json

A collection of JSON utilities for everyday use.

Usage

openGyver json [command] [flags]

Global Flags (inherited by all subcommands)

Flag	Short	Type	Default	Description
--file	-f	string		Read input from a file
--json	-j	bool	false	Output as JSON (wrap result in a JSON envelope)
--help	-h			Help for json

Subcommands

format

Format (beautify) a JSON string with configurable indentation. The input can be provided as a positional argument or read from a file with --file/-f. The formatted output is printed to stdout unless --output/-o is specified.

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
json-string	No (use --file instead)	The JSON string to format

Flags

Flag	Short	Type	Default	Description
--indent		int	2	Number of spaces per indentation level
--output	-o	string		Write result to a file instead of stdout
--help	-h			Help for format

Examples

# Format a compact JSON string
openGyver json format '{"name":"Alice","age":30}'

# Format with 4-space indentation
openGyver json format --indent 4 '{"a":1,"b":2}'

# Read from file, write formatted output to another file
openGyver json format --file input.json --output pretty.json

# Format with JSON envelope output
openGyver json format --json '{"x":1}'

# Format a deeply nested structure
openGyver json format '{"users":[{"name":"Alice","roles":["admin","user"]}]}'

# Use tab-like indentation (8 spaces)
openGyver json format --indent 8 '{"key":"value"}'

# Format and save a minified API response
openGyver json format --file api-response.json --output readable.json

# Format inline and pipe to less
openGyver json format '{"a":1,"b":{"c":2}}' | less

JSON Output Format

{
  "formatted": "{\n  \"name\": \"Alice\",\n  \"age\": 30\n}",
  "indent": 2
}

---

minify

Compact a JSON string by removing all unnecessary whitespace. The input can be provided as a positional argument or read from a file with --file/-f. The minified output is printed to stdout unless --output/-o is specified.

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
json-string	No (use --file instead)	The JSON string to minify

Flags

Flag	Short	Type	Default	Description
--output	-o	string		Write result to a file instead of stdout
--help	-h			Help for minify

Examples

# Minify an indented JSON string
openGyver json minify '{  "name": "Alice",  "age": 30  }'

# Minify a file
openGyver json minify --file pretty.json

# Minify a file and save the result
openGyver json minify --file pretty.json --output compact.json

# Minify with JSON envelope
openGyver json minify --json '{ "x": 1 }'

# Minify a large config file in place (write to new file)
openGyver json minify --file config.json --output config.min.json

# Pipe minified output to clipboard (macOS)
openGyver json minify '{ "a": 1, "b": 2 }' | pbcopy

# Reduce file size of an API fixture
openGyver json minify --file test-fixtures/response.json --output test-fixtures/response.min.json

JSON Output Format

{
  "minified": "{\"name\":\"Alice\",\"age\":30}"
}

---

validate

Check whether a string is valid JSON. Prints "valid" if the input is well-formed JSON, or an error message describing why it is not.

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
json-string	No (use --file instead)	The JSON string to validate

Flags

No subcommand-specific flags. Uses global flags only.

Examples

# Validate well-formed JSON
openGyver json validate '{"ok": true}'

# Detect invalid JSON
openGyver json validate '{"missing": }'

# Validate a file
openGyver json validate --file data.json

# Validate with JSON envelope output
openGyver json validate --json '{"a":1}'

# Validate a package.json
openGyver json validate --file package.json

# Check if an API response is valid JSON
openGyver json validate '{"users":[],"count":0}'

# Detect a trailing comma issue
openGyver json validate '{"a": 1, "b": 2,}'

# Validate JSON from a build artifact
openGyver json validate --file dist/manifest.json --json

JSON Output Format

{
  "valid": true
}

{
  "valid": false,
  "error": "invalid character '}' looking for beginning of value"
}

---

path

Extract a value from a JSON document using dot-notation path expressions. The JSON input must be provided via --file/-f. The path expression is the positional argument.

Path Syntax:

• key -- Access a top-level key
• key.nested -- Nested object access
• key[0] -- Array element by index
• data.users[2].name -- Mixed object/array traversal

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
expression	Yes	Dot-notation path expression to evaluate

Flags

No subcommand-specific flags. Uses global flags only. Note: --file/-f is required for this subcommand.

Examples

# Extract a simple key
openGyver json path --file config.json 'database.host'

# Extract the first user's name
openGyver json path --file users.json 'users[0].name'

# Deeply nested array traversal
openGyver json path --file data.json 'results[3].tags[0]'

# Get JSON envelope output
openGyver json path --json --file config.json 'server.port'

# Extract a nested configuration value
openGyver json path --file settings.json 'app.logging.level'

# Access an array element in a complex structure
openGyver json path --file api-response.json 'data.items[0].metadata.created_at'

# Extract a top-level value
openGyver json path --file package.json 'version'

# Get chained array indices
openGyver json path --file matrix.json 'grid[0][2]'

JSON Output Format

{
  "path": "database.host",
  "value": "localhost"
}

---

escape

Escape a raw string so it can be safely embedded inside a JSON document. The result is a JSON string literal (with surrounding double quotes). Special characters (\n, \t, \", \\, etc.) are properly escaped.

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
string	Yes	The raw string to escape

Flags

No subcommand-specific flags. Uses global flags only.

Examples

# Escape a string with quotes
openGyver json escape 'hello "world"'

# Escape a string with newlines
openGyver json escape 'line1\nline2'

# Escape with JSON envelope
openGyver json escape --json 'tab\there'

# Escape a file path with backslashes
openGyver json escape 'C:\Users\admin\file.txt'

# Escape multiline content
openGyver json escape 'first line
second line'

# Escape special characters
openGyver json escape 'price: \$9.99 & free shipping'

# Escape for embedding in a JSON template
openGyver json escape 'She said "hello" and left.'

JSON Output Format

{
  "original": "hello \"world\"",
  "escaped": "\"hello \\\"world\\\"\""
}

---

unescape

Unescape a JSON-encoded string, removing surrounding quotes and converting escape sequences back to their literal characters. The input must be a valid JSON string (typically surrounded by double quotes).

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
json-string	Yes	The JSON string literal to unescape

Flags

No subcommand-specific flags. Uses global flags only.

Examples

# Unescape a tab character
openGyver json unescape '"hello\tworld"'

# Unescape newlines
openGyver json unescape '"line1\nline2"'

# Unescape with JSON envelope
openGyver json unescape --json '"escaped \"quotes\""'

# Unescape a Unicode sequence
openGyver json unescape '"caf\u00e9"'

# Unescape a complex string
openGyver json unescape '"path: C:\\\\Users\\\\admin"'

# Unescape a backslash-heavy string
openGyver json unescape '"a\\nb\\tc"'

# Restore original text from a JSON value
openGyver json unescape '"She said \"hello\""'

JSON Output Format

{
  "original": "\"hello\\tworld\"",
  "unescaped": "hello\tworld"
}