags = {...ctor.baseFlags, ...ctor.flags}
+    return Object.entries(allFlags)
+      .filter(([, flag]) => Boolean((flag as {requiredIfNonInteractive?: boolean}).requiredIfNonInteractive))
+      .map(([name]) => name)
+  }
+
   private async resultWithEnvironment<
     TFlags extends FlagOutput & {path?: string; verbose?: boolean},
     TGlobalFlags extends FlagOutput,

packages/cli-kit/src/public/node/cli.ts

@@ -166,6 +166,32 @@ export const portFlag = (options: {description?: string; env?: string; hidden?:
   return Flags.integer({min: 1, max: 65535, ...options, description})
 }
 
+/**
+ * Marks a flag as required when the CLI runs in a non-interactive terminal (e.g. CI, or piped input).
+ *
+ * The flag stays optional in interactive sessions, where the command can prompt for the value. In
+ * non-interactive sessions `BaseCommand` fails with a clear error if the flag is missing. The factory
+ * also prepends `(required if non-interactive)` to the flag's description so the requirement shows up
+ * in `--help`, mirroring how oclif renders `(required)`.
+ *
+ * Wrap any oclif flag definition with it, for example:
+ *
+ * ```
+ *   template: requiredIfNonInteractive(Flags.string({description: 'The app template.'}))
+ * ```
+ * @param flag - A flag definition created with `Flags.string`, `Flags.boolean`, etc.
+ * @returns The same flag definition, annotated for non-interactive validation and help rendering.
+ */
+export function requiredIfNonInteractive<TFlag extends {description?: string}>(flag: TFlag): TFlag {
+  // Mutate the freshly-built flag in place: this keeps the original flag type intact (so command
+  // flag typings are unchanged) while attaching a custom property the parser ignores but
+  // `BaseCommand` reads from the live command class at parse time.
+  const annotated = flag as TFlag & {requiredIfNonInteractive?: boolean}
+  annotated.requiredIfNonInteractive = true
+  annotated.description = ['(required if non-interactive)', flag.description].filter(Boolean).join(' ')
+  return annotated
+}
+
 /**
  * Clear the CLI cache, used to store some API responses and handle notifications status
  */

packages/cli/README.md

@@ -852,7 +852,8 @@ FLAGS
       --no-color                  [env: SHOPIFY_FLAG_NO_COLOR] Disable color output.
       --organization-id=<value>   [env: SHOPIFY_FLAG_ORGANIZATION_ID] The organization ID. Your organization ID can be
                                   found in your Dev Dashboard URL: https://dev.shopify.com/dashboard/<organization-id>
-      --template=<value>          [env: SHOPIFY_FLAG_TEMPLATE] The app template. Accepts one of the following:
+      --template=<value>          [env: SHOPIFY_FLAG_TEMPLATE] (required if non-interactive) The app template. Accepts
+                                  one of the following:
                                   - <reactRouter|none>
                                   - Any GitHub repo with optional branch and subpath, e.g.,
                                   https://github.com/Shopify/<repository>/[subpath]#[branch]

packages/cli/oclif.manifest.json

@@ -2499,7 +2499,7 @@
           "type": "option"
         },
         "template": {
-          "description": "The app template. Accepts one of the following:\n       - <reactRouter|none>\n       - Any GitHub repo with optional branch and subpath, e.g., https://github.com/Shopify/<repository>/[subpath]#[branch]",
+          "description": "(required if non-interactive) The app template. Accepts one of the following:\n       - <reactRouter|none>\n       - Any GitHub repo with optional branch and subpath, e.g., https://github.com/Shopify/<repository>/[subpath]#[branch]",
           "env": "SHOPIFY_FLAG_TEMPLATE",
           "hasDynamicHelp": false,
           "multiple": false,

packages/create-app/oclif.manifest.json

@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@
           "type": "option"
         },
         "template": {
-          "description": "The app template. Accepts one of the following:\n       - <reactRouter|none>\n       - Any GitHub repo with optional branch and subpath, e.g., https://github.com/Shopify/<repository>/[subpath]#[branch]",
+          "description": "(required if non-interactive) The app template. Accepts one of the following:\n       - <reactRouter|none>\n       - Any GitHub repo with optional branch and subpath, e.g., https://github.com/Shopify/<repository>/[subpath]#[branch]",
           "env": "SHOPIFY_FLAG_TEMPLATE",
           "hasDynamicHelp": false,
           "multiple": false,