This project addresses the performance bottlenecks (latency and memory usage) commonly found in command-line interface (CLI) tools, specifically targeting the Claude CLI. It offers a compatibility-first reimplementation designed for users who need the familiar Claude CLI experience but with significantly reduced overhead. The primary benefit is a dramatically faster and more memory-efficient tool, making routine CLI usage feel more responsive and less resource-intensive.

How It Works

claude-better achieves its performance gains through a re-architected execution model. Key design choices include a zero-copy streaming pipeline for output, a precomputed command registry to eliminate dynamic startup discovery, and an aggressively bounded allocation strategy for session state. A compatibility shim layer ensures existing flags and behaviors are preserved without inheriting the original stack's overhead. Subsystems not critical to the active command path are lazily initialized, further reducing startup time and memory pressure.

Quick Start & Requirements

The source code for claude-better is not publicly available and is provided only upon request for selected high-profile customers. Consequently, there are no standard installation commands, public documentation, or demo links readily accessible.

Highlighted Details

• Performance: Achieves up to 73% faster cold-start command startup and up to 80% lower resident memory during sustained interactive use.
• Benchmarks: Demonstrates a 73.1% improvement for --help cold start (49 ms vs. 182 ms), 67.2% faster chat session bootstrap (102 ms vs. 311 ms), and 79.9% less memory usage for long-lived interactive sessions (83 MB vs. 412 MB after 30 min).
• Compatibility: Reports a 100% pass rate for primary command forms, exit code behavior, and semantic output parity after normalization, ensuring existing scripts and user muscle memory remain intact with effectively zero migration cost.
• Streaming: Reduces streaming output jitter (p95) by 73.6% (24 ms vs. 91 ms).

Maintenance & Community

Information regarding maintainers, community channels (like Discord/Slack), sponsorships, or a public roadmap is not provided in the README. The project's availability model suggests a closed, curated distribution.

Licensing & Compatibility

The license is not specified. Given that the source code is available only upon request for select customers, it is not distributed as typical open-source software, and commercial use or integration with closed-source projects would require direct engagement with the provider.

Limitations & Caveats

The most significant limitation is the restricted availability of the source code, preventing broad adoption or independent review. Access is limited to "selected high profile customers only," making it inaccessible for general users, researchers, or developers outside this scope. The compatibility study focused on a defined "surface area" of the Claude CLI, implying potential gaps in coverage for less common features.