[vernonstinebaker]

Fixes #56. nullboiler server --help previously ignored the flag and started the real server (DB opened, port bound) — surprising interactively, harmful in scripts. --help/-h now print usage and exit 0 from any argument position, while top-level behavior is unchanged. Includes verification on v2026.5.29 (released binary shows the bug; this build prints usage).

[DonPrus]

The original server --help / serve -h cases now work, and I also verified top-level help and validate-workflows --help. The PR merges cleanly with main.

Blocking: perform help detection before the early command handlers (src/main.zig:40-66). The new scan is below --from-json and --export-manifest, so it does not actually cover every command path. On 9ae80e9 I reproduced:

nullboiler --from-json --help
# exits 1: error: invalid JSON

nullboiler --from-json '{"home":"/tmp/isolated-help-check"}' --help
# exits 0: {"status":"ok"}; creates config.json instead of printing help

The second case can overwrite an existing configuration even though help was explicitly requested. This is the same class of unexpected side effect that #56 is intended to eliminate. It would be great to move the help-flag scan ahead of all command dispatch, retain the standalone help alias, and add CLI regression coverage for both flag spellings across the server, validation, manifest and JSON-bootstrap paths. In particular, assert that help requests neither create nor alter config/database files. The current PR has no regression test for this behavior.

I built the branch and ran the cases above against an isolated temporary home. Withholding approval until this remaining side-effecting path is covered.

[vernonstinebaker]

Blocking finding addressed in f3ecb63.

1. Help detection moved above the early command handlers. The scan now runs before --export-manifest and --from-json — previously it sat below them, so those handlers consumed argv first. Both of your reproductions now behave correctly:

command	before	after
nullboiler --from-json --help	exit 1, error: invalid JSON, no usage	exit 0, usage
nullboiler --from-json '{"home":...}' --help	exit 0, {"status":"ok"}, created config.json	exit 0, usage, 0 files created

The standalone help alias is retained, and the loop now scans all argv (not argv[1..]) so position no longer matters.

2. Regression coverage added — two tests spawning the installed binary, covering both flag spellings across all four paths:

• cli help: --help/-h print usage at every position with no side effects — iterates --help, -h, server --help, serve -h, validate-workflows --help, --export-manifest --help, --from-json --help. Each asserts exit 0, Usage: in output, and that the isolated working directory is empty afterwards (so a config or database write fails the test).
• cli help: --from-json with a payload does not create config when help is requested — asserts the bootstrap payload case exits 0 with usage and writes nothing into the supplied home.

Tests locate the binary via NULLBOILER_TEST_EXE, set by build.zig; the test Run step now depends on install so the binary always exists. They skip cleanly rather than reporting a false pass if it does not.

Red/green verified: against the previous head (9ae80e9) with these tests applied, both fail — [manifest-long] printed the manifest JSON instead of usage, and the payload case printed {"status":"ok"}. With the fix, they pass.

Validation — merge result 2e43169c (base = current main c03b5f54, includes #54): zig build test --summary all 372/372, zig fmt --check src/ OK, run in a Linux container. Manual spot-check confirms all seven help paths exit 0 with usage, isolated home left with 0 files, and non-help paths (--version, validate-workflows) unchanged. All 4 CI checks pass, including Windows.

Refs #56. Ready for re-review.