ayder-cli 1.0

AI agent for any LLMs

ayder-cli

A multi-provider AI agent chat client for your terminal. ayder supports Ollama, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, or any OpenAI-compatible API and provides an autonomous coding assistant with file system tools and shell access.

Supported LLM providers

• Ollama (local or cloud)
• Anthropic Claude
• OpenAI
• Gemini
• DeepSeek (via OpenAI-compatible driver)
• Qwen (via DashScope native driver)
• GLM / ChatGLM (via ZhipuAI native driver)

Why ayder-cli?

Most AI coding assistants require cloud APIs, subscriptions, or heavy IDE plugins. ayder-cli takes a different approach:

• Multi-provider -- switch between Ollama, Anthropic Claude, Gemini, or any OpenAI-compatible API with a single /provider command. Each provider has its own config profile.
• 7 native drivers -- Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen (DashScope), and GLM (ZhipuAI). Each driver guarantees native tool calling and streaming support.
• Fully local or cloud -- run locally with Ollama, or connect to any cloud provider.
• Agentic workflow -- the LLM reads files, edits code, runs shell commands, and iterates autonomously with configurable iteration limits per message.
• Textual TUI -- an inline terminal interface with chat view, tool panel, thinking block toggle, slash command auto-completion, permission toggles, and tool confirmation modals with diff previews.
• Minimal dependencies -- OpenAI SDK, Rich, and Textual. Other provider SDKs are optional.

Tested Providers with Models

Provider	Location	Model
ollama	Cloud	deepseek-v3.2:cloud
ollama	Cloud	gemini-3-pro-preview:latest
ollama	Local	glm-4.7-flash:latest
ollama	Cloud	glm-4.7:cloud
ollama	Cloud	glm-5:cloud
ollama	Local	glm-ocr:latest
ollama	Cloud	gpt-oss:120b-cloud
ollama	Cloud	kimi-k2.5:cloud
ollama	Cloud	minimax-m2.5:cloud
ollama	Local	ministral-3:14b
ollama	Cloud	qwen3-coder-next:cloud
ollama	Cloud	qwen3-coder:480b-cloud
ollama	Local	qwen3-coder:latest
anthropic	Cloud	claude-opus-4-6
anthropic	Cloud	claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929
anthropic	Cloud	claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
openai	Cloud	GPT-5.3-Codex
openai	Cloud	GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark
openai	Cloud	GPT-5.2
openai	Cloud	GPT-5
gemini	Cloud	gemini-3-deep-think
gemini	Cloud	gemini-3-pro
gemini	Cloud	gemini-3-flash

Tools

LLMs on their own can only generate text. To be a useful coding assistant, the model needs to act on your codebase. ayder-cli provides 25 tools across 10 categories that the model can call:

Each tool has an OpenAI-compatible JSON schema so models that support function calling can use them natively. For models that don't, ayder-cli also parses a custom XML-like syntax (<function=name><parameter=key>value</parameter></function>) as a fallback.

• Path sandboxing: All file operations are confined to the project root via ProjectContext. Path traversal attacks (../) and absolute paths outside the project are blocked.
• Safe mode (TUI): Blocks file_editor, run_shell_command, run_background_process, kill_background_process, and fetch_web.
• Every tool call requires your confirmation before it runs -- you always stay in control. Use -r, -w, -x flags to auto-approve tool categories.
• You may also prefer to run ayder-cli in a container for additional security.

Installation

Requires Python 3.12+. Works best with uv tool. If you don't have uv in your path, get it from Astral uv

# Install to user environment
uv tool install ayder-cli

# or install from PyPI
pip install ayder-cli

# For nightly builds:
git clone https://github.com/ayder/ayder-cli.git
cd ayder-cli

# Install in development mode
python3.12 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e .

# Or as a uv tool (always on the path)
uv tool install -e .

Ollama setup (default provider)

# Make sure Ollama is running with a model
ollama pull qwen3-coder
ollama serve

# Optional: optimize Ollama for your model
export OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=65536
export OLLAMA_FLASH_ATTENTION=true
export OLLAMA_MAX_LOADED_MODELS=1

Anthropic setup (optional)

# Install the Anthropic SDK
pip install anthropic

# Set your API key in ~/.ayder/config.toml (see Configuration below)
# Then switch provider:
#   /provider anthropic

Gemini setup (optional)

# Install the Google Generative AI SDK
pip install google-generativeai

Set your API key in ~/.ayder/config.toml, then switch provider: /provider gemini

Configuration: Profiles and Drivers

ayder-cli uses a flexible profile-based configuration system. On the first run, it creates a config file at ~/.ayder/config.toml.

Key Concepts:

• Profile Name: A custom named section (e.g., [llm.my_ollama]). You can define as many profiles as you want.
• Driver: The underlying native SDK or adapter used by the profile (ollama, openai, anthropic, google, deepseek, qwen, or glm). Each driver guarantees full support for native tool calling and streaming.
• Active Provider: The provider setting under [app] determines which profile is currently active.
• Chat Protocol: By default, all drivers use native tool calling (chat_protocol = "ollama"). If you encounter a model that fails to trigger tools natively, you can set chat_protocol = "xml" in that profile to force an XML-based fallback.

Example: Running the Same Model via Different Drivers

Because profiles are just names, you can configure the same model to run through different drivers:

config_version = "2.0"

[app]
provider = "qwen_local" # <--- Currently using the local Ollama version

# --- Profiles ---

# 1. Local Qwen via Ollama driver
[llm.qwen_local]
driver = "ollama"
base_url = "http://localhost:11434"
model = "qwen2.5-coder:latest"
num_ctx = 65536

# 2. Cloud Qwen via OpenAI driver (e.g., DeepInfra, Together)
[llm.qwen_cloud]
driver = "openai"
base_url = "https://api.deepinfra.com/v1/openai"
api_key = "sk-..."
model = "Qwen/Qwen2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct"
num_ctx = 65536

In the TUI, typing /provider qwen_cloud seamlessly switches from your local GPU to the cloud endpoint.

Full Configuration Reference

config_version = "2.0"

[app]
provider = "openai"           # Active provider profile name
editor = "vim"                # Editor for /task-edit command
verbose = false               # Show file contents after write + LLM debug
max_background_processes = 5  # Max concurrent background processes (1-20)
max_iterations = 10           # Max agentic iterations per message (1-100)
max_output_tokens = 4096      # Max tokens in LLM response
max_history_messages = 30     # Messages kept in history
prompt = "STANDARD"           # System prompt tier: MINIMAL, STANDARD, EXTENDED
tool_tags = ["core", "metadata"]  # Enabled tool tags (see /plugin)

[logging]
file_enabled = true
file_path = ".ayder/log/ayder.log"
rotation = "10 MB"
retention = "7 days"

[context_manager]
enabled = false
max_context_tokens = 8192

[temporal]
enabled = false
host = "localhost:7233"
namespace = "default"
metadata_dir = ".ayder/temporal"

# --- Provider Profiles ---

[llm.my_local_ollama]
driver = "ollama"
base_url = "http://localhost:11434"
model = "qwen3-coder:latest"
num_ctx = 65536

[llm.openai_cloud]
driver = "openai"
api_key = "sk-..."
model = "gpt-4o"
num_ctx = 128000

[llm.anthropic]
driver = "anthropic"
api_key = "sk-ant-..."
model = "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929"
num_ctx = 200000

[llm.gemini]
driver = "google"
api_key = "AIza..."
model = "gemini-3-pro"
num_ctx = 1000000

Please adjust num_ctx context size window according to your local computer RAM. If Ollama crashes, decrease the value.

Changing Models on the Fly (/model)

You do not need a separate profile for every model. The profile defines the connection (driver, base URL, API key).

Once a profile is active, use /model in the TUI to swap models on the fly:

• Interactive Picker: /model with no arguments queries the active driver for available models and opens a picker.
• Direct Switch: /model <model-name> immediately switches to that model.

Changes made with /model apply to the current session only. To make a model the permanent default, update model = "..." in your config.toml.

Usage

# Start (launches TUI by default)
ayder

# Or run as a module
python3 -m ayder_cli

Command Mode (Non-Interactive)

# Execute a single command and exit
ayder "create a hello.py script"

# Pipe input (auto-detected, no flag needed)
echo "create a test.py file" | ayder

# Read from file
ayder -f instructions.txt

# Explicit stdin mode
ayder --stdin < prompt.txt

# Use a custom system prompt file
ayder --prompt prompt-file.md "refactor this code"

Task Commands (CLI Mode)

Execute task-related commands directly without entering the TUI:

# List all tasks
ayder --tasks

# Implement a specific task by ID or name
ayder --implement 1
ayder --implement auth

# Implement all pending tasks sequentially
ayder --implement-all

Tool Permissions (-r/-w/-x/--http)

By default, every tool call requires user confirmation. Use permission flags to auto-approve tool categories:

Flag	Category	Tools
-r	Read	file_explorer, read_file, search_codebase, get_project_structure, load_memory, get_background_output, list_background_processes, list_tasks, show_task, list_virtualenvs, activate_virtualenv
-w	Write	file_editor, create_note, save_memory, manage_environment_vars, python_editor, temporal_workflow
-x	Execute	run_shell_command, run_background_process, kill_background_process, create_virtualenv, install_requirements, remove_virtualenv
--http	Web/Network	fetch_web, dbs_tool

# Auto-approve read-only tools
ayder -r

# Auto-approve read and write tools
ayder -r -w

# Auto-approve everything (fully autonomous)
ayder -r -w -x

# Allow web tools without prompts
ayder -r --http

# Combine with other flags
ayder -r -w "refactor the login module"
echo "fix the bug" | ayder -r -w -x

Context Management

As conversations grow, LLM performance degrades due to context bloat — long tool results, stale history, and repeated context eat into the model's usable window. ayder-cli includes a built-in context manager that solves this automatically. Every message is assigned an importance tier (system > recent user > recent assistant > tool results > old history), and when the conversation approaches the token budget the manager compresses old tool results (JSON outputs are structurally summarized, large text is head/tail truncated) and prunes the lowest-priority messages first. Tool call + tool result pairs are kept as atomic units so the model never sees orphaned results. If tiktoken is installed, token counts are exact; otherwise a character-based heuristic is used (~4 chars/token for text, ~3.5 for code).

The context manager is enabled by default and configured under [context_manager] in config.toml. The defaults work well for most setups, but here are the knobs you can tune:

Setting	Default	Description
enabled	true	Master switch. Set false to disable all automatic management.
max_context_tokens	8192	Total token budget for the conversation. Set this to match your model's context window (e.g., 65536 for qwen3-coder, 200000 for Claude).
reserve_ratio	0.30	Fraction of the budget reserved for the LLM response. A 30% reserve on 65k tokens means ~45k tokens are available for history.
summarization_threshold	0.70	When utilization exceeds this ratio, the manager triggers summarization.
compression_threshold	0.50	When utilization exceeds this ratio, old tool results are compressed.
tool_result_compress_age	5	Tool results older than N messages are eligible for compression.
max_tool_result_length	2048	Maximum character length for a compressed tool result.
compress_tool_results	true	Enable automatic tool result compression.

For small local models (7B-14B), lower max_context_tokens to match the model's actual window and reduce reserve_ratio to 0.20 so more history fits. For large cloud models, increase max_context_tokens and raise summarization_threshold to 0.80 to delay summarization and let the model use its full reasoning capacity. You can also manually manage context with /save-memory, /load-memory, and /compact.

Slash Commands

Command	Description
/help	Show available commands and keyboard shortcuts
/provider	Switch LLM provider (interactive selector or direct name)
/model	List available models or switch model (e.g., /model qwen3-coder)
/plugin	Toggle tool plugins by tag (e.g., venv, http, background, python, dbs)
/tools	List currently enabled tools and descriptions
/permission	Toggle permission levels (r/w/x/http) interactively
/ask	Ask a general question without using tools
/plan	Analyze request and create implementation tasks
/tasks	Browse and implement tasks from .ayder/tasks/
/implement [id]	Interactive task picker, or implement by ID (e.g., /implement 1)
/notes	Browse and edit markdown notes
/skill	Activate a domain skill from .ayder/skills/
/verbose	Toggle verbose mode
/logging	Set log level for current session (NONE, ERROR, WARNING, INFO, DEBUG)
/compact	Summarize conversation, save to memory, clear, and reload context
/save-memory	Summarize conversation and save to memory (no clear)
/load-memory	Load memory and restore context
/archive-completed-tasks	Move completed tasks to .ayder/task_archive/
/temporal	Start/status Temporal queue worker

Logging

• Default: when logging is enabled, logs go to .ayder/log/ayder.log (not shown on screen).
• TUI /logging changes are session-only and do not modify config.toml.
• CLI --verbose [LEVEL] enables stdout logging for that run.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Q	Quit
Ctrl+X / Ctrl+C	Cancel current operation
Ctrl+L	Clear chat
Ctrl+O	Toggle tool panel
Ctrl+T	Toggle thinking/reasoning blocks
PageUp / PageDown	Scroll chat view
Tab	Auto-complete slash commands

Efficiency & Optimization

ayder-cli is optimized for both large and small (local) LLMs:

• Dynamic Tool Loading: Only core and metadata tools are loaded by default. Use /plugin to enable specialized toolsets (venv, python, http, background, dbs, temporal, env) only when needed.
• Tiered Prompts: Use prompt = "MINIMAL" in config for smaller models (7B-14B) to strip complex reasoning frameworks and improve follow-through.
• Automatic Context Bounding: Conversation history is bounded based on max_history_messages to prevent context rot.
• Tool System Prompts: Tool-specific prompt blocks (e.g., DBS instructions) are only injected when their tag is enabled, keeping the system prompt lean.

Operational Modes

Default Mode

The standard mode for general coding and chat. Uses the system prompt.

> create a fibonacci function

Available tools: File read/write, shell commands, search, memory, notes, tasks.

Planning Mode (/plan)

Activated with /plan. The AI breaks down requirements into tasks stored in .ayder/tasks/.

> /plan add user authentication to the app

Task Mode (/implement)

Activated with /implement. The AI implements tasks from the task list.

> /implement        # Interactive task picker
> /implement 1      # Implement TASK-001 directly

Task Management

ayder-cli includes a built-in task system:

1. Plan (/plan) -- Break down requirements into tasks
2. Implement (/implement) -- Work through tasks one by one
3. Archive (/archive-completed-tasks) -- Move done tasks to archive

Tasks are stored as markdown files in .ayder/tasks/ using slug-based filenames (e.g., TASK-001-add-auth-middleware.md).

> /tasks            # Interactive task browser
> /task-edit 1      # Open TASK-001 in the in-app editor
> /implement 1      # Implement TASK-001

Pluggable Tool Architecture

Adding a new tool is as simple as:

1. Create a definition file: src/ayder_cli/tools/builtins/mytool_definitions.py
2. Implement the tool function: Add your logic in a corresponding .py file
3. Done! Auto-discovery registers the tool automatically

The tool system:

• Discovers all *_definitions.py files automatically
• Validates for duplicate names and required tools
• Registers tools with the LLM via OpenAI-compatible schemas
• Supports tag-based filtering for dynamic enable/disable
• Injects tool-specific system prompts when enabled

Current tool categories (25 tools):

Category	Tools
Filesystem	file_explorer, read_file, file_editor
Search	search_codebase, get_project_structure
Shell	run_shell_command
Python Editor	python_editor (CST-based structural code manipulation)
Memory	save_memory, load_memory
Notes	create_note
Background Processes	run_background_process, get_background_output, kill_background_process, list_background_processes
Tasks	list_tasks, show_task
Environment	manage_environment_vars
Virtual Environments	create_virtualenv, install_requirements, list_virtualenvs, activate_virtualenv, remove_virtualenv
Web	fetch_web
DBS	dbs_tool (RAG API for DBS-related queries)
Workflow	temporal_workflow

License

MIT