fix(output): inline YAML of embedded structs, clone -o json, colors only on a terminal, chart rows

.github/copilot-instructions.md

@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ When reviewing PRs for this project, check:
 ### Global Flags
 - `--output`, `-o` — table (default), json, yaml
 - `--quiet`, `-q` — IDs only, one per line
-- `--no-color` — disable colored output
+- `--no-color` — disable colored output (also off with `NO_COLOR` or when stdout is not a terminal)
 - `--api-url` — override API server URL
 - `--api-key` — override API key
 - `--insecure` — skip TLS verification (prints warning)

CLAUDE.md

@@ -101,7 +101,8 @@ cli/                          # Go module root (github.com/omattsson/stackctl/cl
 **Global flags**: `--output`/`-o table|json|yaml`, `--quiet`/`-q`, `--api-url`, `--api-key`, `--no-color`, `--insecure`, `--debug` (or `STACKCTL_DEBUG=1`; logs HTTP requests and responses to stderr)
 
 **Output modes**:
-- `table` (default): human-readable with colored status badges
+- `table` (default): human-readable with colored status badges. Colors go only to a terminal: `--no-color`, `NO_COLOR` (non-empty) or a stdout that is not a terminal turn them off (`root.go`: `noColorEnv`, `isTerminalWriter`).
+- Embedded structs in `pkg/types` (`Base`, `StackTemplate`, `TemplateVersion`) carry `yaml:",inline"`, so `-o yaml` has the same top-level keys as `-o json`. Add the tag to every new embedded struct.
 - `json`: machine-readable, full API response
 - `yaml`: machine-readable, full API response
 - `--quiet`: IDs only, one per line (pipeable to `xargs`)

EXTENDING.md

@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ that the user exported in the parent shell is kept.
 | `STACKCTL_INSECURE` | `--insecure` flag, parent shell, or current context `insecure: true` | `1` to skip TLS verification. stackctl exports `0` when the user sets `--insecure=false`. |
 | `STACKCTL_QUIET` | `--quiet` flag | `1` when the user requested quiet output (`0` for `--quiet=false`) |
 | `STACKCTL_OUTPUT` | `--output` flag | `table` / `json` / `yaml` / a registered custom format |
-| `STACKCTL_NO_COLOR` | `--no-color` flag | `1` when the user disabled colored output (`0` for `--no-color=false`) |
+| `STACKCTL_NO_COLOR` | `--no-color` flag, or a non-empty `NO_COLOR` | `1` when the user disabled colored output (`0` for `--no-color=false`). stackctl itself also prints no colors when its stdout is not a terminal; a plugin checks its own stdout the same way. |
 | `NO_COLOR` | `--no-color` flag, or parent shell | `1` with `--no-color` ([no-color.org](https://no-color.org) convention for the tools that the plugin runs) |
 | `STACKCTL_DEBUG` | `--debug` flag | `1` when the user requested HTTP debug output (`0` for `--debug=false`) |
 | `STACKCTL_CONFIG_DIR` | parent shell, or the config directory that stackctl uses | Directory of `config.yaml` and `tokens/`. A plugin that runs `stackctl` again uses the same files |

README.md

@@ -658,7 +658,7 @@ These groups have no section above. Run `stackctl <group> --help` for the flags.
 Most commands support multiple output formats via the `--output` flag:
 
 ```bash
-# Table (default) — human-readable with colored status badges
+# Table (default) — human-readable with colored status badges (colors only on a terminal)
 stackctl stack list
 
 # JSON — machine-readable, full API response
@@ -679,7 +679,7 @@ stackctl stack list -q
 |------|-------|-------------|
 | `--output` | `-o` | Output format: `table`, `json`, `yaml` (default `table`) |
 | `--quiet` | `-q` | Output only IDs (one per line) |
-| `--no-color` | | Disable colored output |
+| `--no-color` | | Disable colored output. stackctl also prints no colors when `NO_COLOR` is set or when stdout is not a terminal (a pipe or a file). |
 | `--api-url` | | Override API server URL |
 | `--api-key` | | Override API key |
 | `--insecure` | | Skip TLS certificate verification |

cli/cmd/definition.go

@@ -545,13 +545,18 @@ func printChartConfig(ch *types.ChartConfig) error {
 	case output.FormatYAML:
 		return printer.PrintYAML(ch)
 	default:
+		// The server sends no "name" or "release_name" for a chart: the
+		// table shows the fields that it sends.
 		fields := []output.KeyValue{
 			{Key: "ID", Value: ch.ID},
-			{Key: "Name", Value: ch.Name},
 			{Key: "Chart", Value: ch.ChartName},
-			{Key: "Repository", Value: ch.RepoURL},
-			{Key: "Version", Value: ch.ChartVersion},
-			{Key: "Release Name", Value: ch.ReleaseName},
+			{Key: "Repository", Value: valueOrDash(ch.RepoURL)},
+			{Key: "Chart Path", Value: valueOrDash(ch.ChartPath)},
+			{Key: "Version", Value: valueOrDash(ch.ChartVersion)},
+			{Key: "Deploy Order", Value: strconv.Itoa(ch.DeployOrder)},
+		}
+		if ch.Required {
+			fields = append(fields, output.KeyValue{Key: "Required", Value: "yes"})
 		}
 		return printer.PrintSingle(ch, fields)
 	}

cli/cmd/output_fixes_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/omattsson/stackctl/cli/pkg/output"
+	"github.com/omattsson/stackctl/cli/pkg/types"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+)
+
+func TestStackCloneCmd_OutputModes(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		format output.Format
+		quiet  bool
+		check  func(t *testing.T, out string)
+	}{
+		{"json", output.FormatJSON, false, func(t *testing.T, out string) {
+			var inst types.StackInstance
+			require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal([]byte(out), &inst), "stdout is JSON")
+			assert.Equal(t, "55", inst.ID)
+			assert.Equal(t, "my-stack-copy", inst.Name)
+		}},
+		{"yaml", output.FormatYAML, false, func(t *testing.T, out string) {
+			var m map[string]any
+			require.NoError(t, yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(out), &m))
+			assert.Equal(t, "55", m["id"], "id is a top-level key")
+		}},
+		{"quiet", output.FormatTable, true, func(t *testing.T, out string) {
+			assert.Equal(t, "55\n", out)
+		}},
+		{"table", output.FormatTable, false, func(t *testing.T, out string) {
+			assert.Contains(t, out, "Cloned stack 42")
+			assert.Contains(t, out, "new stack 55")
+		}},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			_, out := setupChannelCmd(t, stackCloneCmd, map[string]route{
+				"POST /api/v1/stack-instances/42/clone": {http.StatusCreated, `{"id":"55","name":"my-stack-copy","status":"draft"}`},
+			})
+			printer.Format = tt.format
+			printer.Quiet = tt.quiet
+			require.NoError(t, stackCloneCmd.RunE(stackCloneCmd, []string{"42"}))
+			stdout, _ := out()
+			tt.check(t, stdout)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPrintChartConfig_ShowsServerFields(t *testing.T) {
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	prev := printer
+	printer = output.NewPrinter("table", false, true)
+	printer.Writer = &buf
+	t.Cleanup(func() { printer = prev })
+
+	require.NoError(t, printChartConfig(&types.ChartConfig{
+		Base: types.Base{ID: "c1"}, ChartName: "api", ChartPath: "/charts/api", ChartVersion: "1.2.0", DeployOrder: 3, Required: true,
+	}))
+	out := buf.String()
+	assert.Regexp(t, `Chart:\s+api`, out)
+	assert.Regexp(t, `Repository:\s+-`, out)
+	assert.Regexp(t, `Chart Path:\s+/charts/api`, out)
+	assert.Regexp(t, `Deploy Order:\s+3`, out)
+	assert.Regexp(t, `Required:\s+yes`, out)
+	assert.NotContains(t, out, "Release Name", "the server sends no release name")
+	assert.NotRegexp(t, `(?m)^Name:`, out, "the server sends no chart name field other than chart_name")
+
+	buf.Reset()
+	require.NoError(t, printChartConfig(&types.ChartConfig{Base: types.Base{ID: "c2"}, ChartName: "db"}))
+	assert.Regexp(t, `Deploy Order:\s+0`, buf.String())
+	assert.NotContains(t, buf.String(), "Required", "no Required row for an optional chart")
+}
+
+// TestPrinterColor_OnlyOnATerminal: a pipe or a file gets no ANSI colors.
+// Tests run without a terminal, so os.Stdout and a buffer are both not a
+// terminal here.
+func TestPrinterColor_OnlyOnATerminal(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.False(t, isTerminalWriter(&bytes.Buffer{}))
+	f, err := os.CreateTemp(t.TempDir(), "out")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = f.Close() })
+	assert.False(t, isTerminalWriter(f), "a regular file is not a terminal")
+
+	t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", "1")
+	assert.True(t, noColorEnv())
+	t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", "")
+	assert.False(t, noColorEnv(), "an empty NO_COLOR does not count (no-color.org)")
+
+	// PersistentPreRunE builds the printer: with a buffer as stdout the
+	// status text has no escape codes.
+	prev := printer
+	t.Cleanup(func() { printer = prev; versionCmd.SetOut(nil) })
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	versionCmd.SetOut(&buf)
+	require.NoError(t, rootCmd.PersistentPreRunE(versionCmd, nil))
+	assert.True(t, printer.NoColor)
+	assert.Equal(t, "running", printer.StatusColor("running"))
+}

cli/cmd/plugins.go

@@ -177,6 +177,9 @@ func pluginEnv(cmd *cobra.Command) []string {
 				env = setEnv(env, "NO_COLOR", "1")
 			}
 		}
+	} else if noColorEnv() {
+		// NO_COLOR also turns off the colors of stackctl itself.
+		env = setEnv(env, "STACKCTL_NO_COLOR", "1")
 	}
 	if !hasEnv(env, "STACKCTL_CONFIG_DIR") {
 		// The directory stackctl itself uses, so a plugin that reads the

cli/cmd/plugins_test.go

@@ -432,6 +432,26 @@ func TestPluginEnv_NoColorAndConfigDir(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "1", v)
 }
 
+// TestPluginEnv_NoColorFromEnv: a non-empty NO_COLOR also sets
+// STACKCTL_NO_COLOR, because stackctl itself then prints no colors.
+func TestPluginEnv_NoColorFromEnv(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("STACKCTL_CONFIG_DIR", t.TempDir())
+	t.Setenv("STACKCTL_NO_COLOR", "")
+	require.NoError(t, os.Unsetenv("STACKCTL_NO_COLOR"))
+	t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", "1")
+
+	root := &cobra.Command{Use: "stackctl"}
+	root.PersistentFlags().Bool("no-color", false, "")
+
+	v, _ := envValue(pluginEnv(root), "STACKCTL_NO_COLOR")
+	assert.Equal(t, "1", v)
+
+	// An explicit --no-color=false wins over NO_COLOR.
+	require.NoError(t, root.PersistentFlags().Set("no-color", "false"))
+	v, _ = envValue(pluginEnv(root), "STACKCTL_NO_COLOR")
+	assert.Equal(t, "0", v)
+}
+
 func TestPluginEnv_ConfigDirFromDefault(t *testing.T) {
 	xdg := t.TempDir()
 	t.Setenv("STACKCTL_CONFIG_DIR", "")

cli/cmd/root.go

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/omattsson/stackctl/cli/pkg/config"
 	"github.com/omattsson/stackctl/cli/pkg/output"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"golang.org/x/term"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -45,8 +46,10 @@ Get started:
 	SilenceUsage:  true,
 	SilenceErrors: true,
 	PersistentPreRunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-		// Initialize printer with Cobra's configured output writer
-		printer = output.NewPrinter(flagOutput, flagQuiet, flagNoColor)
+		// Initialize printer with Cobra's configured output writer. Colors
+		// only go to a terminal: not with --no-color, NO_COLOR
+		// (https://no-color.org) or a stdout that is a pipe or a file.
+		printer = output.NewPrinter(flagOutput, flagQuiet, flagNoColor || noColorEnv() || !isTerminalWriter(cmd.OutOrStdout()))
 		printer.Writer = cmd.OutOrStdout()
 
 		// Skip config loading for commands that should work without a config file
@@ -261,6 +264,17 @@ func (e *configError) Error() string {
 	return e.msg
 }
 
+// noColorEnv reports whether NO_COLOR is set to a non-empty value.
+func noColorEnv() bool {
+	return os.Getenv("NO_COLOR") != ""
+}
+
+// isTerminalWriter reports whether w is a terminal.
+func isTerminalWriter(w io.Writer) bool {
+	f, ok := w.(*os.File)
+	return ok && term.IsTerminal(int(f.Fd()))
+}
+
 // confirmAction prompts the user for confirmation unless --yes is set.
 // Returns true if the action should proceed, false if aborted.
 func confirmAction(cmd *cobra.Command, message string) (bool, error) {

cli/cmd/stack.go

@@ -1017,10 +1017,12 @@ Examples:
 		}
 		printServerWarning(cmd, instance.Warning)
 
-		if printer.Quiet {
-			fmt.Fprintln(printer.Writer, instance.ID)
-		} else {
+		// Table: a short message. Quiet, JSON, YAML and custom formats:
+		// the instance, as stack create prints it.
+		if printer.Format == output.FormatTable && !printer.Quiet {
 			printer.PrintMessage("Cloned stack %s → new stack %s", id, instance.ID)
+		} else if err := printInstance(instance); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 		return checkStopApplied("stop-at", expiry.stopAt, instance)
 	},

cli/pkg/types/types.go

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ type Base struct {
 // quota override that is not copied). "stack get" sets Warning to
 // ValuesDriftWarning when ValuesDrift is true and the server sends no text.
 type StackInstance struct {
-	Base
+	Base              `yaml:",inline"`
 	Name              string     `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
 	StackDefinitionID string     `json:"stack_definition_id" yaml:"stack_definition_id"`
 	DefinitionName    string     `json:"definition_name,omitempty" yaml:"definition_name,omitempty"`
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ const ValuesDriftWarning = "The stored overrides differ from the running values.
 
 // StackDefinition represents a stack definition with its chart configurations.
 type StackDefinition struct {
-	Base
+	Base          `yaml:",inline"`
 	Name          string        `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
 	Description   string        `json:"description,omitempty" yaml:"description,omitempty"`
 	DefaultBranch string        `json:"default_branch" yaml:"default_branch"`
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ type TemplateLinkRequest struct {
 // template has no release) and HasUnpublishedChanges. Older servers do not
 // send these fields; HasUnpublishedChanges is then nil.
 type StackTemplate struct {
-	Base
+	Base                  `yaml:",inline"`
 	Name                  string        `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
 	Description           string        `json:"description,omitempty" yaml:"description,omitempty"`
 	Category              string        `json:"category,omitempty" yaml:"category,omitempty"`
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ type PublishTemplateRequest struct {
 // when the working copy equals the latest release (no new version). Older
 // servers return only the template; SnapshotCreated is then nil.
 type PublishTemplateResponse struct {
-	StackTemplate
+	StackTemplate   `yaml:",inline"`
 	SnapshotCreated *bool `json:"snapshot_created,omitempty" yaml:"snapshot_created,omitempty"`
 }
 
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ type PublishTemplateResponse struct {
 // charts) and models.TemplateChartConfig (template charts) — LockedValues and
 // Required are populated only on template-chart responses.
 type ChartConfig struct {
-	Base
+	Base              `yaml:",inline"`
 	StackDefinitionID string `json:"stack_definition_id,omitempty" yaml:"stack_definition_id,omitempty"`
 	Name              string `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
 	RepoURL           string `json:"repository_url" yaml:"repository_url"`
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ type UpdateClusterRequest struct {
 //   - ServiceAccount — when true, this is a non-interactive identity used
 //     by CI/automation; only admins can create these.
 type User struct {
-	Base
+	Base           `yaml:",inline"`
 	Username       string  `json:"username" yaml:"username"`
 	DisplayName    string  `json:"display_name,omitempty" yaml:"display_name,omitempty"`
 	Email          string  `json:"email,omitempty" yaml:"email,omitempty"`
@@ -1219,7 +1219,7 @@ type NamespaceResourceUsage struct {
 //   - PodLimit — 0 means "no pod-count limit"; positive integers cap namespace
 //     pod count.
 type ClusterQuota struct {
-	Base
+	Base          `yaml:",inline"`
 	ClusterID     string `json:"cluster_id" yaml:"cluster_id"`
 	CPURequest    string `json:"cpu_request,omitempty" yaml:"cpu_request,omitempty"`
 	CPULimit      string `json:"cpu_limit,omitempty" yaml:"cpu_limit,omitempty"`
@@ -1405,7 +1405,7 @@ type SetQuotaOverrideRequest struct {
 
 // SharedValues represents cluster-level shared Helm values.
 type SharedValues struct {
-	Base
+	Base        `yaml:",inline"`
 	ClusterID   string `json:"cluster_id" yaml:"cluster_id"`
 	Name        string `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
 	Description string `json:"description,omitempty" yaml:"description,omitempty"`
@@ -1658,8 +1658,8 @@ func (v TemplateVersion) CreatedByName() string {
 
 // TemplateVersionDetail is the full version response including the parsed snapshot.
 type TemplateVersionDetail struct {
-	TemplateVersion
-	Snapshot TemplateSnapshot `json:"snapshot" yaml:"snapshot"`
+	TemplateVersion `yaml:",inline"`
+	Snapshot        TemplateSnapshot `json:"snapshot" yaml:"snapshot"`
 }
 
 // TemplateSnapshot is the state of a template captured at publish time.
@@ -1741,7 +1741,7 @@ const TemplateVersionWorkingCopy = "working"
 //   - LastRunAt — nil until the policy has been executed (manually or by the
 //     scheduler) at least once.
 type CleanupPolicy struct {
-	Base
+	Base      `yaml:",inline"`
 	Name      string     `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
 	ClusterID string     `json:"cluster_id" yaml:"cluster_id"`
 	Action    string     `json:"action" yaml:"action"`