Commands Overview

Complete reference for all NikCLI commands

Command Reference

NikCLI provides over 70 powerful commands organized into logical categories. All commands are prefixed with / and can be used during any chat session.

Basic System

3 commands: help, quit/exit, clear

Model Management

3 commands: model switching and API keys

Configuration

6 commands: settings and preferences

Session Management

4 commands: session control and history

Agent Management

9 commands: AI agent orchestration

Planning & Todo

4 commands: task planning and management

Security

4 commands: security and permissions

File Operations

5 commands: file system operations

Terminal

12 commands: command execution

VM Operations

8 commands: virtual machine management

AI Features

4 commands: vision and image generation

Memory & Data

8 commands: memory and snapshot management

Quick Command Reference

Essential Commands

Getting Started

/help           # Show all available commands
/config         # View current configuration
/models         # List available AI models
/agents         # Show available AI agents

Command Categories

🖥️ Basic System Commands

Command	Description	Usage	Example
/help	Show help message with all available commands	/help	/help
/quit, /exit	Exit the chat interface	/quit or /exit	/quit
/clear	Clear current chat session	/clear	/clear
/default	Switch to default conversational mode	/default	/default

🧠 Model Management

/model - Switch AI Models

Switch between different AI models or show current model.

# Show current model
/model

# Switch to specific model
/model claude-3-5-sonnet
/model gpt-4
/model gemini-pro
/model ollama:llama2

Examples:

• Anthropic: claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-3-5-sonnet-latest
• OpenAI: gpt-5, gpt-4o-mini
• Google: gemini-1.5-pro
• Ollama: llama3.1:8b, mistral:7b

/models - List Available Models

Display all available models with their status and capabilities.

/models

Output includes:

• Model name and provider
• Availability status
• Token limits
• Current API key status

/set-key - Configure API Keys

Set API keys for different AI providers.

/set-key anthropic sk-ant-api03-...
/set-key openai sk-...
/set-key google AIza...

API keys are read from your ~/.nikcli/config.json or environment vars.

⚙️ Configuration Commands

/config - View Configuration

Display current NikCLI configuration settings.

/config

Shows:

• Default AI provider and model
• Security settings
• Session preferences
• Cache configuration

/debug - Debug Configuration

Debug API key configuration and test AI generation.

/debug

Performs:

• API key validation
• Connection testing
• Model availability check
• Configuration diagnostics

/temp - Set Creativity Level

Configure AI temperature (creativity/randomness level).

# Show current temperature
/temp

# Set temperature (0.0 = focused, 2.0 = creative)
/temp 0.7
/temp 1.2

Range: 0.0 (most focused) to 2.0 (most creative)

/history - Chat History Control

Enable or disable chat history persistence.

# Show current status
/history

# Enable/disable history
/history on
/history off

/system - System Prompt

Set or view the system prompt for the current session.

# Show current system prompt
/system

# Set custom system prompt
/system "You are a senior React developer specializing in TypeScript"

🕐 Session Management

/new - Start New Session

Create a new chat session with optional title.

# Start new session
/new

# Start with title
/new "React Authentication Project"
/new "API Development"

/sessions - List Sessions

Display all saved chat sessions.

/sessions

Shows:

• Session ID and title
• Creation date
• Message count
• Last activity

/export - Export Session

Export session history to markdown format.

# Export current session
/export

# Export specific session
/export abc123

Output: Markdown file with complete conversation history

/stats - Usage Statistics

Show usage statistics and metrics.

/stats

Includes:

• Token usage by provider
• Session counts
• Command usage frequency
• Time spent in different modes

👥 Agent Management

/agents - List Available Agents

Display all available AI agents and their capabilities.

/agents

Shows:

• Agent name and specialization
• Current status (active/idle)
• Capabilities and tools

/agent - Run Specific Agent

Execute a specific agent with a given task.

/agent universal-agent "create a responsive navigation component"
/agent vm-agent "setup development environment"

/auto - Autonomous Execution

Enable autonomous execution for complex tasks.

/auto "Create a complete React todo app with backend API"
/auto "Implement user authentication with JWT tokens"
/auto "Add real-time chat functionality to the application"

Features:

• Automatic task breakdown
• Autonomous execution
• Progress tracking

/parallel - Parallel Agent Execution

Run agents in parallel execution mode.

/parallel "create a login component with validation"

/factory - Agent Factory Dashboard

Open the agent factory for creating and managing custom agents.

/factory

/create-agent - Create Custom Agent

Create a new specialized agent for specific tasks.

/create-agent "React Testing Expert"
/create-agent "Database Optimization Specialist"

/launch-agent - Launch from Blueprint

Launch an agent from a saved blueprint configuration.

/launch-agent blueprint-id "optimize performance"

/blueprints - Manage Agent Blueprints

List and manage agent blueprints.

/blueprints
/blueprint [id]
/delete-blueprint [id]
/export-blueprint [id]
/import-blueprint [file]
/search-blueprints [query]

/context - Workspace Context

Select or view workspace context paths for agents.

# Show current context
/context

# Set context paths  
/context src/ tests/

/stream - Agent Stream Dashboard

View live agent activity streams.

/stream

📋 Planning & Todo Commands

/plan - Execution Planning

Create and manage execution plans for complex tasks.

# Switch to planning mode
/plan

# Create plan with task description
/plan "Build authentication system"

Plan Features:

• Automatic task breakdown
• Progress monitoring
• Strategic planning approach

/todo - Todo Management

Manage todo lists and task tracking.

/todo

/todos - Quick Todo List

Alias for /todo - quickly view todo items.

/todos

/approval - Approval Management

Manage approval system for operations.

/approval

🛡️ Security Commands

/security - Security Management

Manage security settings and view current security status.

/security

/dev-mode - Developer Mode

Enable developer mode with reduced security restrictions.

/dev-mode

Developer mode reduces security restrictions. Use with caution in production environments.

/safe-mode - Maximum Security

Enable safe mode with maximum security restrictions.

/safe-mode

Enables:

• Maximum security restrictions
• Enhanced approval requirements
• Limited file system access

/clear-approvals - Clear Session Approvals

Clear all cached approvals for the current session.

/clear-approvals

Effect: Requires fresh approval for previously approved operations

🖥️ VM Operations

/vm - VM Mode Control

Switch to virtual machine mode for isolated development.

/vm
/vm-mode

/vm-create - Create VM Container

Create a new VM container from repository URL.

/vm-create https://github.com/user/repo.git

/vm-list - List VM Containers

Display all active VM containers.

/vm-list

/vm-connect - Connect to VM

Connect to a specific VM container.

/vm-connect [container-id]

/vm-create-pr - Create Pull Request

Create pull request from VM container changes.

/vm-create-pr [container-id] "PR Title" "Description"

/vm-stop - Stop VM Container

Stop a running VM container.

/vm-stop [container-id]

/vm-remove - Remove VM Container

Remove a VM container completely.

/vm-remove [container-id]

/vm-logs - View VM Logs

View logs from a VM container.

/vm-logs [container-id]

🪄 AI Features

/analyze-image - Vision Analysis

Analyze images using AI vision capabilities.

/analyze-image path/to/image.jpg
/vision path/to/screenshot.png

/generate-image - Image Generation

Generate images from text descriptions.

/generate-image "A futuristic cityscape at sunset"
/create-image "Modern web application interface"

/diagnostic - System Diagnostics

Run system diagnostics and monitoring.

/diagnostic
/diag
/monitor
/diag-status

🗄️ Memory & Data Management

/remember - Store Information

Store information in long-term memory.

/remember "Important project details or facts"

/recall - Retrieve Information

Search and retrieve stored memories.

/recall "search query for stored information"

/memory - Memory Management

Manage memory system and stored information.

/memory

/forget - Remove Information

Remove information from memory.

/forget [memory-id or query]

/snapshot - Create Project Snapshot

Create snapshot of current project state.

/snapshot "Before major refactoring"
/snap "Pre-deployment state"

/restore - Restore from Snapshot

Restore project to previous snapshot state.

/restore [snapshot-id]

/snapshots - List Snapshots

Display all available project snapshots.

/snapshots

/index - Index Management

Manage project indexing for search and context.

/index

Operating Modes

NikCLI supports three primary operating modes accessible via Shift+Tab:

💬 Default Chat

Standard Mode

• Interactive conversation
• Manual confirmation for operations
• Step-by-step guidance
• Best for learning and experimentation

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+C	Stop current operation or streaming response
/	Open command menu (when not processing)
Shift+Tab	Cycle between operating modes
ESC	Return to default chat mode
Tab	Auto-complete commands and file paths

Command Tips

Auto-completion

Use Tab for command and file path completion

/read src/comp[Tab] → /read src/components/

Command History

Use up/down arrows to navigate command history

Previous commands are automatically saved

Contextual Help

Add --help to any command for detailed usage

/plan --help
/agent --help

Command Aliases

Many commands have shorter aliases

• /sh → /run
• /todos → /todo list
• /exit → /quit

Next Steps

Mode Control

Learn about operating modes and mode switching

File Operations

Master file system operations and management

Agent Management

Deep dive into AI agent orchestration

Terminal Operations

Execute and manage terminal commands safely

Use /help at any time to see all available commands. Commands are context-aware and will show relevant options based on your current project and mode.