ZDS AI CLI

A multi-backend conversational AI CLI tool with intelligent text editor capabilities and tool usage. Supports OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, X.AI Grok, Ollama, and other OpenAI-compatible providers.

Features

⚡ Multi-Backend Support: Works with OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, X.AI Grok, Ollama, OpenRouter, and any OpenAI-compatible API
📝 Smart File Operations: AI automatically uses tools to view, create, and edit files
⚡ Zsh Integration: Execute shell commands through natural conversation
🔧 Automatic Tool Selection: AI intelligently chooses the right tools for your requests
🚀 Morph Fast Apply: Optional high-speed code editing at 4,500+ tokens/sec with 98% accuracy
🔌 MCP Tools: Extend capabilities with Model Context Protocol servers (Linear, GitHub, etc.)
💬 Interactive UI: Beautiful terminal interface built with Ink
🌍 Global Installation: Install and use anywhere with bun add -g @zds-ai/cli

Installation

Prerequisites

Bun 1.0+ (or Node.js 18+ as fallback)
API key from your chosen provider:
- X.AI Grok: Get from X.AI
- OpenAI: Get from OpenAI Platform
- Anthropic Claude: Get from Anthropic Console
- Ollama: Self-hosted (no API key needed) or Ollama Cloud (get from Ollama Cloud)
- OpenRouter: Get from OpenRouter
(Optional, Recommended) Morph API key for Fast Apply editing

System Dependencies

zai-cli requires the following system tools for certain features:

ripgrep (required for search functionality)
- macOS: brew install ripgrep
- Ubuntu/Debian: apt install ripgrep
- Windows: choco install ripgrep or download from releases
- Other platforms: See ripgrep installation guide
Python 3 with openpyxl (optional, required for XLSX file reading)
- Install: pip3 install openpyxl or python3 -m pip install openpyxl
- Most systems already have Python 3 installed
exiftool (optional, required for PNG metadata extraction)
- macOS: brew install exiftool
- Ubuntu/Debian: apt install libimage-exiftool-perl
- Windows: Download from exiftool.org
- Other platforms: See exiftool installation guide

Global Installation (Recommended)

bun add -g @zds-ai/cli

Or with npm (fallback):

npm install -g @zds-ai/cli

Local Development

git clone <repository>
cd zds-ai-cli
bun install
bun run build
bun link

Setup

Quick Start with X.AI Grok (Default)

Note: Environment variables use GROK_* prefixes (legacy naming from the original fork), but they work with all backends, not just Grok. See "Using Other Providers" below to configure different backends.

Important: As of December 15, 2025, Grok's search_parameters API has been deprecated. zai-cli now uses the new Agent Tools API for web search functionality. Old code using search_parameters is automatically converted to the new format for backward compatibility. See Grok's Agent Tools documentation for details.

Get your API key from X.AI

Set up your API key (choose one method):

Method 1: Environment Variable

export GROK_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Method 2: .env File

cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env and add your API key

Method 3: Command Line Flag

zai-cli --api-key your_api_key_here

Method 4: User Settings File

Create ~/.zds-ai/cli-settings.json:

{
  "apiKey": "your_api_key_here"
}

Using Other Providers

zai-cli supports any OpenAI-compatible API. Set your provider's API key and base URL:

OpenAI:

export GROK_API_KEY=your_openai_key
export GROK_BASE_URL=https://api.openai.com/v1
export GROK_MODEL=gpt-4o

Ollama (Local):

export GROK_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434/v1
export GROK_MODEL=llama3

# No API key needed for local Ollama

OpenRouter:

export GROK_API_KEY=your_openrouter_key
export GROK_BASE_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
export GROK_MODEL=anthropic/claude-4.5-sonnet

(Optional, Recommended) Get your Morph API key from Morph Dashboard
Set up your Morph API key for Fast Apply editing (choose one method):

Method 1: Environment Variable
```
export MORPH_API_KEY=your_morph_api_key_here
```
Method 2: .env File
```
# Add to your .env file

MORPH_API_KEY=your_morph_api_key_here
```

Custom Base URL (Optional)

By default, the CLI uses https://api.x.ai/v1 as the API endpoint. You can configure a custom endpoint if needed (choose one method):

Method 1: Environment Variable

export GROK_BASE_URL=https://your-custom-endpoint.com/v1

Method 2: Command Line Flag

zai-cli --api-key your_api_key_here --base-url https://your-custom-endpoint.com/v1

Method 3: User Settings File

Add to ~/.zds-ai/cli-settings.json:

{
  "apiKey": "your_api_key_here",
  "baseURL": "https://your-custom-endpoint.com/v1"
}

Configuration Files

zds-bot merges bot-settings.json and bot-mcp.json across seven config tiers (lowest to highest priority): shipped defaults, global bot config dir (set via $ZDS_AI_BOT_GLOBAL_CONFIG_DIR; this tier is skipped entirely if unset -- no hardcoded default path), bot/agent config dir, project dir (.zds-ai/), task dir (.zds-ai/), current working directory (.zds-ai/), and forced overrides. A higher tier's key overrides the same key from a lower tier; keys a tier doesn't set fall through from lower tiers. See src/utils/config-tiers.ts for the exact resolution order.

`bot-settings.json`

Stores API key, base URL, default/current model, the available models list, temperature, max tokens, and hook commands. Any tier's bot-settings.json can set any of these keys.

Example (e.g. a project-tier .zds-ai/bot-settings.json):

{
  "apiKey": "your_api_key_here",
  "baseURL": "https://api.x.ai/v1",
  "defaultModel": "grok-4.3",
  "models": [
    "grok-4.3",
    "grok-build-0.1"
  ]
}

A project- or task-level bot-settings.json (e.g. .zds-ai/bot-settings.json in your project directory) can override just the keys it cares about, such as model:

{
  "model": "grok-build-0.1"
}

Instance Hook

You can configure an instance hook command that runs for every instance (new and resumed sessions). Its output is parsed for commands (see Hooks System below) and can set environment variables, switch models/backends, or add to the system prompt.

Example use cases:

Show current date/time: "instanceHook": "date"
Custom environment info: "instanceHook": "/path/to/your/script.sh"

The command runs with a 10-second timeout.

`bot-mcp.json`

Stores MCP server configurations, resolved across the same seven tiers.

Example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "name": "linear",
      "transport": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@linear/mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

How It Works

Global Defaults: The global tier provides your default preferences
Project/Task/PWD Override: Lower-scoped tiers override defaults for specific projects, tasks, or directories
Fallback Logic: PWD model → task model → project model → bot-config model → global model → default (grok-4.3)

This means you can have different models for different projects while maintaining consistent global settings like your API key.

Using Other API Providers

Important: zai-cli uses OpenAI-compatible APIs. You can use any provider that implements the OpenAI chat completions standard.

Popular Providers:

X.AI (grok): https://api.x.ai/v1 (default)
OpenAI: https://api.openai.com/v1
OpenRouter: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
Groq: https://api.groq.com/openai/v1

Example with OpenRouter:

{
  "apiKey": "your_openrouter_key",
  "baseURL": "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1",
  "defaultModel": "anthropic/claude-4.5-sonnet",
  "models": [
    "anthropic/claude-4.5-sonnet",
    "openai/gpt-4o",
    "meta-llama/llama-3.1-70b-instruct"
  ]
}

Usage

Interactive Mode

Start the conversational AI assistant:

zai-cli

Or specify a working directory:

zai-cli -d /path/to/project

Headless Mode

Process a single prompt and exit (useful for scripting and automation):

zai-cli --prompt "show me the package.json file"
zai-cli -p "create a new file called example.js with a hello world function"
zai-cli --prompt "run bun test and show me the results" --directory /path/to/project
zai-cli --prompt "complex task" --max-tool-rounds 50  # Limit tool usage for faster execution

This mode is particularly useful for:

CI/CD pipelines: Automate code analysis and file operations
Scripting: Integrate AI assistance into shell scripts
Terminal benchmarks: Perfect for tools like Terminal Bench that need non-interactive execution
Batch processing: Process multiple prompts programmatically

Tool Execution Control

By default, zai-cli allows up to 400 tool execution rounds to handle complex multi-step tasks. You can control this behavior:

# Limit tool rounds for faster execution on simple tasks

zai-cli --max-tool-rounds 10 --prompt "show me the current directory"

# Increase limit for very complex tasks (use with caution)

zai-cli --max-tool-rounds 1000 --prompt "comprehensive code refactoring"

# Works with all modes

zai-cli --max-tool-rounds 20  # Interactive mode

Use Cases:

Fast responses: Lower limits (10-50) for simple queries
Complex automation: Higher limits (500+) for comprehensive tasks
Resource control: Prevent runaway executions in automated environments

Model Selection

You can specify which AI model to use with the --model parameter or GROK_MODEL environment variable:

Method 1: Command Line Flag

# Use grok models

zai-cli --model grok-code-fast-1
zai-cli --model grok-4-latest
zai-cli --model grok-3-latest
zai-cli --model grok-3-fast

# Use other models (with appropriate API endpoint)

zai-cli --model gemini-2.5-pro --base-url https://api-endpoint.com/v1
zai-cli --model claude-sonnet-4-20250514 --base-url https://api-endpoint.com/v1

Method 2: Environment Variable

export GROK_MODEL=grok-code-fast-1
zai-cli

Method 3: User Settings File

Add to ~/.zds-ai/cli-settings.json:

{
  "apiKey": "your_api_key_here",
  "defaultModel": "grok-code-fast-1"
}

Model Priority: --model flag > ZDS_AI_MODEL environment variable > user default model > system default (grok-4.3)

Image Support

zai-cli supports sending images to vision-capable AI models. Use the @ prefix to reference image files in your messages:

# Absolute path

zai-cli --prompt "What's in this image? @/Users/joseph/photos/image.jpg"

# Relative path

zai-cli --prompt "Analyze @./screenshot.png"

# Tilde expansion

zai-cli --prompt "Describe @~/Pictures/photo.jpg"

# Paths with spaces (quoted)

zai-cli --prompt 'Compare these images: @"~/My Pictures/photo1.jpg" @"~/My Pictures/photo2.jpg"'

# Paths with spaces (escaped)

zai-cli --prompt "What's here? @/Users/joseph/My\ Documents/image.png"

Supported Image Formats: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .webp, .bmp

Vision-Capable Models: Image support works with vision models like:

grok-4-1-fast-reasoning
grok-vision-beta
Other vision-enabled models (via custom base URLs)

Automatic Fallback: If you send an image to a model that doesn't support vision, zai-cli will automatically detect the error and retry with text-only content.

Interactive Mode: The @ syntax works in both interactive and headless (--prompt) modes.

Command Line Options

zai-cli [options]

Options:
  -V, --version                       output the version number
  -d, --directory <dir>               set working directory
  -k, --api-key <key>                 API key for your backend (or set GROK_API_KEY env var -- works with all backends)
  -b, --backend <name>                Backend display name (e.g., grok, openai, claude)
  -u, --base-url <url>                API base URL (or set GROK_BASE_URL env var)
  -m, --model <model>                 AI model to use (e.g., grok-code-fast-1, grok-4-latest) (or set GROK_MODEL env
                                      var)
  -t, --temperature <temp>            temperature for API requests (0.0-2.0, default: 0.7) (default: "0.7")
  --max-tokens <tokens>               maximum tokens for API responses (positive integer, no default = API default)
  -p, --prompt [prompt]               process a single prompt and exit (headless mode).  If no prompt provided, reads
                                      from stdin
  --max-tool-rounds <rounds>          maximum number of tool execution rounds (default: 400) (default: "400")
  --fresh                             start with a fresh session (don't load previous chat history)
  --auto-approve                      auto-approve all operations without confirmation prompts
  --auto-approve-commands <commands>  comma-separated list of commands to auto-approve (e.g.,
                                      'chdir,list_files,pwd')
  -c, --context <file>                path to context persistence file (default: ~/.zds-ai/context.json)
  --no-ink                            disable Ink UI and use plain console input/output
  --debug-log <file>                  redirect MCP server debug output to log file instead of suppressing
  --show-all-tools                    list all available tools (internal and MCP) and exit
  --show-context-stats                display token usage stats for the specified context file and exit
  -h, --help                          display help for command

Custom Instructions

Note: Custom instructions still use the legacy .grok/ directory paths (not .zds-ai/). This is for backwards compatibility with the original fork.

You can provide custom instructions to tailor zai-cli's behavior by creating GROK.md files in two locations:

Global instructions (apply to all projects): ~/.grok/GROK.md
Project-specific instructions (apply only to the current project): .grok/GROK.md in your project directory

Global instructions are loaded first, followed by project-specific instructions. If both exist, they are combined in that order.

To create project-specific instructions:

mkdir .grok

Create .grok/GROK.md with your custom instructions:

# Custom Instructions for zai-cli

- Always use TypeScript for any new code files.
- When creating React components, use functional components with hooks.
- Prefer const assertions and explicit typing over inference where it improves clarity.
- Always add JSDoc comments for public functions and interfaces.
- Follow the existing code style and patterns in this project.

zai-cli will automatically load and follow these instructions when working in your project directory. The custom instructions are added to zai-cli's system prompt and take priority over default behavior.

Morph Fast Apply (Optional)

zai-cli supports Morph's Fast Apply model for high-speed code editing at 4,500+ tokens/sec with 98% accuracy. This is an optional feature that provides lightning-fast file editing capabilities.

Setup: Configure your Morph API key following the setup instructions above.

How It Works

When MORPH_API_KEY is configured:

edit_file tool becomes available alongside the standard str_replace_editor
Optimized for complex edits: Use for multi-line changes, refactoring, and large modifications
Intelligent editing: Uses abbreviated edit format with // ... existing code ... comments
Fallback support: Standard tools remain available if Morph is unavailable

When to use each tool:

edit_file (Morph): Complex edits, refactoring, multi-line changes
str_replace_editor: Simple text replacements, single-line edits

Example Usage

With Morph Fast Apply configured, you can request complex code changes:

zai-cli --prompt "refactor this function to use async/await and add error handling"
zai-cli -p "convert this class to TypeScript and add proper type annotations"

The AI will automatically choose between edit_file (Morph) for complex changes or str_replace_editor for simple replacements.

MCP Tools

zai-cli supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, allowing you to extend the AI assistant with additional tools and capabilities.

Adding MCP Tools

Add a custom MCP server:

# Add an stdio-based MCP server

zai-cli mcp add my-server --transport stdio --command "bun" --args server.js

# Add an HTTP-based MCP server

zai-cli mcp add my-server --transport http --url "http://localhost:3000"

# Add with environment variables

zai-cli mcp add my-server --transport stdio --command "python" --args "-m" "my_mcp_server" --env "API_KEY=your_key"

Add from JSON configuration:

zai-cli mcp add-json my-server '{"command": "bun", "args": ["server.js"], "env": {"API_KEY": "your_key"}}'

Linear Integration Example

To add Linear MCP tools for project management:

# Add Linear MCP server

zai-cli mcp add linear --transport sse --url "https://mcp.linear.app/sse"

This enables Linear tools like:

Create and manage Linear issues
Search and filter issues
Update issue status and assignees
Access team and project information

Managing MCP Servers

# List all configured servers

zai-cli mcp list

# Test server connection

zai-cli mcp test server-name

# Remove a server

zai-cli mcp remove server-name

Available Transport Types

stdio: Run MCP server as a subprocess (most common)
http: Connect to HTTP-based MCP server
sse: Connect via Server-Sent Events

Hooks System

zai-cli includes a powerful hooks system for customizing behavior at various points in the execution lifecycle. Hooks are shell commands that can modify context, set variables, or control execution flow.

Configuring Hooks

Add hooks to any tier's bot-settings.json (e.g. ~/.zds-ai/bot-settings.json or .zds-ai/bot-settings.json in your project directory):

{
  "instanceHook": "/path/to/script.sh",
  "personaHook": "validate-persona.sh",
  "personaHookMandatory": true
}

Available Hooks

Lifecycle Hooks:

instanceHook - Runs for every instance (new and resumed sessions)

Operation Hooks:

postUserInputHook - Runs after user input received
preLLMResponseHook - Runs before prompt sent to LLM
postLLMResponseHook - Runs after LLM response
preToolCallHook - Runs before tool execution
postToolCallHook - Runs after tool execution

Validation Hooks:

taskApprovalHook - Validates task operations (start/transition/stop)
toolApprovalHook - Validates tool execution before running
personaHook - Validates persona changes
moodHook - Validates mood changes

Context Helpers:

contextViewHelper / contextViewHelperGui - Custom context viewing
contextEditHelper / contextEditHelperGui - Custom context editing

Hook Commands

Hooks can output special commands to control the CLI:

# Set environment variables

ENV VAR_NAME=value

# Set prompt variables

SET VAR:NAME=value
SET_FILE VAR:NAME=/path/to/file

# Add system messages

SYSTEM This message appears in the system prompt

# Test backend configurations (persona/mood hooks)

TEST_BACKEND backend_name base_url model api_key_env_var

# Model/backend selection

MODEL model_name
BACKEND backend_name
BASE_URL https://api.example.com/v1
API_KEY_ENV_VAR ENV_VAR_NAME

Personas and Moods

Customize the AI's behavior and context with personas and moods.

Using Personas

# Set persona

/persona debugging red
/persona architect blue

# With hook validation (if personaHook configured)

/persona production-review yellow

Personas can:

Change the AI's behavior and focus
Switch backends/models via hooks
Set environment variables
Add context to the system prompt

Using Moods

# Set mood

/mood focused green
/mood exploratory purple

Moods provide additional behavioral context without changing the fundamental persona.

Configuring Persona/Mood Hooks

{
  "personaHook": "persona-validator.sh",
  "personaHookMandatory": true,
  "moodHook": "mood-setter.sh",
  "moodHookMandatory": false
}

Hook validation can switch backends, set variables, or reject invalid personas/moods.

Active Tasks

Track and manage active tasks with documentation support.

Task Commands

# Start a task

/task start "Implement feature X" "designing" blue

# Update task status

/task status "implementing" yellow

# Stop task and document

/task stop "Feature complete" docs/feature-x.md green

Task Tool Usage

The AI can also manage tasks via tools:

startActiveTask(name, action, color) - Begin tracking a task
transitionActiveTaskStatus(action, color) - Update task status
stopActiveTask(reason, documentationFile, color) - Complete and document task

Tasks persist across sessions and appear in the system prompt.

Session Persistence

zai-cli automatically saves and restores session state between runs.

What Gets Saved

Chat history
Active persona and mood
Current task
Backend and model selection
Working directory
Prompt variables
System prompt

Session Management

# Start fresh session (ignore saved state)

zai-cli --fresh

# View current context

/context

# Edit context manually

/context edit

# Reload context from file

/context reload

# Compact context (keep last 20 messages)

/compact

Context is automatically saved to ~/.zds-ai/context.json

Slash Commands Reference

Help and Information

/? - Introspect tools and environment (alias for /introspect)
/help - Show command help
/introspect - List all available tools and environment info

History Management

/clear - Clear chat history (current session + persisted)
/compact - Reduce context size (keep last 20 messages)

Context Operations

/context - Show context usage info
/context view - View full context in pager (markdown format)
/context edit - Edit context JSON file (opens in $EDITOR)
/context reload - Reload context from file immediately

Model and Backend

/models - Interactive model selection menu
/models <model> - Switch to specific model directly

State Management

/persona <text> [color] - Set current persona
/mood <text> [color] - Set current mood

Response Control

/rephrase [text] - Request rephrasing of last response
/system rephrase [text] - Same as /rephrase but as system message

UI Control

/ink - Switch to Ink UI mode (restart required)
/no-ink - Switch to plain console mode (restart required)

Session Control

/restart - Restart the application (exit code 51)
/exit or exit or quit - Exit application

Development

# Install dependencies

bun install

# Development mode

bun run dev

# Build project

bun run build

# Run linter

bun run lint

# Type check

bun run typecheck

Architecture

Agent: Core command processing and execution logic
Tools: Text editor and bash tool implementations
UI: Ink-based terminal interface components
Types: TypeScript definitions for the entire system

License

MIT

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 396 Commits
.gitea/workflows		.gitea/workflows
.github		.github
bin		bin
docs		docs
src		src
tests		tests
.env.example		.env.example
.gitignore		.gitignore
.npmignore		.npmignore
.trufflehog.yml		.trufflehog.yml
Mzkefile		Mzkefile
app.inc.mk		app.inc.mk
bun.lock		bun.lock
eslint.config.js		eslint.config.js
jest.config.js		jest.config.js
mk		mk
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json

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ZDS AI CLI

Features

Installation

Prerequisites

System Dependencies

Global Installation (Recommended)

Local Development

Setup

Quick Start with X.AI Grok (Default)

Using Other Providers

Custom Base URL (Optional)

Configuration Files

bot-settings.json

Instance Hook

bot-mcp.json

How It Works

Using Other API Providers

Usage

Interactive Mode

Headless Mode

Tool Execution Control

Model Selection

Image Support

Command Line Options

Custom Instructions

Morph Fast Apply (Optional)

How It Works

Example Usage

MCP Tools

Adding MCP Tools

Add a custom MCP server:

Add from JSON configuration:

Linear Integration Example

Managing MCP Servers

Available Transport Types

Hooks System

Configuring Hooks

Available Hooks

Hook Commands

Personas and Moods

Using Personas

Using Moods

Configuring Persona/Mood Hooks

Active Tasks

Task Commands

Task Tool Usage

Session Persistence

What Gets Saved

Session Management

Slash Commands Reference

Help and Information

History Management

Context Operations

Model and Backend

State Management

Response Control

UI Control

Session Control

Development

Architecture

License

About

Resources

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

Packages

Contributors

Languages

`bot-settings.json`

`bot-mcp.json`