3 min read2 days ago
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AI is omnipresent nowadays. We find it everywhere: on the web, in desktop applications, on our phones, and naturally, in our terminals (command-line interfaces).
But what is the best way to run AI from the terminal?
Sure, we have several powerful options like Claude, Gemini, Windsurf, or OpenCode. We can even run AI locally using tools like llama.cpp, Ollama, or LMStudio.
These are incredibly powerful tools, excellent for complex tasks, but they can be overkill for simple day-to-day needs. They often come with complex configurations, dozens of options, and can sometimes take over a minute to respond. Furthermore, if you don’t use them carefully, they can execute harmful actions on your computer without your knowledge — such as running risky commands,…
3 min read2 days ago
–
AI is omnipresent nowadays. We find it everywhere: on the web, in desktop applications, on our phones, and naturally, in our terminals (command-line interfaces).
But what is the best way to run AI from the terminal?
Sure, we have several powerful options like Claude, Gemini, Windsurf, or OpenCode. We can even run AI locally using tools like llama.cpp, Ollama, or LMStudio.
These are incredibly powerful tools, excellent for complex tasks, but they can be overkill for simple day-to-day needs. They often come with complex configurations, dozens of options, and can sometimes take over a minute to respond. Furthermore, if you don’t use them carefully, they can execute harmful actions on your computer without your knowledge — such as running risky commands, deleting files, or exposing your system to security vulnerabilities like prompt injection.
Is there a better way?
The answer is yes.
Today, I want to introduce you to Ask CLI, an open-source, fast, and secure AI tool. You can use it directly in your terminal like a normal command to do different things: remember how to use commands, ask questions about your system or learn how to use Linux.
Ask CLI is designed to help you find the information you need without leaving the terminal or losing your focus.
Why use Ask CLI instead of the alternatives?
Ask CLI offers several advantages over other alternatives:
- It is easy to use: You don’t have dozens of options to manage. Forget about complex settings, configuration files, or memorizing a lot of different flags.
- It runs on any terminal: It works seamlessly in Bash, PowerShell, CMD, inside Docker containers, and more.
- It fits your workflow: It runs like a standard command. Many alternatives are designed to run in an interactive mode with a TUI (Text User Interface). While cool, TUIs force you to stop interacting with your terminal and start interacting with the tool, which can break your focus.
- It is fast and lightweight: While other tools can take over a minute and generate long responses, Ask CLI is optimized to generate short, precise and fast answers. It gives you just the info you need to continue working.
- It is inherently secure: It cannot run commands on your computer or access your files by itself. This completely eliminates the risk of prompt injection, running dangerous commands, or deleting important data.
- It is cheaper: While other alternatives burn thousands of tokens to generate a response, Ask CLI generates short answers using fewer tokens.
Who is Ask CLI for?
This app is useful for anyone who spends time in a terminal: developers, DevOps engineers, system administrators, or anyone learning Linux.
Ask CLI is particularly valuable in environments where security is paramount, such as production servers, master nodes, or personal computers containing sensitive data.
Running a full AI Agent on a server with critical infrastructure isn’t a good idea; you are opening the door to new types of attack vectors. A bad actor could potentially use prompt injection to trick an agent into sending your information to a remote server or executing malicious code.
With Ask CLI, you don’t have these problems. Because it cannot execute commands or read files on its own, a prompt injection attack is rendered useless. You are always the one hitting Enter.
Note:* You can even connect Ask CLI to a local model (via Ollama, etc.) for maximum privacy and security.*
How to start using Ask CLI
It is very simple. Ask CLI runs on Node.js, so if you have Node installed, you can install it easily using NPM.
If you don’t have Node installed, you can get it from the official website.
Once Node is ready, run this command to install Ask CLI:
npm install -g ask-cli-ai
How to use it
Using Ask CLI is intuitive. Just run the command ask followed by whatever you want to know.
ask how to copy a file
The first time you use it, it will ask you to select the model you want to use and input your API key. After that, you are good to go!
You can learn more about Ask CLI and its documentation here:
https://github.com/david-minaya/ask
If you have any questions about how to use Ask CLI, please leave me a comment!