Commands Overview

Complete reference for all NikCLI commands

Command Reference

NikCLI provides over 50 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

5 commands: settings and preferences

Session Management

4 commands: session control and history

Agent Management

8 commands: AI agent orchestration

Planning & Todo

3 commands: task planning and management

Security

4 commands: security and permissions

File Operations

5 commands: file system operations

Terminal

8 commands: command execution

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

🧠 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

Supported Providers:

• Anthropic: claude-3-opus, claude-3-sonnet, claude-3-haiku
• OpenAI: gpt-4, gpt-3.5-turbo
• Google: gemini-pro, gemini-pro-vision
• Ollama: ollama:model-name

/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 encrypted and stored securely in your local configuration.

⚙️ 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
• Performance metrics

/agent - Run Specific Agent

Execute a specific agent with a given task.

/agent coding-agent "analyze this function for optimization"
/agent react-expert "create a responsive navigation component"
/agent backend-agent "implement user authentication API"

/auto - Autonomous Execution

Enable autonomous multi-agent 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
• Multi-agent coordination
• Minimal user intervention
• Progress tracking

/parallel - Parallel Agent Execution

Run multiple agents simultaneously on the same task.

/parallel "coding-agent,react-expert" "create a login component"
/parallel "backend-agent,frontend-agent" "implement user profile management"

/factory - Agent Factory Dashboard

Open the agent factory for creating and managing custom agents.

/factory

Provides:

• Agent creation wizard
• Template library
• Performance analytics
• Agent deployment tools

/create-agent - Create Custom Agent

Create a new specialized agent for specific tasks.

/create-agent "React Testing Expert"
/create-agent "Database Optimization Specialist"
/create-agent "UI/UX Design Assistant"

/launch-agent - Launch from Blueprint

Launch an agent from a saved blueprint configuration.

/launch-agent abc123 "optimize performance"
/launch-agent react-blueprint "create component library"

/context - Workspace Context

Select or view workspace context paths for agents.

# Show current context
/context

# Set context paths
/context src/ tests/
/context src/components/ src/hooks/

Purpose: Focuses agents on specific parts of your codebase

/stream - Agent Stream Dashboard

View live agent activity streams or clear completed streams.

# Show stream dashboard
/stream

# Clear completed streams
/stream clear

📋 Planning & Todo Commands

/plan - Execution Planning

Create, execute, and manage execution plans for complex tasks.

# Create new plan
/plan create "Build authentication system"

# Execute plan
/plan execute [planId]

# Show plan status
/plan show [planId]

# List all plans
/plan list

# Request approval
/plan approve [planId]

Plan Features:

• Automatic task breakdown
• Dependency tracking
• Progress monitoring
• Approval workflows

/todo - Todo Management

Manage todo lists and task tracking.

# List all todo lists
/todo list

# Show todos for specific plan
/todo show [planId]

# Open todo.md in editor
/todo open

# Edit todo.md file
/todo edit

/todos - Quick Todo List

Alias for /todo list - quickly view all todo items.

/todos

🛡️ Security Commands

/security - Security Management

Manage security settings and view current security status.

# Show security status
/security status

# Change security settings
/security set approval-mode strict
/security set command-execution restricted

# Show security help
/security help

Security Levels:

• Safe Mode: Maximum restrictions
• Default Mode: Balanced approach
• Developer Mode: Minimal restrictions

/dev-mode - Developer Mode

Enable developer mode with reduced security restrictions.

# Enable for 30 minutes (default: 60)
/dev-mode enable 30

# Check status
/dev-mode status

# Show help
/dev-mode help

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:

• Approval required for all operations
• Restricted command execution
• Limited file system access
• Enhanced audit logging

/clear-approvals - Clear Session Approvals

Clear all cached approvals for the current session.

/clear-approvals

Effect: Requires fresh approval for previously approved operations

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.