Say hi to AI, right from your terminal
hai (pronounced "hi") brings AI to your terminal. Run commands or ask questions—just hai it.
$ hai how much disk space
# → runs `df -h`, explains the result
$ hai what is Docker
# → answers your question directlyNo complex setup. No switching modes. No quotes needed. Just describe what you need.
- Agent Mode - AI automatically executes shell commands based on your intent
- Multiple AI Providers - OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and any OpenAI-compatible API
- Profile Management - Configure multiple profiles for different models and providers
- Interactive Mode - Multi-turn conversations in the terminal
- Pipe Support - Process input from stdin or files
- Predefined Prompts - Create reusable prompt templates with
{{input}}placeholder - Thinking Mode - Enable extended thinking for supported models (Claude, o1/o3)
- Streaming Output - Real-time response streaming with color support
- Keyboard Shortcuts - Interrupt output with ESC or Ctrl+C
npm install -g @aiany/hai# Single question (quotes optional)
hai What is the capital of France
hai "What is the capital of France?"
# Interactive mode
hai -i
# Interactive mode with initial message
hai -i HelloNote: Shell special characters like
?,*,!require quotes or escaping. Usehai "who are you?"orhai who are you\?
By default, hai runs in agent mode where AI can execute shell commands to help you:
# AI will run `ls -la` to answer
hai "What files are in this directory?"
# AI will check git status and logs
hai Show me recent changes in this project
# AI will run build commands
hai Build and test this projectWhen a command is about to execute, you'll see a confirmation prompt:
▶ ls -la
Execute? (Yes/no/all/cancel)
- Y/Enter - Execute this command
- n - Skip this command
- a - Execute all remaining commands without asking
- c/ESC - Cancel and stop the agent
Use -y for autonomous mode (no confirmation):
hai -y List all TypeScript filesUse --chat to disable agent mode and just chat:
hai --chat Explain what ls does# Pipe text
echo "Hello" | hai "Translate to Chinese"
# Pipe file content
cat code.js | hai "Explain this code"# Single file
hai "Review this code" -f main.ts
# Multiple files
hai "Compare these files" -f a.ts -f b.ts# Use a specific profile
hai -u claude Hello
# Enable thinking mode
hai --think Explain quantum entanglement# Use a predefined prompt template
hai -p translate "Hello world"Configuration file: ~/.config/hai/settings.json
{
"profiles": [
{
"name": "claude",
"provider": "anthropic",
"model": "claude-opus-4-5",
"apiKey": "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY",
"baseURL": "https://api.openai.com/v1",
"default": true,
"options": {
"think": true
}
},
{
"name": "gpt",
"provider": "openai",
"model": "gpt-5.2-pro",
"apiKey": "$OPENAI_API_KEY",
"baseURL": "https://api.openai.com/v1"
},
{
"name": "gemini",
"provider": "gemini",
"model": "gemini-3-pro-preview",
"apiKey": "$GOOGLE_API_KEY",
"baseURL": "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta"
},
{
"name": "deepseek",
"provider": "openai-compatible",
"model": "deepseek-reasoner",
"apiKey": "$DEEPSEEK_API_KEY",
"baseURL": "https://api.deepseek.com/v1"
}
],
"prompts": {
"translate": "Translate to English: {{input}}",
"explain": "Explain in simple terms: {{input}}"
},
"options": {
"stream": true,
"mode": "auto",
"maxSteps": 25,
"timeout": 120
}
}Runtime options can be set globally or per-profile. Profile options override global options.
| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
stream |
boolean | true |
Enable streaming output in TTY mode |
think |
boolean | false |
Enable thinking mode |
mode |
string | auto |
auto (agent) or chat (pure text) |
maxSteps |
integer | 25 |
Max command execution steps |
timeout |
integer | 120 |
Command timeout in seconds |
pipe |
object | - | Pipe mode settings (stream, color) |
Example with profile-specific options:
{
"profiles": [
{
"name": "claude-think",
"provider": "anthropic",
"model": "claude-opus-4-5",
"apiKey": "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY",
"options": {
"think": true,
"mode": "chat"
},
"headers": { "X-Custom-Auth": "token" },
"providerOptions": {
"thinking": { "type": "enabled", "budgetTokens": 20000 }
}
}
],
"options": {
"stream": true
}
}providerOptions accepts the same parameters as AI SDK's providerOptions. These are passed directly to the provider when calling the model.
Use headers to add custom HTTP headers to API requests.
Use $ENV_VAR syntax in apiKey and baseURL fields to reference environment variables:
{
"apiKey": "$OPENAI_API_KEY",
"baseURL": "$MY_CUSTOM_BASE_URL"
}You can also use literal values directly:
{
"apiKey": "sk-xxxx",
"baseURL": "http://localhost:11434/v1"
}| Provider | Description |
|---|---|
openai |
OpenAI Responses API |
openai-compatible |
OpenAI Chat Completions API |
anthropic |
Anthropic Claude |
gemini |
Google Gemini |
| Option | Short | Description |
|---|---|---|
--interact |
-i |
Interactive mode |
--yes |
-y |
Autonomous mode (auto-confirm) |
--chat |
Chat mode (disable command execution) | |
--prompt <name> |
-p |
Use predefined prompt |
--use <name> |
-u |
Use a specific profile |
--file <path> |
-f |
Input file (can use multiple times) |
--think |
Enable thinking mode | |
--no-think |
Disable thinking mode | |
--stream |
Force streaming output | |
--no-stream |
Disable streaming output | |
--max-steps <n> |
Max command execution steps (default: 25) | |
--timeout <secs> |
Command timeout in seconds (default: 120) | |
--debug |
Show full error stack traces | |
--config <path> |
Custom config file path | |
--version |
-v |
Show version |
--help |
-h |
Show help |
| Key | Single-shot Mode | Interactive Mode | Command Confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
Ctrl+C |
Exit | Exit | Exit |
ESC |
Stop output | Stop current output | Cancel |
Y/Enter |
- | - | Execute |
n |
- | - | Skip |
a |
- | - | Execute all |
c |
- | - | Cancel |
In interactive mode, pressing ESC interrupts the current response but allows you to continue the conversation. Use Ctrl+C or type /exit to quit.