diff --git a/src/cli.rs b/src/cli.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66f6afe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+use clap::{Parser, Subcommand};
+
+use crate::{FileTree, Runtime};
+
+#[derive(Parser)]
+#[command(version, about, long_about = None)]
+#[command(propagate_version = true)]
+struct Cli {
+    #[command(subcommand)]
+    command: Command,
+}
+
+#[derive(Subcommand)]
+enum Command {
+    /// Generate documentation for the runtime
+    Doc,
+    /// Type check a script
+    Check {
+        #[arg()]
+        file: PathBuf,
+    },
+    /// Test a script
+    Test {
+        #[arg()]
+        file: PathBuf,
+    },
+    /// Run a script
+    Run {
+        #[arg()]
+        file: PathBuf,
+    },
+}
+
+/// Run a basic CLI for a given runtime
+///
+/// This is useful for providing users to check their scripts or run their tests
+/// with the runtime the host application provides.
+///
+/// This CLI provides the following subcommands:
+///  - `doc`: generate documentation
+///  - `check`: type check a script
+///  - `test`: run tests for a script
+///  - `run`: run the main function of a script
+pub fn cli(rt: Runtime) {
+    match cli_inner(rt) {
+        Ok(()) => std::process::exit(0),
+        Err(err) => {
+            eprintln!("{err}");
+            std::process::exit(1);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn cli_inner(rt: Runtime) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let cli = Cli::parse();
+
+    match &cli.command {
+        Command::Doc => {
+            rt.print_documentation();
+        }
+        Command::Check { file } => {
+            FileTree::read(file)
+                .parse()
+                .map_err(|r| r.to_string())?
+                .typecheck(rt, usize::BITS / 8)
+                .map_err(|r| r.to_string())?;
+            println!("All ok!")
+        }
+        Command::Test { file } => {
+            let mut p = FileTree::read(file)
+                .parse()
+                .map_err(|r| r.to_string())?
+                .typecheck(rt, usize::BITS / 8)
+                .map_err(|r| r.to_string())?
+                .lower()
+                .codegen();
+
+            if let Err(()) = p.run_tests(()) {
+                return Err("tests failed".into());
+            }
+        }
+        Command::Run { file } => {
+            let mut p = FileTree::read(file)
+                .parse()
+                .map_err(|r| r.to_string())?
+                .typecheck(rt, usize::BITS / 8)
+                .map_err(|r| r.to_string())?
+                .lower()
+                .codegen();
+
+            let f = p
+                .get_function::<(), (), ()>("main")
+                .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+
+            f.call(&mut ())
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index b1c99e4..ae06fb8 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ extern crate self as roto;
 
 mod ast;
 
+mod cli;
 mod codegen;
 mod file_tree;
 mod lower;
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ mod pipeline;
 mod runtime;
 mod typechecker;
 
+pub use cli::cli;
 pub use codegen::TypedFunc;
 pub use file_tree::{FileTree, SourceFile};
 pub use lower::eval::Memory;
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 5d99013..1fd2858 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
-use std::path::Path;
-
 use clap::Parser;
-use roto::{IrValue, Memory, Runtime};
+use roto::{cli, Runtime};
 
 #[derive(Parser)]
 struct Cli {
@@ -16,27 +14,5 @@ fn main() {
         .format_target(false)
         .init();
 
-    let settings = Cli::parse();
-
-    let args = match settings.rx.as_ref().map(AsRef::as_ref) {
-        Some("true") => vec![IrValue::Bool(true)],
-        Some("false") => vec![IrValue::Bool(false)],
-        Some(x) => vec![IrValue::U32(x.parse().unwrap())],
-        _ => vec![],
-    };
-
-    let mut mem = Memory::new();
-
-    let ptr = mem.allocate(0);
-    let result = roto::interpret(
-        Runtime::new(),
-        Path::new(&settings.file),
-        &mut mem,
-        IrValue::Pointer(ptr),
-        args,
-    );
-    match result {
-        Ok(_) => println!("Ok!"),
-        Err(e) => eprintln!("{e}"),
-    }
+    cli(Runtime::new());
 }