zx-ai 0.1.6

Natural language to terminal commands via AI. Supports 100+ providers via LiteLLM — Gemini, OpenRouter, Ollama, and more.

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zx — Speak Human, Run Machine

Natural language to terminal commands, powered by AI.
Type what you want in plain English. Get the exact terminal command.
Supports 100+ AI providers — Gemini, OpenRouter, Ollama, vLLM, and more via LiteLLM.
Works on Windows (cmd / PowerShell), Linux, and macOS.

Install • Quick Start • Features • Providers • Cost Tracking • Commands • Config

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Installation

Requirements: Python 3.10+

pip install zx-ai

For Gemini fallback support (optional):

pip install zx-ai[gemini]

Then run the setup wizard:

zx setup

This will prompt you to select your AI provider(s), enter API keys, choose a default model, and configure budget limits.

Tip: You can also set provider-specific environment variables (e.g., GEMINI_API_KEY, OPENROUTER_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY) instead of running setup.

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Quick Start

# Natural language — just say what you want
zx "list all python files in this directory"
zx "find files larger than 100MB"
zx "create a virtual environment and install flask"

# Multi-step plans — AI builds and executes a full plan
zx "set up a new React project with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS"

# Explain unfamiliar commands
zx explain "tar -xzf archive.tar.gz"

# Fix errors instantly
npm run build 2>&1 | zx fix

# Learn shell skills interactively
zx learn

# Track your AI spending
zx cost

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Multi-Provider Support

zx uses LiteLLM as its AI backend, giving you access to 100+ providers with a unified interface. Switch providers by changing your model string — no code changes needed.

Supported Providers

Provider	Model Format	API Key Env Var
Google Gemini	gemini/gemini-2.0-flash-lite	GEMINI_API_KEY
OpenRouter	openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet	OPENROUTER_API_KEY
OpenAI	openai/gpt-4o	OPENAI_API_KEY
Anthropic	anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet	ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
Ollama (local)	ollama_chat/gemma3	None (free)
vLLM (local)	vllm/my-model	None (free)
Any LiteLLM provider	See LiteLLM docs	Varies

Using Local Models (Free & Private)

Run entirely offline with Ollama or vLLM — no API key needed, no data leaves your machine, and local models always bypass budget limits.

# Install Ollama (https://ollama.com)
ollama pull gemma3

# Configure zx to use it
zx setup
# > Select provider: Ollama
# > Model: ollama_chat/gemma3

Using Cloud Providers

# Set API key via environment variable
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="sk-or-..."

# Or configure via setup wizard
zx setup
# > Select provider: OpenRouter
# > API key: sk-or-...
# > Model: openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet

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Cost Tracking & Budgets

zx tracks every AI call — tokens used, estimated cost, and which model was called. Usage is persisted to ~/.zx/usage.json with per-model and daily breakdowns.

View Costs

# Show monthly summary with per-model and daily breakdown
zx cost

# Show a specific month
zx cost 2026-03

# Clear usage data for a month
zx cost --reset

Example output:

March 2026: $1.2340 / $5.00 budget | 45,678 tokens | 89 calls

Per-model breakdown:
  gemini/gemini-2.0-flash-lite: $0.8012 | 30,000 tokens | 60 calls
  openrouter/anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet: $0.4328 | 15,678 tokens | 29 calls

Recent daily usage:
  2026-03-05: $0.1200 | 5,000 tokens | 10 calls
  2026-03-04: $0.0800 | 3,200 tokens | 8 calls

Set Budget Limits

# Set monthly spending limit
zx budget --monthly 5.00

# Set per-session limit
zx budget --session 0.50

# View current budget settings
zx budget --show

# Remove limits (set to 0)
zx budget --monthly 0

Budget behavior:

• Cloud providers are blocked when over budget
• Local models (Ollama, vLLM) always bypass budget checks
• Cost summary shown after every AI-powered command (configurable)

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Features

Plan-then-Execute (Default Mode)

When you give zx a task, it generates a complete execution plan upfront — with risk assessment, reversibility info, and step-by-step explanations. You review everything before a single command runs.

zx "set up a python project with venv, install flask, and create a hello world app"

The plan shows a table with:

• Each command and what it does
• Risk level: SUPERSAFE / SAFE / MODERATE / DANGEROUS
• Whether each step can be undone
• Warnings and caveats

After approval, zx executes step by step. If a step fails, the AI adapts the plan automatically — diagnosing the issue and revising remaining steps.

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Safety Analysis

Every command is scored for risk before execution:

Level	Color	Behavior	Example
SUPERSAFE	Green	Auto-executes silently	ls, pwd, git status
SAFE	Green	Shown but low-risk	cat, head, pip list
MODERATE	Yellow	Requires confirmation	mkdir, pip install, git commit
DANGEROUS	Red	Always requires manual confirmation	rm -rf, git push --force, DROP TABLE

Auto-approve (--yes) never bypasses DANGEROUS commands.

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Workflow Recipes

Save successful plans as reusable recipes with parameter support.

# After a plan completes, you're offered to save it as a recipe
# Or save the last plan manually:
zx recipe --save flask-project

# List saved recipes
zx recipe --list

# Replay a recipe with parameters
zx recipe flask-project
# > Enter value for 'project_name': myapp

# Export / Import for sharing
zx recipe --export flask-project    # Creates flask-project.zxrecipe
zx recipe --import setup.zxrecipe   # Imports a shared recipe

# Delete a recipe
zx recipe --delete old-recipe

Recipes support template parameters — when you save a recipe, AI analyzes the commands and identifies which parts should become {{parameters}} (project names, versions, paths) so the recipe works in different contexts.

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Time-Travel Undo

Reverse the last executed plan.

# Undo the entire last plan (in reverse order)
zx undo

# Undo only the last 3 steps
zx undo --steps 3

# Preview what would be undone (no execution)
zx undo --dry-run

zx uses the undo commands from the plan (if the AI marked steps as reversible). For steps without undo info, it asks the AI to generate a reversal command on the fly.

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Failure Doctor

Diagnose and fix command failures instantly.

# Pipe error output directly
npm run build 2>&1 | zx fix

# Describe the error manually
zx fix "pip install numpy failed with compilation error"

# Auto-read the last failed command from shell history
zx fix

The doctor provides:

• Root cause — plain-English explanation
• Fix command — ready to execute (with risk analysis)
• Prevention tip — how to avoid this in the future
• Confidence level — high / medium / low

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Smart Alias Generator

Analyze your command history and generate shell aliases.

# AI-powered suggestions based on your usage patterns
zx alias suggest

# Create an alias from natural language
zx alias "deploy to production"

# Manually add an alias
zx alias add --name gs --command "git status"

# List saved aliases
zx alias list

# Install aliases to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, PowerShell profile)
zx alias install

Generates correct syntax for bash, zsh, fish, PowerShell, and cmd.

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Context Snapshots

Record and compare system state before and after changes.

# Take a snapshot
zx snapshot take my-baseline

# List saved snapshots
zx snapshot list

# Compare current state vs a snapshot
zx snapshot diff my-baseline

# Show snapshot details
zx snapshot show my-baseline

# Auto before/after snapshots during execution
zx "install project dependencies" --snapshot

# Delete a snapshot
zx snapshot delete my-baseline

Snapshots capture: file tree, git status/branch/commit, environment variables, installed packages, and disk space.

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Shell Tutor

Interactive learning mode with 25 topics across 5 categories.

# Start learning (suggests next topic based on your progress)
zx learn

# Learn a specific topic
zx learn "git basics"
zx learn pipes

# View your skill tree and progress
zx learn --progress

Categories:

• Shell Basics — navigation, file operations, permissions, help system
• Text Processing — grep, sed/awk, pipes, redirection
• System Administration — processes, disk, networking, services
• Development Tools — git, package managers, containers, debugging
• Scripting — variables, conditionals, loops, functions, error handling

Lessons adapt to what you've already mastered. Your progress is tracked in ~/.zx/learner_profile.json.

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Live Narration

Execute commands with real-time AI commentary.

zx narrate "npm install"
zx narrate "docker build -t myapp ."
zx narrate "python manage.py migrate"

As the command runs, the AI watches the output stream and provides commentary:

• Flags errors and warnings immediately
• Explains what's happening during long builds
• Highlights unexpected patterns

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Remote Execution

Run commands on remote hosts via SSH.

# Add remote hosts
zx remote add dev user@192.168.1.100
zx remote add staging [e-mail]

# List configured remotes
zx remote list

# Execute on a specific host using natural language
zx @dev "check disk space and running containers"
zx @staging "restart nginx"

# Fan-out to ALL configured hosts
zx @all "check system uptime"

# Remove a remote
zx remote remove old-server

zx detects the remote environment (OS, shell) before generating commands, so it produces the right syntax for each host.

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Incident Playbooks

Playbooks are incident-response recipes — they capture symptoms, diagnostic steps, fixes, and prevention tips for common problems.

# List all playbooks (local + community)
zx playbook list

# Run a playbook by name
zx playbook fix-npm-supply-chain

# Create a playbook from a fix session
# (Automatically offered after 'zx fix' succeeds)
zx fix "npm install fails with ERESOLVE"
# > Fix applied! Save as reusable playbook? [y/n]

# Share a playbook with the community
zx playbook share --name fix-npm-supply-chain

Playbooks include:

• Symptoms — observable signs that help match errors automatically
• Diagnostic steps — safe read-only commands to confirm the issue
• Fix steps — the actual remediation commands (with risk analysis)
• Prevention tips — how to avoid this in the future
• Severity level — critical / high / medium / low

When you run zx fix, it checks community playbooks first — if someone else already solved your exact problem, you get an instant fix.

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Community Sharing

Share your recipes and playbooks with the zx community.

# Browse community recipes and playbooks
zx recipe explore
zx recipe explore "flask"

# Install a community recipe locally
zx recipe --install python/flask-project

# Share a recipe (requires 3+ successful runs)
zx recipe --share flask-project

# Share a playbook
zx playbook share --name fix-npm-supply-chain

How it works:

1. Sign in with GitHub (device flow — like gh auth login)
2. Your recipe/playbook is submitted as a GitHub Issue to the community repo
3. Automated validation checks format, scans for secrets, and flags issues
4. Trusted contributors get auto-merged; new submissions go through review
5. Approved items appear in zx recipe explore for everyone

Privacy:

• Choose to share anonymously or with your GitHub username
• Personal paths, API keys, and private IPs are automatically stripped
• Success reporting is opt-out (configured in zx setup)

Quality:

• Only recipes with 3+ successful runs are eligible for sharing
• Community items show their success count so you can judge reliability

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Install from URL

Point at any GitHub repo or documentation page and zx creates an installation plan.

zx install pallets/flask              # GitHub shorthand
zx install https://github.com/user/repo
zx install https://docs.example.com/setup-guide

Fetches the README / page content, generates a step-by-step installation plan, and executes with mandatory approval per step.

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Explain Mode

Learn what unfamiliar commands do.

zx explain "tar -xzf archive.tar.gz"
zx explain "awk '{print $2}' file.txt"
zx explain "find . -name '*.log' -mtime +30 -delete"

Shows a breakdown of each flag and argument, plus any risks or side effects.

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Pipe Support

Combine with existing tools:

cat error.log | zx "find the most common error"
docker logs app | zx "summarize what went wrong"
git diff | zx "explain these changes"

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Clean / Classic Mode

Strip away all colors, panels, emojis, and witty messages for a plain-text experience. Ideal for CI/CD pipelines, screen readers, or minimal terminals.

Three ways to activate:

# Per-command
zx --clean "list files"

# Environment variable (great for CI/CD)
ZX_CLEAN=1 zx "run tests"

# Persistent (via setup wizard)
zx setup
# > Enable clean/classic mode? Yes

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Command Reference

zx "prompt"                          Plan mode (default)
zx "prompt" --yes / -y               Auto-approve (except dangerous)
zx "prompt" --single / -s            Single command only
zx "prompt" --no-plan                Legacy multi-step mode
zx "prompt" --copy / -c              Copy to clipboard
zx "prompt" --snapshot               Auto before/after snapshots
zx --clean "prompt"                  Plain text mode

zx setup                             Configure providers, models, and budgets
zx explain "command"                 Explain a command
zx history [--clear]                 Browse or clear history
zx last                              Show last command
zx install <url>                     Install from URL

zx cost [month]                      Show AI usage costs and breakdown
zx cost --reset                      Clear usage data for a month
zx budget --monthly <amount>         Set monthly spending limit
zx budget --session <amount>         Set per-session spending limit
zx budget --show                     Show current budget settings

zx recipe --list                     List saved recipes
zx recipe <name>                     Replay a recipe
zx recipe --save <name>              Save last plan as recipe
zx recipe --delete <name>            Delete a recipe
zx recipe --export <name>            Export as .zxrecipe file
zx recipe --import <file>            Import a .zxrecipe file
zx recipe explore [query]            Browse community recipes
zx recipe --share <name>             Share recipe to community
zx recipe --install <cat/name>       Install community recipe

zx playbook list                     List local + community playbooks
zx playbook <name>                   Run a playbook
zx playbook share --name <name>      Share playbook to community

zx undo [--steps N] [--dry-run]      Undo last plan

zx fix [description]                 Diagnose and fix errors
                                     (also accepts piped input + playbook matching)

zx alias suggest                     AI-powered alias suggestions
zx alias list                        List saved aliases
zx alias add --name <n> --command <c>  Add alias manually
zx alias "description"               Create alias from natural language
zx alias install                     Install to shell profile

zx snapshot take [name]              Take a snapshot
zx snapshot list                     List snapshots
zx snapshot diff [name]              Diff current vs snapshot
zx snapshot show <name>              Show snapshot details
zx snapshot delete <name>            Delete a snapshot

zx learn [topic]                     Start a lesson
zx learn --progress                  Show skill tree

zx narrate "command"                 Execute with live AI commentary

zx remote add <name> <user@host>     Add remote host
zx remote remove <name>              Remove remote host
zx remote list                       List remotes
zx @<name> "prompt"                  Execute on remote host
zx @all "prompt"                     Execute on all remotes

zx --version                         Show version

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Configuration

Setup Wizard

zx setup

Configures:

• AI Provider — select from Gemini, OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, vLLM, or custom
• API Key — per-provider, validated on save
• Default Model — e.g., gemini/gemini-2.0-flash-lite, ollama_chat/gemma3
• Monthly Budget — spending limit ($0 = unlimited)
• Session Budget — per-session spending limit ($0 = unlimited)
• Show Cost — display cost summary after each AI-powered run
• Auto-approve — skip confirmation for non-dangerous commands
• Clean mode — persistent plain-text output
• Community opt-out — disable anonymous success reporting for shared recipes

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
GEMINI_API_KEY	Google Gemini API key
OPENROUTER_API_KEY	OpenRouter API key
OPENAI_API_KEY	OpenAI API key
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Anthropic API key
ZX_CLEAN	Set to 1 to enable clean mode

Files

Path	Purpose
~/.zx/config.json	Provider keys, model, budget, preferences
~/.zx/usage.json	AI usage tracking (tokens, cost, per-model, daily)
~/.zx/history.json	Command history (last 500)
~/.zx/last_plan.json	Last executed plan (for undo)
~/.zx/recipes/	Saved workflow recipes
~/.zx/playbooks/	Local incident playbooks
~/.zx/community/	Downloaded community recipes & playbooks
~/.zx/community_index.json	Cached community catalog
~/.zx/snapshots/	Context snapshots
~/.zx/aliases.json	Generated aliases
~/.zx/remotes.json	Remote host configurations
~/.zx/learner_profile.json	Shell tutor progress

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How It Works

You: "set up a flask project"
         |
         v
   +---------------+
   |  System Recon  | <-- detects OS, shell, installed tools, project type
   +-------+-------+
           v
   +---------------+
   |  AI Planning   | <-- LiteLLM dispatches to your chosen provider
   +-------+-------+
           v
   +---------------+
   | Risk Analysis  | <-- each command scored SAFE -> DANGEROUS
   +-------+-------+
           v
   +---------------+
   |  You Approve   | <-- review plan table, approve/edit/cancel
   +-------+-------+
           v
   +---------------+
   |   Execute      | <-- step by step with streaming output
   +-------+-------+
           v
   +---------------+
   |  Adapt/Undo    | <-- if a step fails, AI re-plans automatically
   +-------+-------+
           v
   +---------------+
   |  Cost Tracked  | <-- tokens, cost, model logged to usage.json
   +---------------+

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Cross-Platform

zx detects your environment and generates the right commands:

• bash / zsh — POSIX syntax, && chaining
• PowerShell — cmdlets, ; chaining (not &&)
• cmd.exe — native Windows commands
• Remote hosts — detects remote OS/shell before generating

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Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• An API key for your chosen provider, or a local model via Ollama (free, no key needed)

License

MIT — Association for Emerging Technologies (AET)