Drop --no-color flag in favor of NO_COLOR env var

README.md

@@ -309,18 +309,6 @@ emailable account status --debug
 EMAILABLE_DEBUG=1 emailable verify hello@example.com
 ```
 
-### Color output
-
-The CLI uses ANSI colors on TTY output and suppresses them when stdout is
-piped or redirected. To force-disable colors even on a TTY, pass
-`--no-color` or set [`NO_COLOR`](https://no-color.org/) to any non-empty
-value:
-
-```bash
-emailable account status --no-color
-NO_COLOR=1 emailable account status
-```
-
 ### Quiet mode
 
 Pass `--quiet` (or `-q`) to suppress non-error human output — success
@@ -416,7 +404,7 @@ All of the env vars the CLI honors, in one place:
 | `EMAILABLE_API_KEY`  | API key for non-interactive auth. Takes precedence over a stored API key or OAuth token. |
 | `EMAILABLE_OUTPUT`   | Default output format when `--json` isn't passed. Set to `json` to make every command emit JSON. |
 | `EMAILABLE_DEBUG`    | Any non-empty value dumps HTTP requests/responses to stderr (with `Authorization` redacted). Equivalent to `--debug`. |
-| `NO_COLOR`           | Standard [no-color.org](https://no-color.org/) convention — any non-empty value suppresses ANSI colors. Equivalent to `--no-color`. |
+| `NO_COLOR`           | Standard [no-color.org](https://no-color.org/) convention — any non-empty value suppresses ANSI colors. |
 | `EMAILABLE_NO_UPDATE_NOTIFIER` | Any truthy value (`1`/`true`/`yes`/`on`) disables the daily "new release available" notifier. See [Update notifier](#update-notifier). |
 | `CI`                 | When set, the update notifier is silently skipped (common-sense default in CI environments). |
 | `XDG_CONFIG_HOME`    | Where the config file lives. Defaults to `~/.config`; the CLI stores credentials under `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/emailable/config.yml`. |

cmd/context.go

@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ const outputEnv = "EMAILABLE_OUTPUT"
 // loaded config, persistent flags. Commands grab one via newCmdCtx() in their
 // RunE.
 //
-// JSONMode / Quiet / NoColor are populated from the persistent flag state at
-// the time the cmdCtx is built. Commands should prefer reading these fields
+// JSONMode and Quiet are populated from the persistent flag state at the
+// time the cmdCtx is built. Commands should prefer reading these fields
 // over the package-level globals so behavior remains consistent even when a
 // command-local helper (e.g. applyStreamImplications) overrides the effective
 // value for its caller.
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ type cmdCtx struct {
 	Config     *config.Config
 	JSONMode   bool
 	Quiet      bool
-	NoColor    bool
 
 	// refreshNoticeWriter, when non-nil, receives a short stderr message the
 	// first time requireAuth performs an OAuth refresh during this command's
@@ -83,9 +82,9 @@ func newCmdCtxFor(cmd *cobra.Command, jsonMode bool) (*cmdCtx, error) {
 // path, and loads (or returns empty) the config. Does not enforce that the
 // user is logged in — that's the per-command's job via requireAuth.
 //
-// Quiet and NoColor are read off the package-level flag globals at call time
-// (cobra has already populated them by the time any RunE fires) so callers
-// only need to thread the JSON value through.
+// Quiet is read off the package-level flag global at call time (cobra has
+// already populated it by the time any RunE fires) so callers only need to
+// thread the JSON value through.
 func newCmdCtx(jsonMode bool) (*cmdCtx, error) {
 	e, err := env.Current()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -105,7 +104,6 @@ func newCmdCtx(jsonMode bool) (*cmdCtx, error) {
 		Config:     cfg,
 		JSONMode:   jsonMode,
 		Quiet:      quietMode,
-		NoColor:    noColor,
 	}, nil
 }
 

cmd/root.go

@@ -52,12 +52,6 @@ var debugMode bool
 // modifier). Mirrors the convention in curl, docker, gh.
 var quietMode bool
 
-// noColor is the value of the persistent --no-color flag. When true (or when
-// NO_COLOR is set non-empty) ANSI escape codes are suppressed even on a real
-// TTY. The flag's effect is plumbed into internal/ui via ui.SetNoColor so a
-// single decision point feeds both the env-var path and the explicit flag.
-var noColor bool
-
 // Command group IDs. Used both by cobra's command grouping and by the custom
 // help renderer to emit gh-style section headers in a stable order.
 const (
@@ -210,15 +204,6 @@ func newRootCmd(v string) *cobra.Command {
 			if !cmd.Flags().Changed("json") && strings.EqualFold(os.Getenv(outputEnv), "json") {
 				jsonOutput = true
 			}
-			// Propagate --no-color into the ui package so every IsTTY check
-			// in the process honors it. The env var NO_COLOR is consulted
-			// independently inside ui.IsTTY, so we only force-on when the
-			// flag was explicitly set — letting the env-var convention
-			// remain the default mechanism. (Mirrors how --debug interacts
-			// with EMAILABLE_DEBUG: explicit flag is just an alternative.)
-			if cmd.Flags().Changed("no-color") {
-				ui.SetNoColor(noColor)
-			}
 			return nil
 		},
 	}
@@ -229,7 +214,6 @@ func newRootCmd(v string) *cobra.Command {
 	root.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&jsonOutput, "json", false, "Return JSON response")
 	root.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&debugMode, "debug", false, "Dump HTTP requests/responses to stderr (also EMAILABLE_DEBUG)")
 	root.PersistentFlags().BoolVarP(&quietMode, "quiet", "q", false, "Suppress non-error human output (success lines, hints, progress)")
-	root.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&noColor, "no-color", false, "Disable ANSI colors (also NO_COLOR)")
 
 	// Register groups so cobra knows about them; the custom usage func is
 	// what actually renders them under gh-style headings.

cmd/root_test.go

@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
-
-	"github.com/emailable/emailable-cli/internal/ui"
 )
 
 func TestRootCommand_VersionFlag(t *testing.T) {
@@ -47,10 +45,9 @@ func TestRootCommand_HelpFlag(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestRootCommand_HelpListsNewPersistentFlags asserts that --quiet/-q and
-// --no-color are both surfaced in --help, both at the root and (since they
-// are persistent) on a subcommand's help.
-func TestRootCommand_HelpListsNewPersistentFlags(t *testing.T) {
+// TestRootCommand_HelpListsPersistentFlags asserts that the persistent
+// flags are surfaced in --help, both at the root and on a subcommand.
+func TestRootCommand_HelpListsPersistentFlags(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, args := range [][]string{
 		{"--help"},
 		{"verify", "--help"},
@@ -64,42 +61,10 @@ func TestRootCommand_HelpListsNewPersistentFlags(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatalf("execute %v: %v", args, err)
 		}
 		got := buf.String()
-		for _, want := range []string{"--quiet", "-q", "--no-color"} {
+		for _, want := range []string{"--quiet", "-q"} {
 			if !strings.Contains(got, want) {
 				t.Errorf("args=%v: help missing %q\n--- help ---\n%s", args, want, got)
 			}
 		}
 	}
 }
-
-// TestNoColorFlag_PropagatesToUI verifies that passing --no-color on the
-// root command flips both the package-level noColor flag AND calls
-// ui.SetNoColor — which is the wiring the rest of the binary relies on for
-// suppressing ANSI escapes everywhere ui.IsTTY is consulted.
-func TestNoColorFlag_PropagatesToUI(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Cleanup(func() { ui.SetNoColor(false) })
-	t.Cleanup(func() { noColor = false })
-	t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", "")
-	clearEnvOverrides(t)
-
-	root := newRootCmd("dev")
-	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	root.SetOut(&buf)
-	root.SetErr(&buf)
-	root.SetArgs([]string{"status", "--no-color"})
-	_ = root.Execute() // exit code irrelevant; we only need PersistentPreRunE to fire.
-
-	if !noColor {
-		t.Errorf("expected --no-color flag to set the package-level noColor var")
-	}
-	// Render a styled heading: ui.Heading only emits ANSI when tty=true.
-	// After --no-color, ui.IsTTY(writer) must return false even if the
-	// writer "looks" like a TTY — exercise by passing the IsTTY result
-	// straight into Heading. We use a non-file writer (bytes.Buffer) so
-	// isTerminal is naturally false; what we're proving here is that the
-	// pipeline cmd→ui.SetNoColor→ui.IsTTY is wired (no panic / no failure).
-	got := ui.Heading("USAGE", ui.IsTTY(&buf))
-	if got != "USAGE" {
-		t.Errorf("expected plain heading, got %q", got)
-	}
-}

cmd/testutil_test.go

@@ -59,9 +59,6 @@ func newTestEnv(t *testing.T, handler http.Handler) *testEnv {
 	prevQuiet := quietMode
 	quietMode = false
 	t.Cleanup(func() { quietMode = prevQuiet })
-	prevNoColor := noColor
-	noColor = false
-	t.Cleanup(func() { noColor = prevNoColor })
 
 	// env.Current() returns "custom" when EMAILABLE_API_URL is set.
 	path, err := config.DefaultPath("custom")

cmd/verify_test.go

@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
-
-	"github.com/emailable/emailable-cli/internal/ui"
 )
 
 // TestVerify_Help asserts that the slim `verify` help surface carries no
@@ -170,32 +168,6 @@ func TestVerify_QuietJSON_StillEmitsJSON(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestStatus_NoColor_StripsANSI verifies that --no-color is plumbed through
-// to ui.SetNoColor, so ANSI escape codes are suppressed even on real TTY
-// writers. We can't easily fake a *os.File terminal in a unit test, but we
-// can prove the upstream wiring: after running with --no-color, ui.IsTTY
-// must return false regardless of the input writer. (The independent test
-// in internal/ui covers the styling-suppression half of the contract.)
-func TestStatus_NoColor_StripsANSI(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Cleanup(func() { ui.SetNoColor(false) })
-	t.Cleanup(func() { noColor = false })
-	t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", "")
-	clearEnvOverrides(t)
-
-	res := runRoot(t, "status", "--no-color")
-	_ = res.Err // status w/o creds still exits 0 in human mode
-
-	// No ANSI codes should be present even though parts of status human
-	// output (state, labels) would normally style themselves on a TTY.
-	combined := res.Stdout.String() + res.Stderr.String()
-	if strings.Contains(combined, "\x1b[") {
-		t.Errorf("expected no ANSI escape codes under --no-color, got %q", combined)
-	}
-	// And the global noColor flag must have been observed.
-	if !noColor {
-		t.Errorf("expected --no-color to flip the package-level noColor var")
-	}
-}
 func TestBatchVerify_Help(t *testing.T) {
 	root := newRootCmd("dev")
 	var buf bytes.Buffer

internal/output/human.go

@@ -201,8 +201,7 @@ func hyperlink(url, text string, enabled bool) string {
 }
 
 // isTTY reports whether w is a terminal AND ANSI styling is enabled. Delegates
-// to ui.IsTTY so the NO_COLOR env var and the --no-color flag (via
-// ui.SetNoColor) both suppress styling here too.
+// to ui.IsTTY so the NO_COLOR env var suppresses styling here too.
 func isTTY(w io.Writer) bool {
 	return ui.IsTTY(w)
 }

internal/ui/spinner.go

@@ -19,21 +19,6 @@ import (
 // non-empty value the CLI suppresses ANSI color/styling even on a real TTY.
 const noColorEnv = "NO_COLOR"
 
-// noColorForce, when true, forces IsTTY to return false regardless of whether
-// the underlying writer is a real terminal. Set by SetNoColor — typically
-// from the cmd package's --no-color persistent flag binding. The env var
-// NO_COLOR is consulted independently inside IsTTY so either input suppresses
-// color.
-var noColorForce bool
-
-// SetNoColor toggles the process-wide "force no color" state. Idempotent and
-// safe to call multiple times (e.g. once per root command construction).
-// Mirrors the NO_COLOR env var: once on, IsTTY returns false for every writer
-// for the remainder of the process.
-func SetNoColor(on bool) {
-	noColorForce = on
-}
-
 // SpinnerStyle is the shared lipgloss style applied to the spinner glyph
 // across every animated component (Spinner, Bar, …) so the indicator
 // reads as the same icon everywhere. Color 69 is the same purple/blue
@@ -56,9 +41,6 @@ const TickInterval = 100 * time.Millisecond
 // var is set to any non-empty value, returns false even when w is a real
 // terminal. This lets users (and AI agents) opt out of color globally.
 func IsTTY(w io.Writer) bool {
-	if noColorForce {
-		return false
-	}
 	if os.Getenv(noColorEnv) != "" {
 		return false
 	}

internal/ui/spinner_test.go

@@ -65,33 +65,6 @@ func TestIsTTY_NoColor(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestSetNoColor verifies the --no-color "force off" path: with isTerminal
-// stubbed to true, NO_COLOR unset, and noColorForce=true, IsTTY must report
-// false. Toggling back to false restores the prior behavior.
-func TestSetNoColor(t *testing.T) {
-	orig := isTerminal
-	t.Cleanup(func() { isTerminal = orig })
-	isTerminal = func(io.Writer) bool { return true }
-	t.Setenv("NO_COLOR", "")
-
-	t.Cleanup(func() { SetNoColor(false) })
-
-	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	if !IsTTY(&buf) {
-		t.Fatalf("baseline: IsTTY should be true with isTerminal=true, NO_COLOR unset, no force")
-	}
-
-	SetNoColor(true)
-	if IsTTY(&buf) {
-		t.Errorf("SetNoColor(true) should force IsTTY=false")
-	}
-
-	SetNoColor(false)
-	if !IsTTY(&buf) {
-		t.Errorf("SetNoColor(false) should restore IsTTY=true")
-	}
-}
-
 func TestSpinner_SetMessage_NonTTY(t *testing.T) {
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	s := NewTo(&buf, "first")