While reviewing PR #109152, I discover that the sqlite3 module has a command line interface. Maybe I knew and then I forgot.

Is there a a documentation page listing all modules with a command-line interface (CLI)? I don't know so.

By searching for main( pattern and for __main__.py files, so far, I found:

• ast: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/ast.html#command-line-usage
• asyncio: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/asyncio.html just one sentence, "You can experiment with an asyncio concurrent context in the REPL".
• base64: shhh, it's a secret, it's not documented!
• calendar: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/calendar.html#command-line-usage
• compileall: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/compileall.html#command-line-use
• ensurepip: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/ensurepip.html#command-line-interface
• gzip: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/gzip.html#command-line-interface
• idlelib: not sure if it's the same as: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/idle.html#command-line-usage
• json.tool: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/json.html#module-json.tool
• pdb: https://docs.python.org/3/library/pdb.html
• profile: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/profile.html#instant-user-s-manual
• py_compile: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/py_compile.html#command-line-interface
• quopri: (missing)
• site: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/site.html#command-line-interface
• sqlite3 https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html#command-line-interface
• tabnanny: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/tabnanny.html
• tarfile: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/tarfile.html#command-line-interface
• timeit: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/timeit.html#command-line-interface
• tokenize: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/tokenize.html#command-line-usage
• trace: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/trace.html#command-line-usage
• turtledemo: https://docs.python.org/3/library/turtle.html#module-turtledemo
• uuid: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/uuid.html#command-line-example
• unittest: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/unittest.html#command-line-interface
• venv: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/venv.html#creating-virtual-environments
• webbrowser: https://docs.python.org/3.14/library/webbrowser.html
• zipapp: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/zipapp.html#command-line-interface
• zipfile: https://docs.python.org/dev/library/zipfile.html#command-line-interface

Some modules include self-tests in their main() function. I dislike that and I would suggest to remove it and at least move it to their test suite.

• ctypes.util: self-test
• ctypes.textpad: demo
• curses.has_key: self-test?
• dbm.__init__: get the DB type... but this CLI is not easy discoverable, it's in the init module!
• getopt: self-test
• heapq: self-test
• shlex: print tokens. Is it really useful?
• imaplib: self-test, "test the IMAP4_stream class"
• modulefinder: self-test
• netrc: just parse ~/.netrc if available, and then display nothing... not very useful
• random: benchmark
• smtplib: "Test the sendmail method", try to send an email to localhost SMTP server.
• symtable: self-test. parse itself (symtable.py)
• turtle: it's a demo. Looks more like an easter egg or advanced example than "an useful CLI".
• textwrap: self-test
• tkinter: self-test
• wsgiref.simple_server: self-test, run a server, open itself in a browser, stop the server.
• xml.sax.expatreader: Sheakspear easter egg.
• xml.sax.xmlreader: self-test.
• xmlrpc.client + xmlrpc.server: simple demo.

Linked PRs

• gh-109435: Add Doc/library/cmdline.rst #109436