schematics-cli: `--dry-run=false`, `--debug=false` and other built-in boolean flags are treated as `true`

[rsreimer]

Command

other

Is this a regression?

• Yes, this behavior used to work in the previous version

The previous version in which this bug was not present was

No response

Description

When a built-in boolean CLI option gets an inline value (--dry-run=false, --debug=false, --force=false, --interactive=false, ...), the value is parsed as the string 'false' not the boolean false.

In packages/angular_devkit/schematics_cli/bin/schematics.ts, parseOptions calls parseArgs with strict: false.
In non-strict mode, Node doesn't validate inline values for type: 'boolean' options. It returns them as raw strings:

const { parseArgs } = require('node:util');
parseArgs({
  args: ['--dry-run=false', '--debug=true'],
  strict: false, allowPositionals: true, allowNegative: true,
  options: { 'dry-run': { type: 'boolean' }, debug: { type: 'boolean' } },
}).values;
// => { 'dry-run': 'false', debug: 'true' }   <-- strings, not booleans

The token loop in parseOptions skips these options (if (name in CLI_OPTION_DEFINITIONS) continue;). That means the 'true'/'false' conversion added in #32362 never runs for them, and values is returned unchanged as cliOptions. Then in main:

const debug = cliOptions.debug ?? isLocalCollection;   // 'false' -> truthy
const dryRun = cliOptions['dry-run'] ?? debug;         // 'false' -> truthy

Minimal Reproduction

// package.json
{
  "name": "repro",
  "dependencies": {
    "@angular-devkit/schematics-cli": "22.2.0"
  }
}

// my-schematics/collection.json
{
  "schematics": {
    "hello": {
      "description": "x", "factory": "./index.js#hello"
    }
  }
}

// my-schematics/index.js
exports.hello = () => (tree) => {
  tree.create('hello.txt', 'hi');
  return tree;
};

npx schematics ./my-schematics/collection.json:hello --dry-run=false

Debug mode enabled by default for local collections.
CREATE hello.txt (2 bytes)
Dry run enabled. No files written to disk.

Exception or Error

`Dry run enabled. No files written to disk.`

Your Environment

@angular-devkit/schematics-cli: 22.2.0
Node: v22.22.3
OS: macOS

Anything else relevant?

No response