byteask 0.1.1

ByteAsk - AI coding agent for your terminal (interactive TUI + C/C++ tooling).

ByteAsk

An AI coding agent for your terminal. Like Claude Code or Codex, byteask drops a capable agent into your shell — an interactive TUI, real tool use, and first-class C/C++ tooling — talking to the self-hosted ByteAsk gateway.

$ byteask

That's it — one command drops you into an interactive session, the same way claude or codex do. First run signs you in; after that, just type.

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Install

Pick whichever fits your setup — they all install the same native engine and share one runtime, so switching between them is free.

pip

pip install byteask

npm

npm install -g @byteask/cli
# or, no install:
npx @byteask/cli

Shell (Linux / macOS)

curl -fsSL https://code.byteask.ai/install.sh | sh

PowerShell (Windows)

irm https://code.byteask.ai/install.ps1 | iex

The pip and npm packages are thin launchers: on first run they fetch the native engine into ~/.byteask/runtime and hand off to it. Nothing else on your machine changes.

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Quickstart

# 1. Sign in (magic link to your email) — or just run `byteask`, it onboards you.
byteask login --email [e-mail]

# 2. Start coding, interactively:
byteask

# 3. Or one-shot a question against the current repo:
byteask "explain what this service does and where the entrypoint is"

Inside the session, type your task in plain English. The agent reads files, runs tools, and proposes edits — you stay in control of what it applies.

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Commands

Command	What it does
byteask	Open the interactive agent (the default)
byteask "…"	Run a one-shot prompt against the current directory
byteask login	Sign in (magic link → token)
byteask logout	Sign out on this machine
byteask --update	Update to the latest engine
byteask --version	Print the version

Inside the TUI, slash commands include /login, /logout, /usage (your quota), /upgrade (Pro / Max), /referral-code, and /status.

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What you get

• Interactive TUI — a real terminal agent, not a chat box: it navigates the repo, runs commands, and shows diffs before applying.
• First-class C/C++ tooling — 16 native tools wired in: Compiler Explorer (godbolt), gdb/lldb, ASan/UBSan/valgrind, clang-tidy, clang-format, clangd navigation, perf/callgrind, quick-bench, cppinsights, objdump/nm/readelf, Intel intrinsics lookup, and more. The agent reaches for them on the tasks that need them.
• Web search built in.
• Zero data retention — your prompts and code are not used to train models.
• Usage that's visible — /usage shows exactly where you stand; upgrade in-app with /upgrade.

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Platforms

OS	Architecture	libc
Linux	x86_64, arm64	glibc
macOS	Apple Silicon (arm64)	—
Windows	x86_64	—

Alpine / musl isn't supported (a core dependency ships no musl build). On Alpine, use WSL or a glibc base image.

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How it works

byteask is a thin client. The intelligence and your account live behind the ByteAsk gateway; the local binary is the agent runtime plus a small launcher that handles sign-in, updates, and your config in ~/.byteask. Your model key never touches your machine.

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Links

• Home: https://code.byteask.ai
• Install script: https://code.byteask.ai/install.sh

© ByteAsk. All rights reserved.