claudio-cli 1.4.0

Claude Intelligence Optimizer — reduce token waste, structure inputs, optimize Claude workflows

Claudio - Claude Intelligence Optimizer

A CLI that sits between you and Claude to reduce token waste, structure your inputs, and make every request cheaper and faster.

Claudio is not a chatbot. It is not a new model. It is a deterministic preprocessing layer that compresses context, filters noise, and builds structured prompts before anything reaches Claude. The result: you pay less, get more relevant output, and iterate faster.

The premise is simple: Claude doesn't need to change. Your inputs do.

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Install

Option 1: pip (recommended)

pip install claudio-cli

Option 2: Source

git clone https://github.com/GuillaumeYves/claudio.git
cd claudio
pip install -e .

Both options install a single command: claudio.

• Run bare claudio to drop inside the tool — interactive session with tab-completion, history, and slash commands (same feel as claude).
• Run claudio <subcommand> … for one-shot use in scripts, pipes, or CI (claudio build -r @file "…", claudio ask -q "…").

Usage pattern — same as claude: cd into your project first, then launch claudio. @file completion, claudio-task.json, and the .claudio/cache/ folder all resolve against the current working directory. To switch projects mid-session without exiting, use /cwd <path>.

Requires Python 3.10+. Everything is bundled by default — no extras to enable.

Post-install setup

After installing, run:

claudio setup

This will:

• Detect if claudio is on your PATH and offer to add it automatically (recommended for speed -- type claudio from any directory instead of python -m claudio)
• Verify Claude CLI is installed
• Create config directory at ~/.config/claudio/
• Install shell completions (Bash, Zsh, or PowerShell) for tab-completing commands, modes, flags, and @file paths

If you decline any step, it shows you the exact command to do it manually.

Claudio calls the Claude CLI under the hood. Install it separately if you haven't already. You can use --dry-run on any command to see the optimized prompt without sending it.

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Commands

Claudio has 3 core commands + stats and setup. Each core command takes a mode, optional file attachments, and a description.

claudio <command> <mode> [@file [-lines]] ... [description]

Argument order is strictly enforced: mode first, then files, then description. This creates a logical parsing flow that lets Claude process the request with zero ambiguity.

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claudio build

Create or modify code.

Mode	Short	Purpose
-refactor	-r	Refactor existing code (preserve behavior, improve structure)
-generate	-g	Generate new code from a description

Examples:

# Refactor a specific function (lines 40-80)
claudio build -refactor @src/auth.py -40-80 "extract the validation logic into its own function"

# Refactor with multiple context files
claudio build -refactor @src/handler.py @src/models.py "consolidate duplicate error handling"

# Generate new code using existing files as reference
claudio build -generate @src/models/user.py "create a REST endpoint for user CRUD operations"

# Generate from scratch
claudio build -generate "python script that watches a directory for CSV changes and loads them into SQLite"

Build applies its changes to disk. Unlike ask (read-only), build grants Claude its editing tools and applies the edits directly, then prints the resulting git diff plus a one-line summary. This is gated by the build_permission_mode config (default acceptEdits); set it to default — or export CLAUDIO_BUILD_PERMISSION_MODE=default — to make build preview-only (describe the change without writing it). Use --dry-run to see the optimized prompt without calling Claude at all.

Refactor output: edits applied in place + a short summary of what changed. Generate output: code written to the target file(s) + a short summary.

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claudio ask

Ask Claude a question.

Mode	Short	Purpose
-review	-rv	Code review (security, quality, bugs)
-question	-q	General question (explain, how-to, architecture)
-debug	-d	Debug an issue (root cause, fix, explanation)

Examples:

# Code review
claudio ask -review @src/auth.py "check for security issues"

# Review specific lines
claudio ask -review @src/api/handler.py -120-180 "is this input validation sufficient"

# Ask a question with file context
claudio ask -question @src/pipeline/process.py "how does the compression stage work"

# Ask without files
claudio ask -question "what is the difference between asyncio.gather and asyncio.wait"

# Debug with error context
claudio ask -debug @logs/error.log -500-520 "why is the connection pool exhausting"

# Debug specific code
claudio ask -debug @src/db.py -30-45 "this query returns duplicates when it shouldn't"

Review output: issues ranked by severity with fixes. Question output: concise, direct answer. Debug output: root cause, fix (as diff), brief explanation.

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claudio run

Execute a multi-step task plan from claudio-task.json.

# Execute the plan (prompts for confirmation)
claudio run

# Execute with additional file context
claudio run @src/config.py @docs/api-spec.md

# Preview all prompts without executing
claudio run --dry-run

# Run as a single agentic session with tool access (Read/Grep/Glob)
claudio run --agentic

claudio run always reads from claudio-task.json in the current directory. It validates the file, warns about missing fields, and asks for confirmation before executing.

Execution modes:

Mode	How it runs	When to use
serial (default)	One claude --print per task	Tasks are independent; you want clean per-task output
--agentic	One session for the whole plan, with Read/Grep/Glob tools	Tasks share reasoning, or Claude should discover files itself

Agentic mode saves tokens on multi-task plans (no per-task prompt re-ingest) and lets Claude carry insight from task 1 into task 2.

Task file format:

{
  "name": "Audit authentication module",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "name": "Review auth middleware",
      "prompt": "Review this middleware for security vulnerabilities",
      "context": "This handles JWT validation for all API routes",
      "intent": "review",
      "constraints": ["Focus on token expiry handling", "Check for injection vectors"],
      "output_format": "Severity-ranked list with fix suggestions"
    },
    {
      "name": "Generate test cases",
      "prompt": "Generate unit tests for the auth middleware edge cases",
      "intent": "generate"
    }
  ]
}

Field	Required	Description
name	Yes (plan + each task)	Human-readable identifier
tasks	Yes	Array of task objects
prompt	Yes (per task)	What Claude should do
context	No	Additional input/context
intent	No	general, debug, refactor, generate, review
constraints	No	Array of requirements for the output
output_format	No	Expected output structure

A template is provided at claudio-task.template.json.

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claudio setup

Post-install configuration.

claudio setup

Checks PATH, offers automatic setup, installs shell completions, verifies Claude CLI.

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Interactive Mode (claudio)

Running claudio drops you inside the tool — same feel as claude. Type commands directly at the prompt. No prefix required for anything.

claudio

  █▀▀ █   ▄▀█ █ █ █▀▄ █ █▀█
  █▄▄ █▄▄ █▀█ █▄█ █▄▀ █ █▄█

  ✻ Claudio v1.3.0

  /help for commands  ·  @ to reference files  ·  Ctrl-D to exit
  cwd: ~/Documents/Perso/claudio

claudio> ask -review @src/auth.py "any token-replay risk?"
claudio [ask -review]> what about input validation?
claudio [ask -review]> /mode build -r
claudio [build -r]> @main.py extract the duplicated try/except

Every command you'd run as claudio build … works as just build … inside the session. @ triggers live tab-completion from the current directory (.git, node_modules, __pycache__, and other noise are filtered out).

Sticky mode + files

After your first explicit ask -review @auth.py "...", the prompt becomes claudio [ask -review]> and follow-up lines that don't start with a command inherit both the mode and the @file set:

claudio [ask -review]> what about input validation?
claudio [ask -review]> any token-replay risk?

• Switch modes with a fresh command (ask -q ..., build -r ...) or pin one without sending via /mode ask -review.
• Adding new @file tokens replaces the prior file set; bare prompts re-attach the previous ones.
• First bare prompt before any mode is pinned defaults to ask -q and prints a one-time hint nudging you to specify intent — the right mode means the right filter / output budget applies (review preserves comments where refactor strips them).
• /fresh wipes sticky state along with the conversation.

Markdown rendering

Responses are rendered through a markdown → ANSI converter when stdout is a TTY: headers get cyan accent, bold is bold, italic is italic, inline code is green, fenced code blocks are dim, lists get cyan bullets, blockquotes get a dim rail, [links](url) show as cyan label + dim URL. Output stays plain when piped, in --json mode, or with NO_COLOR=1 / CLAUDIO_NO_COLOR=1. Streaming preserves styling — partial deltas are line-buffered so spans like **bold** never break mid-chunk.

Tool activity

While Claude uses tools (Read, Edit, Grep, Bash, …) the activity surfaces as either a live spinner update (⠋ claudio is reading auth.py (3.2s)) before text streams, or a dim stderr breadcrumb (↳ claudio is reading auth.py) once the response is mid-flight. Nothing pollutes the response itself.

Slash commands:

Command	Purpose
/help	Show available commands
/model NAME	Pin a model for the session (haiku, sonnet, opus). /model auto resets.
/mode CMD MODE	Pin a sticky mode (/mode ask -review). /mode alone shows current; /mode none clears.
/cwd [PATH]	Show or change the working directory
/clear	Clear the screen
/fresh	Start a new conversation (drops Claude's memory + sticky state)
/session	Print the current session id
/stats	Shortcut for claudio stats inside the REPL
/exit | /quit	Exit (Ctrl-D also works)

History is stored at ~/.claudio/repl_history (or $CLAUDIO_HOME/repl_history). Errors in one command never kill the session — you stay inside until you exit.

The REPL requires a TTY. When stdin is piped or redirected, bare claudio exits with a hint pointing you at the one-shot form (claudio <subcommand> …).

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Shell Completions

claudio setup installs completions automatically. To install manually:

Bash (add to ~/.bashrc):

eval "$(claudio --completions bash)"

Zsh (add to ~/.zshrc):

eval "$(claudio --completions zsh)"

PowerShell (add to $PROFILE):

claudio --completions powershell | Invoke-Expression

What you get:

claudio <TAB>              -> build  ask  run  stats  setup
claudio build -<TAB>       -> -refactor  -r  -generate  -g
claudio ask -<TAB>         -> -review  -rv  -question  -q  -debug  -d
claudio ask -d @src/<TAB>  -> @src/main.py  @src/auth.py  ...

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Response Cache

Claudio caches responses locally. Same prompt = instant result, zero tokens spent.

• Location: .claudio/cache/ in your workspace (auto-gitignored)
• Key: SHA-256 hash of the final optimized prompt
• TTL: 1 hour (expired entries are auto-cleaned)
• Scope: Per-workspace, because the same @file.py in different projects contains different code

Cache hits show a [cache hit] indicator:

[claudio] [cache hit] Returning cached response

Bypass cache for a single request:

claudio ask -question --no-cache @src/main.py "explain this"

Clear all cached responses:

claudio stats --reset

The cache is deterministic: if the file hasn't changed and your prompt is the same, you get the same answer. If you edit the file and run again, the prompt changes (different file contents) so you get a fresh response automatically.

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Cost Tracking

Every request is logged with token estimates and cost. View your usage with:

claudio stats

Claudio Usage Stats

  Period        Requests   Tokens In       Cost  Cache Hits
  ------------ --------- ----------- ---------- -----------
  Today                8       3,200    $0.0340           2
  This week           23      12,500    $0.1520           7
  All time            91      48,000    $0.5800          19

  By Command:
  Command                 Requests   Tokens In       Cost
  ---------------------- --------- ----------- ----------
  ask -review                   12       8,000    $0.1200
  build -refactor               15       6,200    $0.0900
  ask -debug                     8       4,800    $0.0700
  ...

  Cache hit rate: 21% (19 of 91 requests)

JSON output for scripts/dashboards:

claudio stats --json

Reset all data (also clears cache):

claudio stats --reset

Usage data is stored at ~/.config/claudio/usage.json (global, persists across workspaces).

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File Attachments

Attach up to 10 files from your workspace using @path:

claudio build -refactor @src/main.py "simplify error handling"

Add a line range immediately after any @file:

@src/main.py -10-25          # lines 10 through 25
@src/main.py -42             # line 42 only
@logs/error.log -500-520     # lines 500 through 520

Multiple files:

claudio ask -review @src/auth.py -30-60 @src/middleware.py @tests/test_auth.py "is the auth flow correct"

Each file gets its own line range. Claude receives only the lines that matter -- not entire files.

PowerShell note

PowerShell treats @name as the splatting operator and silently drops the token when $name isn't a defined variable — so claudio build -r @src/main.py "fix" becomes claudio build -r "fix" with no warning. Two safe alternatives on PowerShell:

claudio build -r '@src/main.py' "fix"          # quote the @-token
claudio build -r -f src/main.py "fix"          # use -f / --file instead
claudio build -r --file src/main.py -10-25 "fix"

-f / --file is rewritten to @<path> internally, so line ranges and all other features work identically. Bash, zsh, cmd, and the claudio REPL are unaffected.

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Argument Order

Arguments must follow this order:

claudio <command> <mode> [@file [-lines]] ... [description]
     1          2          3                    4

Position	What	Examples
1	Command	build, ask, run
2	Mode flag	-refactor, -review, -debug
3	Files + lines	@file.py -10-25 @other.py
4	Description	"your prompt text here"

Wrong order = error:

claudio build "text" -refactor @file.py      # ERROR: mode after description
claudio build -refactor "text" @file.py      # ERROR: file after description
claudio build @file.py -refactor "text"      # ERROR: mode after file

Why strict order? It eliminates parsing ambiguity. When Claude receives the structured prompt, every field is in a predictable position. No tokens wasted on disambiguation.

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Global Flags

Global flags can go anywhere after the command:

claudio build -refactor --dry-run @file.py "simplify"
claudio ask -debug --verbose @log.txt "what happened"
claudio run --json

Flag	Description
--dry-run	Print the optimized prompt without calling Claude
--no-cache	Bypass response cache for this request
--verbose	Show token count, compression ratio, model, and metadata
--json	Output results as structured JSON
--model NAME	Override model (haiku / sonnet / opus or full ID)
--session-id UUID	Start a session with a fixed ID (reusable via --resume)
--resume UUID	Resume an existing Claude session (warm prompt cache)
--feedback	Let Claude request missing context; auto-retry once with expanded range
--agentic	(claudio run only) Execute the plan in one agentic session with tool access
-v, --version	Print version
-h, --help	Show help

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Auto-Context

Claudio pulls three sources of context into every call automatically — no flag, no setup beyond dropping files in your repo. All three live in the cacheable prompt prefix, so you pay for them once per session.

Project preamble

If either of these files exists at the workspace root, its content is wrapped in a <project> tag at the very front of the prompt:

• .claudio/project.md — claudio-specific tighter preamble (overrides CLAUDE.md when both present)
• CLAUDE.md — Claude Code's existing project memory file

Combined output capped at 2 KB. Disable: CLAUDIO_NO_PREAMBLE=1.

Stack detection

Claudio reads manifest files and emits a one-line stack summary alongside the preamble:

Manifest	Detected
pyproject.toml (PEP 621 or Poetry)	Python version, project name, deps, framework
requirements.txt	Python deps, framework
package.json	JavaScript/TypeScript, node version, deps, framework
Cargo.toml	Rust edition, crate name
go.mod	Go version, module

Identifies 12 common frameworks (Django, Flask, FastAPI, Next.js, React, Vue, Svelte, Express, NestJS, …). Disable: CLAUDIO_NO_STACK_DETECT=1.

Git changes

When the cwd is a git repo and the pipeline intent is review, debug, or refactor, a <changes> block is auto-included containing:

• git diff HEAD --stat --patch (uncommitted work)
• git diff <base>...HEAD against origin/main, origin/master, main, or master — first ref that resolves (committed branch work)

Capped at 6 KB. <changes> sits in the volatile tail (right before <task>) since it shifts on every edit. Disable: CLAUDIO_NO_GIT_CONTEXT=1.

Net effect: ask claudio to review your in-progress work and Claude sees what changed, not the whole file with no signal about which lines moved.

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How It Works

Every input goes through a four-stage pipeline:

Input --> Filter --> Compress --> Prompt --> Claude

1. Filter (intent-aware)

Removes content that wastes tokens:

Always:

• Trailing whitespace from every line (~2-5% savings)
• License/copyright headers (legal boilerplate, not code)
• Shebang lines
• Consecutive blank lines collapsed to one
• Log deduplication (normalizes timestamps/UUIDs, shows repeat counts)
• Low-signal log lines (health checks, separators)

Only when intent is refactor:

• Strips comments (full-line and inline)
• Strips docstrings (triple-quote blocks)
• Rationale: a pure refactor is about structure, not stated intent.

Comments and docstrings are preserved for review and debug because that's exactly when they matter most — TODO markers, known-issue notes, and assertion docs are often where the bug lives. For question, all docs survive too since they may be what's being asked about.

2. Compress

Reduces large inputs to structured summaries:

• Code > 300 lines: structural map (classes, functions with line numbers) + full import lines (aliases preserved). The body of any symbol named in <task> is preserved verbatim in a target bodies: section — so asking "refactor validate_token" actually shows Claude validate_token's code.
• Code < 300 lines: imports collapsed into a compact summary, code preserved.
• Logs > 150 lines: errors + warnings (capped) + info count + last 15 lines for recency.

3. Prompt (XML-tagged, cache-aligned, zero duplication)

Builds a minimal prompt using XML tags instead of markdown, with the stable sections first and the variable tail last:

<project>
[from CLAUDE.md]
Stack: Django 4.2 + Postgres. Tests in pytest.
[stack]
Python >=3.10 (pyproject.toml) — project: myapp; framework: Django; deps: django, celery, ...
</project>
<rules>
- Preserve behavior
- Output unified diff
- One-line reason per change
</rules>
<format>diff with explanation</format>
<context>
<file path="auth.py" role="target" lines="40-80">
def validate_token(token):
    ...
</file>
</context>
<changes>
[uncommitted (git diff HEAD)]
diff --git a/auth.py ...
</changes>
<task>Refactor: extract validation logic</task>

Why this order? Anthropic's prompt cache keys on the prefix. <project>, <rules>, <format>, and <context> rarely change between back-to-back calls on the same file; <changes> shifts on every edit, and <task> shifts on every prompt. Putting them last means follow-up calls hit the 5-minute prompt cache instead of paying full ingest cost. Combine with --session-id / --resume for iterative workflows.

Why XML over markdown? Claude parses XML tags natively (it's the same format used for tool use). XML tags cost ~2 tokens each vs ~4-6 for ## Header + newlines. Across a session of 50 requests, this saves ~200 tokens of pure formatting overhead.

Zero duplication: The user's description appears exactly once in <task>. File contents appear exactly once in <context>.

No default padding: Question-mode (claudio ask -question) produces just <task>your question</task> -- no constraints, no format instructions, no boilerplate. Claude doesn't need to be told "be concise" on a simple question.

4. Execute

Sends to Claude CLI via claude --print. In --dry-run mode, prints the prompt instead.

While the call is in flight, a stderr spinner (| asking sonnet (2.3s)) shows progress with an elapsed-time counter. It stays silent when stderr is not a TTY (piped / CI / scripts) so captured output is never polluted, and it degrades to ASCII on legacy Windows consoles that can't render Unicode.

Flags plumbed to the Claude CLI when set:

• --model → claude --model (auto-routed by intent + input size if unset; see below)
• --session-id / --resume → session continuity across calls (warm prompt cache)
• --agentic (claudio run) → adds --allowedTools Read,Grep,Glob for agentic execution
• claudio build → adds --permission-mode <build_permission_mode> (default acceptEdits) so the edits actually land on disk; mutating builds bypass the response cache since edits are side effects

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Model Routing

When --model is not set, Claudio picks the cheapest model that fits the task:

Intent	Input size	Model
question / general	< 2k tokens	haiku
review / refactor / debug	> 8k tokens	opus
any	> 20k tokens	opus
everything else	—	sonnet

Override with --model haiku|sonnet|opus (or a full model ID) on any command. --verbose prints the resolved model.

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Feedback Channel (--feedback)

--feedback opens a two-way channel. Claude can respond with one of two signals when something is off, and claudio honours it with a single auto-retry (no loops — max one retry per call).

<need-context> — data missing

When the compressor's structural map isn't enough, Claude requests specific line ranges:

<need-context file="PATH" lines="START-END" reason="..."/>

Multiple ranges in one response are allowed (back-to-back tags) and all are expanded in the single retry. Example:

claudio ask -review --feedback @src/auth.py "is the token flow correct?"
# -> Claude replies:
#    <need-context file="auth.py" lines="120-180" reason="need validate_refresh body"/>
#    <need-context file="auth.py" lines="40-60"  reason="need helper used at line 145"/>
# -> Claudio re-runs once with both ranges included

<need-clarification> — task ambiguous

When the request itself is unclear (not the data), Claude asks back:

<need-clarification question="..."/>

In an interactive shell, claudio prompts you inline:

[claudio] Claude needs clarification: rename to camelCase or snake_case?
clarify > snake_case

…and resubmits with your answer appended. In non-interactive shells the question prints to stderr with a hint to re-run.

Both signals are gated behind --feedback and mutually exclusive in a single response.

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Sessions (--session-id / --resume)

For iterative work, reuse a Claude session so the prompt cache stays warm and context carries across calls:

ID=$(uuidgen)
claudio ask -question --session-id $ID @src/pipeline.py "walk me through this"
claudio ask -question --resume $ID "now explain the compression stage"
claudio ask -question --resume $ID "why XML over JSON in the prompt?"

--resume bypasses the local response cache (the point is to get a fresh Claude turn, not a stored echo).

---

Token Savings

Real measurements from the Claudio codebase itself:

Command	Input	After pipeline	Saved
claudio build -r @filter.py "simplify"	2,844 tokens	128 tokens	96%
claudio ask -rv @executor.py "security"	650 tokens	80 tokens	94%
claudio ask -q @process.py "how it works"	1,161 tokens	92 tokens	91%
claudio ask -d @files.py -28-45 "crash"	209 tokens	170 tokens	21%
claudio ask -q "prompt caching"	1 token	9 tokens	n/a

Small inputs (under 50 lines, no compression needed) see modest savings from comment/whitespace stripping. Large files see 90%+ savings from structural compression. Questions without files add near-zero overhead.

Use --verbose to see estimates on any command:

[claudio] ~128 tokens (est. $0.0079)
[claudio] Saved ~2,716 tokens via compression

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Configuration

Claudio looks for config at ~/.config/claudio/config.json:

{
  "claude_binary": "claude",
  "default_model": "sonnet",
  "max_input_tokens": 32000,
  "compression_threshold": 4000,
  "output_format": "text",
  "verbose": false
}

All fields are optional. Defaults are used for anything not specified.

---

Piping and Composability

Results go to stdout, info/warnings to stderr:

# JSON output piped to jq
claudio --json ask -question @api.py "list the public functions" | jq '.result'

# Use in scripts
if claudio --dry-run --verbose build -refactor @src/ 2>&1 | grep -q "WARNING"; then
  echo "Input too large, consider narrowing scope"
fi

---

Project Structure

claudio/
  cli.py                 Command router (subcommand dispatch)
  repl.py                Unified `claudio` entry point (REPL + subcommand dispatch)
  cache.py               Response cache (SHA-256 keyed, TTL-based)
  usage.py               Cost and usage tracking
  config.py              Configuration management
  executor.py            Claude CLI integration (streaming + retry + spinner)
  session_files.py       Per-session file-hash tracking for unchanged markers
  commands/
    build.py             claudio build (-refactor, -generate)
    ask.py               claudio ask (-review, -question, -debug)
    run.py               claudio run (claudio-task.json)
    run_prompt.py        Shared execution with cache + tracking + feedback channels
    stats.py             claudio stats (usage dashboard)
    setup.py             claudio setup (PATH, completions, verification)
  completions/
    bash.py              Bash completion generator
    zsh.py               Zsh completion generator
    powershell.py        PowerShell completion generator
  pipeline/
    filter.py            Intent-aware noise filtering
    compress.py          Structural compression with symbol-aware preservation
    prompt.py            XML-tagged prompt construction
    process.py           Pipeline orchestrator
  utils/
    args.py              @file parser with strict order enforcement
    project_context.py   Project preamble discovery (CLAUDE.md + .claudio/project.md)
    stack_detect.py      Stack detection from manifest files
    git_context.py       Auto git-diff context for review/debug/refactor
    tokens.py            Token estimation (tiktoken when available)
    output.py            Output formatting (with markdown rendering)
    files.py             File reading and ingestion
    colors.py            TTY-aware ANSI color helpers
    markdown.py          Markdown -> ANSI renderer (streaming + buffered)
    spinner.py           TTY-only stderr progress spinner
    update_check.py      Background PyPI version check
    model_router.py      Cheapest-model-that-fits routing
tests/                   pytest suite (268 tests across pipeline, REPL, context, executor)

---

Releases

Claudio uses tag-based releases. Each GitHub release auto-publishes to PyPI.

# Update to latest
pip install --upgrade claudio-cli

# Install a specific version
pip install claudio-cli==0.2.0

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License

MIT