inquirer 14.x

Complete instructions

Verified against inquirer@14.2.2 on 2026-09-08. 3 of 3 examples executed.

inquirer (^14.0.0)

Scope and package shape

This package is the legacy/maintenance Inquirer.js API. The newer prompt API is provided by @inquirer/prompts; both packages may be used together during migration.

The version range resolves within major 14. The versioned documentation and source checked here are for inquirer@14.0.2.

The default export is the inquirer object. Its documented surface includes:

• prompt(questions, answers)
• createPromptModule()
• registerPrompt(name, prompt)
• restoreDefaultPrompts()
• ui.Prompt
• Separator

The built-in prompt types documented for the legacy API are input, number, confirm, list, rawlist, expand, checkbox, password, and editor. The v14 source also registers search and select.

The important v14 behavior change

In v14, an unregistered prompt type throws. Older examples commonly rely on unknown types falling back to input; do not rely on that behavior. Register a custom prompt before asking a question that uses it:

import inquirer from 'inquirer';
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

assert.equal(typeof inquirer.prompt, 'function');
assert.equal(typeof inquirer.registerPrompt, 'function');
assert.equal(typeof inquirer.createPromptModule, 'function');
assert.equal(typeof inquirer.restoreDefaultPrompts, 'function');
assert.equal(typeof inquirer.Separator, 'function');

The registration API is:

inquirer.registerPrompt('custom', customPrompt);
const answers = await inquirer.prompt([
  { type: 'custom', ...config },
]);

The supplied research does not specify the custom prompt implementation contract. Use the contract required by the custom prompt package or source being integrated rather than assuming the old fallback behavior.

Asking questions

The usual API is:

inquirer.prompt(questions, answers)

It returns a Promise. questions can be a question object, an array or map of questions, or an RxJS-compatible Observable. answers defaults to {}.

Question objects commonly use these fields:

• type, name, message, default, choices
• validate, filter, transformer, when
• pageSize, prefix, suffix
• askAnswered, loop, waitUserInput

Do not copy a test-runner example into a plain script. describe, it, and expect are not supplied by this package. A direct script must call inquirer.prompt(...) itself.

Non-interactive environments

prompt() requires an interactive environment where process.stdin.isTTY === true. In a plain non-interactive process or CI process, it rejects with an error whose isTtyError property is true. However, invoking it in an environment that unexpectedly exposes a TTY can block waiting for input, so do not use a standalone non-interactive example to simulate a prompt.

Handle the two error categories in application code like this:

inquirer.prompt(questions)
  .then((answers) => {
    // consume answers
  })
  .catch((error) => {
    if (error.isTtyError) {
      // The prompt could not be rendered in the current environment.
    } else {
      // Another error occurred.
    }
  });

The actual prompt interaction must be exercised by Inquirer's tool in an interactive environment. A plain script run as bun example.ts cannot safely provide a fake interactive transcript.

Prompt modules

Use createPromptModule() when code needs a reusable prompt function:

import inquirer from 'inquirer';
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

const prompt = inquirer.createPromptModule();
assert.equal(typeof prompt, 'function');
assert.notEqual(prompt, inquirer.prompt);

The returned function accepts the same question input described for inquirer.prompt; it still requires a TTY when it is actually called.

Separators in choices

Use new inquirer.Separator() in a choice list to insert a visual separator:

import inquirer from 'inquirer';
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';

const separator = new inquirer.Separator();
assert.ok(separator instanceof inquirer.Separator);
assert.deepEqual(['Choice A', separator, 'Choice B'].length, 3);

Reactive questions

prompt() accepts an RxJS-compatible Observable of questions. The documented pattern is to send questions through the Observable and then complete it:

const prompts = new Rx.Subject();
inquirer.prompt(prompts);
prompts.next({ /* question */ });
prompts.complete();

The returned prompt exposes ui.process.subscribe(...). The required RxJS-compatible Observable implementation is not part of the package surface covered by the supplied research, so no standalone executable example is provided for this form.

Built-in prompt details and environment caveats

The built-in types include the legacy types listed above; v14 source also registers search and select.

Setting INQUIRER_KEYBINDINGS=vim,emacs enables user-selected keybindings. This disables select search.

The editor prompt uses the user's $VISUAL or $EDITOR, with an OS fallback: notepad on Windows and vim on Linux/macOS.

Migration and v14 notes

• Treat inquirer as the legacy API; prefer @inquirer/prompts for the newer API when the surrounding project permits it.
• Keep the older question-object shape when maintaining existing inquirer code.
• Do not expect an unknown prompt type to become an input prompt in v14.
• v14 also fixed cursor positioning around line wraps.

Not covered

This skill does not cover the implementation contract for custom prompt packages, the complete behavior or option set of each individual interactive prompt, an RxJS installation or Observable implementation, terminal key handling beyond the documented environment variable, or how to automate an interactive TTY. The prompt() and prompt-module execution paths are only safely exercised by the tool in an interactive environment; the standalone examples here cover the package surface that can be reached without interactive input.