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Next Command Hints

Nia provides contextual suggestions for what command to run next after completing a workflow. This helps new users learn the typical SDLC workflow progression.

How It Works

After a workflow command completes successfully, Nia displays a “Next Steps” section suggesting logical follow-up commands:

=== Workflow Completed ===
→ Outputs written to: .nia/work/job_123/issue/

Expected Outputs:
  ✓ issue.md

Next Steps:
  → nia issue draft --edit  - Edit and refine the drafted issue
  → nia issue review        - Review the draft for completeness
  → nia issue plan          - Create implementation plan from this issue
  → nia issue split         - Split this issue into smaller work items
  → nia issue ask           - Ask questions about this issue

Command Progressions

Hints are based on common SDLC patterns:

Issue Commands

After RunningSuggested Next Commands
nia issue triageissue draft, issue ask
nia issue draftissue draft --edit, issue review, issue plan, issue split, issue ask
nia issue reviewissue plan, issue ask
nia issue planissue plan --edit, code create, code ask

Code Commands

After RunningSuggested Next Commands
nia code createcode create --fix, code test, code review, code ask
nia code testcode create, code create --fix, code review, code ask
nia code reviewcode review --auto-fix issues, code create, code create --fix, pr draft, docs create, code ask

PR Commands

After RunningSuggested Next Commands
nia pr draftpr draft --edit, pr review, pr ask
nia pr reviewpr merge, pr merge --fix

Backlog Commands

After RunningSuggested Next Commands
nia backlog createbacklog review, backlog ask
nia backlog rankbacklog create, backlog review, backlog ask

Documentation Commands

After RunningSuggested Next Commands
nia docs createdocs create --edit, docs ask

Disabling Hints

Power users who are familiar with the workflow can disable hints in the project configuration:

# .nia/config/project.toml

[ui]
show_command_hints = false

When disabled, the “Next Steps” section is omitted from workflow completion output.

Notes

  • Hints only appear for successful workflow completions
  • Hints are not shown for cancelled or failed workflows
  • Some workflows have no hints (e.g., pr merge, docs build) because they are terminal operations
  • Modifiers like --edit, --fix, --lite don’t change the hints shown
  • Hints default to enabled for new projects to help users learn the workflow