lac-cli 0.2.9

AI-powered terminal toolkit with coding assistant, shell autocomplete, and API documentation generator

lac-cli

lac-cli is a terminal toolkit built by lacai.io that brings AI directly into your command line. It includes an AI-powered shell, a coding assistant with project memory, a multi-model debate engine, and an API documentation generator.

New in v0.2.9: Fixed LacMind UI - messages now display properly, icon path corrected, OS detection in system prompt.

Install

Quick install (Unix/Linux/macOS):

curl -fsSL https://lacai.io/install.sh | bash

Quick install (Windows PowerShell):

iwr -useb https://lacai.io/install.ps1 | iex

Manual install (all platforms):

# Unix/Linux/macOS
pip3 install 'lac-cli[all]'
pip3 install anthropic

# Windows
pip install lac-cli[all]
pip install anthropic

Optional components:

pip install lac-cli[agent]  # Just the coding assistant
pip install lac-cli[shell]  # Shell with autocomplete server
pip install lac-cli[mind]   # Multi-model debate engine
pip install lac-cli[all]    # Everything

AI Provider Libraries (install based on your choice):

pip install anthropic  # For Claude
pip install openai     # For OpenAI/GPT
# Ollama requires no additional install

Getting Started

Run lac to see the menu of available tools:

lac

You'll see:

lac-cli v0.2.9

Available Tools:

  1. Shell    - AI-powered terminal with autocomplete
  2. Mind     - Multi-model debate engine
  3. GenDoc   - API documentation generator
  4. Agent    - AI coding assistant with project memory
  5. Settings - Configure AI provider and model

Select a tool [1-5] or press Enter for Shell:

Or use direct commands:

lac shell          # Launch AI terminal shell
lac mind           # Launch multi-model debate
lac gendoc <path>  # Generate API docs
lac agent          # Launch AI coding assistant

LacAgent AI Coding Assistant

Launch the AI coding assistant with project memory:

lac agent

LacAgent is a powerful AI coding assistant that can:

• Read, write, and edit files in your project
• Execute shell commands (with safety checks)
• Test API endpoints with HTTP requests
• Watch files for changes
• Generate API documentation
• Remember project context across sessions
• Undo/redo file changes with diff preview

Slash Commands:

/undo              # Revert last file edit with diff preview
/redo              # Reapply undone edit
/history           # Show all file edits this session
/diff <file>       # Inspect file contents with line numbers
/gendoc [path]     # Generate API documentation
/plan              # Enable PlanMode (approve plans before execution)
/noplan            # Disable PlanMode (execute immediately)
/tasks             # Show current task list
/cleartasks        # Clear all tasks

Example Usage:

[You] create a FastAPI app with user authentication
[Agent] → Creates files, installs dependencies, sets up routes

[You] run the server
[Agent] → Starts uvicorn in background, provides log file location

[You] test the /users endpoint
[Agent] → Makes HTTP request, shows response

[You] /undo
[Agent] → Reverts last file change with diff preview

Terminal Shell

Launch the AI-powered shell:

lac shell

The first time you run it, a setup wizard will walk you through picking your AI provider and entering your API key.

To redo the setup:

lac shell --setup

To run without an internet connection:

lac shell --offline

To adjust autocomplete speed (default 150ms):

lac shell --debounce 50   # faster
lac shell --debounce 300  # slower

LacMind Multi-Model Debate

Launch the web-based debate interface for complex queries:

lac mind

LacMind runs multiple AI models in a debate format where they challenge and refine each other's ideas, then vote on the best response. Perfect for research, code generation, and complex problem-solving.

GenDoc API Documentation

Generate beautiful API documentation from your codebase:

lac gendoc /path/to/project

GenDoc scans your project, detects the framework, and uses AI to analyze your routes and controllers to generate comprehensive API documentation. Supports Laravel, Django, FastAPI, Flask, Express, and Rails.

Optional flags:

lac gendoc /path/to/project --prompt "Focus on authentication endpoints"
lac gendoc /path/to/project --integrate  # Add /docs route to your framework
lac gendoc /path/to/project --output custom.html

How It Works

Main Menu

When you run lac without arguments, you get an interactive menu to choose between:

• Shell - AI-powered terminal with real-time autocomplete
• Mind - Multi-model debate for complex queries
• GenDoc - API documentation generator
• Agent - AI coding assistant with project memory
• Settings - Configure AI provider and model

You can also use direct commands like lac shell, lac mind, lac gendoc <path>, or lac agent.

LacAgent Coding Assistant

LacAgent is an AI coding assistant that runs in your project directory with full filesystem and command execution access:

Core Capabilities:

• File Operations - Read, write, and patch files with exact string matching
• Glob Patterns - List files with patterns like **/*.py, *.js, src/**
• Command Execution - Run shell commands with automatic background process detection
• API Testing - Make HTTP requests to test your endpoints
• File Watching - Monitor files for changes and get diff reports
• Documentation - Generate API docs using GenDoc integration
• Project Memory - Remembers project context, stack, decisions across sessions
• Undo/Redo - Full file edit history with diff preview and restoration
• PlanMode - Review and approve execution plans before running (enabled by default)
• Task Tracking - Agent manages task lists for multi-step work
• Interactive Questions - Agent can ask clarifying questions mid-execution

Smart Features:

• Automatically runs long-running commands (flutter run, npm start, etc.) in background with logging
• Logs saved to ~/.lac/logs/ for later inspection
• Multi-line paste support with visual indicator
• Slash command autocomplete (type / to see options)
• Security validation prevents dangerous commands and path escaping

File Editing Workflow:

1. Agent reads file first to get exact content
2. Uses patch_file to make surgical edits (not full rewrites)
3. Automatically snapshots before every edit
4. You can /undo anytime to revert with diff preview

Terminal Shell

When you launch lac, it automatically starts a local server in the background that handles communication with your AI model. You do not need to start anything manually.

As you type, the shell sends your input to the AI and shows a suggested completion as ghost text. Press Tab to accept it. If you type something in plain English like "show all files bigger than 100mb", the shell converts it to the right command and asks you to confirm before running it.

The shell now tracks your session history (commands + outputs) and passes it to the AI for smarter context-aware suggestions.

LacMind Debate Engine

LacMind orchestrates multiple AI models in a structured debate:

1. Debate Rounds - Models discuss and challenge each other's ideas sequentially
2. Voting Phase - Models vote on who provided the best reasoning
3. Consensus Summary - The winning model delivers the final response

Models are labeled anonymously (Model A, B, C) during debate to prevent bias. You can configure debate duration and select which models participate.

GenDoc Documentation Generator

GenDoc uses AI to automatically generate API documentation:

1. Project Scanning - Detects framework and finds route/controller files
2. AI Analysis - Sends files to lacai.io backend for intelligent analysis
3. HTML Generation - Creates beautiful, interactive documentation
4. Framework Integration - Optionally adds /docs route to your app

The first time you run lac gendoc, you'll be prompted for an API key from lacai.io/dashboard/keys. Documentation includes endpoint details, parameters, request/response examples, and export to Swagger/Postman formats.

Supported Providers

Provider	Notes
claude	Anthropic API
openai	OpenAI API
ollama	Local models, no API key needed
custom	Any OpenAI compatible endpoint

Commands

Main Menu

Command	What it does
lac	Show interactive menu
lac shell	Launch AI terminal shell
lac mind	Launch LacMind debate UI
lac gendoc <path>	Generate API documentation
lac agent	Launch AI coding assistant

LacAgent

Command	What it does
lac agent	Launch AI coding assistant
/undo	Revert last file edit with diff
/redo	Reapply undone edit
/history	Show all file edits this session
/diff <file>	Inspect file with line numbers
/gendoc [path]	Generate API documentation
/plan	Enable PlanMode
/noplan	Disable PlanMode
/tasks	Show current task list
/cleartasks	Clear all tasks
Ctrl+C	Interrupt agent execution
exit	Quit the agent

Terminal Shell

Command	What it does
lac shell	Launch the AI shell
lac shell --setup	Re-run setup wizard
lac shell --offline	Run without server
lac shell --debounce MS	Set autocomplete delay
exit	Quit the shell
logout	Delete your config and start fresh
clear	Clear the screen and session history
cd <path>	Change directory

LacMind

Command	What it does
lac mind	Launch LacMind web interface
Settings page	Add/edit/delete AI models
Duration selector	Set debate time (30s - 5min)
Stop button	End debate early
Export	Save conversations to PDF

GenDoc

Command	What it does
lac gendoc <path>	Generate API docs from project
--prompt "text"	Custom instructions for AI analysis
--integrate	Add /docs route to framework
--output file.html	Custom output filename
Export buttons	Download as Swagger or Postman

Config

Your config is saved at ~/.lac/config.json after setup. You can edit it directly if needed.

{
  "provider": "claude",
  "api_key": "sk-...",
  "model": "claude-haiku-4-5-20251001",
  "base_url": "https://api.anthropic.com",
  "server": "ws://localhost:8765"
}

Features

LacAgent Coding Assistant

• File Operations - Read, write, patch files with exact string matching
• Glob Pattern Support - List files with **/*.py, *.js, src/** patterns
• Command Execution - Run shell commands with safety validation
• Background Processes - Auto-detects long-running commands (flutter run, npm start, etc.) and runs them in background with logging
• API Testing - Make HTTP requests (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) to test endpoints
• File Watching - Monitor files for changes and get diff reports
• Documentation Generation - Integrated GenDoc for API docs
• Project Memory - Persistent memory stores project context, stack, decisions, todos
• Undo/Redo System - Full file edit history with diff preview and restoration
• PlanMode - Review and approve execution plans before running (enabled by default)
• Task Tracking - Agent creates and manages task lists for multi-step work with status icons (☐ ⚡ ✅)
• Interactive Questions - Agent can ask clarifying questions with ask_user tool
• Multi-line Paste - Paste code freely with visual indicator [Pasted · N lines · M chars]
• Slash Commands - Autocomplete for /undo, /redo, /history, /diff, /gendoc, /plan, /noplan, /tasks, /cleartasks
• Clean Interrupts - Press Ctrl+C anytime to stop agent execution cleanly
• Security - Path validation, dangerous command blocking, confirmation prompts
• Native Tool Calling - Uses Anthropic/OpenAI function calling for reliable tool execution
• Session Logs - All background process logs saved to ~/.lac/logs/

Terminal Shell

• Ghost text autocomplete as you type, powered by your AI model
• Plain English to shell command conversion with confirmation before running
• Session history tracking - AI sees your recent commands and outputs for better context
• Configurable autocomplete debounce delay (--debounce flag)
• Works with any major AI provider or local models via Ollama
• Offline mode falls back to history and static completions
• Local server starts automatically in the background, no manual setup needed
• Logout clears your credentials and resets the config

LacMind

• Multi-model debate engine with sequential discussion rounds
• Anonymous voting system to select best reasoning
• Real-time streaming of debate progress
• Conversation history with chat persistence
• Model management (add/edit/delete models)
• Configurable debate duration
• Stop debate early if consensus is reached
• Export conversations to PDF
• Clean, minimal dark theme UI

GenDoc

• Automatic framework detection (Laravel, Django, FastAPI, Flask, Express, Rails)
• AI-powered endpoint analysis and documentation generation
• Interactive HTML documentation with search and navigation
• Resizable sidebar with endpoint filtering
• Try It feature to test endpoints directly from docs
• Export to Swagger (OpenAPI 3.0) and Postman Collection formats
• Optional framework integration to serve docs at /docs route
• Custom prompts to guide AI analysis
• Separate API key system from lac shell (stored in ~/.lac/gendoc.json)
• Credit-based usage with backend session management

About

lac-cli is part of lacai.io. Built for developers who live in the terminal.

License

MIT