diff --git a/API.md b/API.md
index 0020679..a2e1fd6 100644
--- a/API.md
+++ b/API.md
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Terminates the process after `dispatch`'s `:help` option prints an *error*
Must exit or throw.
Default: `System/exit` (JVM), `js/process.exit` (Node), `throw` (browser).
-Source
+Source
## `apply-defaults`
``` clojure
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ Fills missing keys in `m` from defaults. Existing keys in `m` win.
Supported options:
* `:exec-args` - map of defaults. Not subject to `:restrict`.
* `:spec` - spec; `:default` entries become defaults via `spec->opts`.
-Source
+Source
## `auto-coerce`
``` clojure
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Auto-coerces `s` to data. Does not coerce when `s` is not a string.
* is `true` or `false`, it is coerced as boolean
* starts with number, it is coerced as a number (through Clojure's `edn/read-string`)
* starts with `:`, it is coerced as a keyword (through [`parse-keyword`](#babashka.cli/parse-keyword))
-Source
+Source
## `coerce`
``` clojure
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ Coerce string `s` using `f`. Does not coerce when `s` is not a string.
`f` may be a keyword (`:boolean`, `:int`, `:double`, `:symbol`,
`:keyword`) or a function. When `f` return `nil`, this is
interpreted as a parse failure and throws.
-Source
+Source
## `coerce-opts`
``` clojure
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ Coerces values in the map `m` using the provided configuration.
`"--foo"`, `"-f"`, or `":foo"`), as opposed to `:option`, the normalized
keyword (`:foo`). It lets a handler echo what the user actually typed rather
than reconstruct it. It is omitted when no originating token is known.
-Source
+Source
## `default-width-fn`
``` clojure
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ The default `:max-width-fn` for [`format-table`](#babashka.cli/format-table)/[`f
width or nil: node `process.stdout.columns`, else `$COLUMNS`, else a JLine
provider probe (clj, when JLine is on the classpath, e.g. babashka), else nil
(the caller then falls back to 80).
-Source
+Source
## `dispatch`
``` clojure
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ Command dispatcher.
Each entry in the table may have additional [`parse-args`](#babashka.cli/parse-args) options.
For more information and examples, see [README.md](README.md#commands).
-Source
+Source
## `format-command-error`
``` clojure
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ Render a terse, helpful message (a string) for a dispatch error.
this, then calls [`*exit-fn*`](#babashka.cli/*exit-fn*)). Call it from a custom `:error-fn` to keep the
standard message and add your own output. `--help`/`-h` is not an error - it
goes to the `:help-fn`, rendered by [`format-command-help`](#babashka.cli/format-command-help).
-Source
+Source
## `format-command-help`
``` clojure
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ Render conventional `--help` text (a string) for the command at path `cmds`
This is the renderer the `:help` option uses; call it from a custom `:help-fn`
to render the standard help and then add your own output. An entry may carry
`:no-doc true` to be omitted from `Commands:`.
-Source
+Source
## `format-opts`
``` clojure
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ Function.
Formats options into an options usage help string.
See [Printing options](/README.md#printing-options).
-Source
+Source
## `format-table`
``` clojure
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ Function.
Formats `rows` into a table (string).
See [Printing options](/README.md#printing-options).
-Source
+Source
## `merge-opts`
``` clojure
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ Formats `rows` into a table (string).
Function.
Merges babashka CLI options.
-Source
+Source
## `opts->table`
``` clojure
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ Function.
Converts options to a table of rows.
See [Printing options](/README.md#printing-options).
-Source
+Source
## `parse-args`
``` clojure
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ Same as [`parse-opts`](#babashka.cli/parse-opts) with return data reshaped.
Returns a map with:
* `:opts` parsed opts
* `:args` remaining unparsed `args`
-Source
+Source
## `parse-cmds`
``` clojure
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ Function.
Parses sub-commands (arguments not starting with an option prefix). Returns a map with:
* `:cmds` - The parsed commands
* `:args` - The remaining (unparsed) arguments
-Source
+Source
## `parse-keyword`
``` clojure
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ Parses sub-commands (arguments not starting with an option prefix). Returns a ma
Function.
Parse keyword from `s`. Ignores leading `:`.
-Source
+Source
## `parse-opts`
``` clojure
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ Returns a map of options parsed from command line arguments `args`, a seq of str
;; => throws 'Unknown option --qux' exception b/c there is no :qux key in the spec
```
See also: [`parse-args`](#babashka.cli/parse-args)
-Source
+Source
## `parse-opts*`
``` clojure
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ Function.
Parses CLI `args` into a raw opts map. Returns string values unchanged
(no coercion), does not apply `:exec-args` defaults, does not run
`:restrict`/`:require`/`:validate`. Result map includes
- `:org.babashka/cli` metadata and internal `::implicit-true-keys` /
+ `:org.babashka/cli` metadata and internal `::implicit-values` /
`::keys-order` metadata used by `coerce-opts`.
Use this when you want to merge other sources (e.g. config files)
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ Parses CLI `args` into a raw opts map. Returns string values unchanged
Supported options (subset of `parse-opts`): `:alias`/`:aliases`, `:coerce`,
`:collect`, `:no-keyword-opts`, `:repeated-opts`, `:args->opts`, `:spec`.
-Source
+Source
## `spec->opts`
``` clojure
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ Parses CLI `args` into a raw opts map. Returns string values unchanged
Function.
Converts spec into opts format. Pass existing opts as optional second argument.
-Source
+Source
## `table->tree`
``` clojure
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ Converts a `dispatch` table into a tree. Each `:cmds` becomes a path of
```
A tree passed in is normalized and returned, so the function is idempotent.
-Source
+Source
## `validate-opts`
``` clojure
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ Validates the map `m` using the provided configuration. Returns `m`.
keyword (`:foo`). It lets a handler echo what the user actually typed rather
than reconstruct it. It is present for `:restrict` and `:validate`, and absent
for `:require` (a missing required option was never typed, so it has no token).
-Source
+Source
-----
# babashka.cli.exec
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a98d972..72bcc1d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ For breaking changes, check [here](#breaking-changes).
[Babashka CLI](https://github.com/babashka/cli): turn Clojure functions into CLIs!
+## Unreleased
+
+- [#174](https://github.com/babashka/cli/issues/174): `:edn` `:coerce` option must provide an explicit value
+([@lread](https://github.com/lread))
+
## v0.12.75 (2026-06-25)
- Squint support (v0.14.196+)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3f1551e..c4f5f39 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -454,6 +454,19 @@ It automatically tries to convert booleans, numbers, and keywords.
;; :str ["bar" java.lang.String]}
```
+### Coercion to EDN
+
+`:edn` coercion behaves like Clojure CLI `-X` coercion:
+
+```clojure
+(cli/parse-opts ["--foo" ":some-keyword"] {:spec {:foo {:coerce :edn}}})
+;; => {:foo :some-keyword}
+(cli/parse-opts ["--foo" "some-symbol"] {:spec {:foo {:coerce :edn}}})
+;; => {:foo some-symbol}
+(cli/parse-opts ["--foo" "\"some-string\""] {:spec {:foo {:coerce :edn}}})
+;; => {:foo "some-string"}
+```
+
### Aliases
An `:alias` specifies a synonym short option name for the option name.
diff --git a/src/babashka/cli.cljc b/src/babashka/cli.cljc
index 0c98ccd..ae0743b 100644
--- a/src/babashka/cli.cljc
+++ b/src/babashka/cli.cljc
@@ -155,7 +155,10 @@
:symbol symbol
:keyword parse-keyword
:string identity
- :edn edn/read-string
+ :edn (fn [s]
+ (when (some? implicit-value)
+ (throw-coerce s implicit-value f nil))
+ (edn/read-string s))
:auto auto-coerce
;; default
f)
diff --git a/test/babashka/cli_test.cljc b/test/babashka/cli_test.cljc
index 265bd11..4f2d656 100644
--- a/test/babashka/cli_test.cljc
+++ b/test/babashka/cli_test.cljc
@@ -98,7 +98,13 @@
(cli/parse-opts [":foo"] {:coerce {:foo :string}})))
(is (thrown-with-msg?
#?(:cljd Object :default Exception) #"Missing value for option :foo"
- (cli/parse-opts [":foo"] {:coerce {:foo [:string]}}))))
+ (cli/parse-opts [":foo"] {:coerce {:foo [:string]}})))
+ (is (thrown-with-msg?
+ #?(:cljd Object :default Exception) #"Missing value for option :foo"
+ (cli/parse-opts [":foo"] {:coerce {:foo :edn}})))
+ (is (thrown-with-msg?
+ #?(:cljd Object :default Exception) #"Missing value for option :foo"
+ (cli/parse-opts [":foo"] {:coerce {:foo [:edn]}}))))
(testing "composite opts"
(is (= {:a true, :b true, :c true, :foo true}
(cli/parse-opts ["--foo" "-abc"]))))
@@ -112,7 +118,7 @@
(is (= {:opts {:option false}}
(cli/parse-args [":no-option"]))))
(testing "--no-foo throws on non-boolean"
- (doseq [coerce-fn [:long :number :symbol :keyword :string]]
+ (doseq [coerce-fn [:long :number :symbol :keyword :string :edn]]
(is (thrown-with-msg?
#?(:cljd Object :default Exception) #"Cannot negate option --foo"
(cli/parse-opts ["--no-foo"] {:coerce {:foo coerce-fn}}))
@@ -130,6 +136,15 @@
(cli/parse-opts [":no-foo"] {:coerce {:foo [coerce-fn]}}))
(str "for coerce to: [" coerce-fn "]")))))
+(deftest coerce-to-edn-test
+ (testing "explicits aren't confused with implicits"
+ (is (= {:foo nil} (cli/parse-opts ["--foo" "nil"] {:coerce {:foo :edn}})))
+ (is (= {:foo true} (cli/parse-opts ["--foo" "true"] {:coerce {:foo :edn}})))
+ (is (= {:foo false} (cli/parse-opts ["--foo" "false"] {:coerce {:foo :edn}}))))
+ (testing "show behaviour is just like clojure CLI -X"
+ (is (= {:foo "string"} (cli/parse-opts ["-foo" "\"string\""] {:coerce {:foo :edn}})))
+ (is (= {:foo 'some-symbol} (cli/parse-opts ["-foo" "some-symbol"] {:coerce {:foo :edn}})))))
+
(deftest equals-value-test
(testing "--opt=val splits on the first = only"
(is (= {:header "k=v"} (cli/parse-opts ["--header=k=v"])))