> Atomic fork note: this package is vendored from pi's `packages/coding-agent` and rebranded via `package.json` as `@bastani/atomic`, CLI binary `atomic`, `piConfig.name = "atomic"`, and `piConfig.configDir = ".atomic"`.

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> New issues and PRs from new contributors are auto-closed by default. Maintainers review auto-closed issues daily. See [CONTRIBUTING.md](../../CONTRIBUTING.md). --- Atomic is a minimal terminal coding harness. Adapt Atomic to your workflows, not the other way around, without having to fork and modify Atomic internals. Extend it with TypeScript [Extensions](#extensions), [Skills](#skills), [Prompt Templates](#prompt-templates), and [Themes](#themes). Put your extensions, skills, prompt templates, and themes in [Atomic Packages](#atomic-packages) and share them with others via npm or git. Atomic ships with powerful defaults plus first-party bundled extensions for workflows, subagents, MCP, web access, and intercom. You can still adapt or replace any workflow by writing extensions, skills, prompt templates, themes, or Atomic packages that match how you work. Atomic runs in four modes: interactive, print or JSON, RPC for process integration, and an SDK for embedding in your own apps. See [openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) for a real-world SDK integration. ## Share your OSS coding agent sessions If you use Atomic for open source work, consider sharing coding-agent sessions using an Atomic-owned workflow or your team's dataset process. Public OSS session data can help improve models, prompts, tools, and evaluations using real development workflows. Upstream Pi session-sharing resources may still be useful for historical context, but they are not the primary Atomic publication path. ## Table of Contents - [Quick Start](#quick-start) - [Providers & Models](#providers--models) - [Interactive Mode](#interactive-mode) - [Editor](#editor) - [Commands](#commands) - [Keyboard Shortcuts](#keyboard-shortcuts) - [Message Queue](#message-queue) - [Sessions](#sessions) - [Branching](#branching) - [Compaction](#compaction) - [Settings](#settings) - [Context Files](#context-files) - [Customization](#customization) - [Prompt Templates](#prompt-templates) - [Skills](#skills) - [Extensions](#extensions) - [Themes](#themes) - [Atomic Packages](#atomic-packages) - [Programmatic Usage](#programmatic-usage) - [Philosophy](#philosophy) - [CLI Reference](#cli-reference) --- ## Quick Start ```bash bun install -g @bastani/atomic ``` Or with npm: ```bash npm install -g @bastani/atomic ``` Authenticate with an API key: ```bash export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-... atomic ``` Or use your existing subscription: ```bash atomic /login # Then select provider ``` Then just talk to Atomic. By default, Atomic gives the model six coding tools: `read`, `write`, `edit`, `bash`, `find`, and `search`. On native Windows, Atomic also enables `powershell` when `pwsh.exe` or `powershell.exe` is available. The model uses these to fulfill your requests. `read`, `search`, `write`, and successful `edit` calls emit session-scoped hashline anchors (`[path#TAG]` plus `LINE:text`) so the model can make stale-safe line edits; see [docs/tools.md](docs/tools.md). Add capabilities via [skills](#skills), [prompt templates](#prompt-templates), [extensions](#extensions), or [Atomic packages](#atomic-packages). **Platform notes:** [Windows](docs/windows.md) | [Alpine/musl Linux](docs/getting-started/installation.md#alpine-and-musl-linux-archives) | [Termux (Android)](docs/termux.md) | [tmux](docs/tmux.md) | [Terminal setup](docs/terminal-setup.md) | [Shell aliases](docs/shell-aliases.md) --- ## Providers & Models For each built-in provider, Atomic maintains a list of tool-capable models, updated with every release. Authenticate via subscription (`/login`) or API key, then select any model from that provider via `/model` (or CTRL+L). **Subscriptions:** - Anthropic Claude Pro/Max - OpenAI ChatGPT Plus/Pro (Codex) - GitHub Copilot - OpenRouter (browser PKCE, optional key minting) - Kimi Code (device authorization with token refresh) - xAI (Grok/X subscription) - Radius **API keys:** - Anthropic - Ant Ling - OpenAI - Azure OpenAI - DeepSeek - NVIDIA NIM - Google Gemini - Google Vertex - Amazon Bedrock - Mistral - Groq - Cerebras - Cloudflare AI Gateway - Cloudflare Workers AI - xAI - OpenRouter - Vercel AI Gateway - ZAI - ZAI Coding Plan (China) - OpenCode Zen - OpenCode Go - Radius - Hugging Face - Fireworks - Together AI - Baseten - Kimi For Coding - Meta - MiniMax - MiniMax (China) - Moonshot AI - Moonshot AI (China) - Qwen Token Plan - Qwen Token Plan (Individual) - Qwen Token Plan (China) - Xiaomi MiMo - Xiaomi MiMo Token Plan (China) - Xiaomi MiMo Token Plan (Amsterdam) - Xiaomi MiMo Token Plan (Singapore) See [docs/providers.md](docs/providers.md) for detailed setup instructions. Atomic's Pi 0.84.1 model/runtime surface includes Claude Opus 5 on Anthropic and Bedrock, model-capability-aware strict JSON-schema and OpenAI Lark/regex tool sampling, ETag-revalidated cached catalogs, persisted llama.cpp models, arbitrary OpenAI-compatible `samplingParams`, opt-in vLLM thinking-token budgets through `compat.supportsThinkingTokenBudget`, and finishless-stream stop inference through `compat.supportsFinishReason`. A populated `ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN` makes Anthropic models available/selectable while sending header-only bearer auth—with no synthesized API key or `x-api-key`—across chat and summary/compaction requests. Typed RPC model listings expose constrained-sampling flags through optional `ModelInfo.compat`; capability flags are enforcement claims, so unsupported `require` constraints fail instead of being silently weakened. Custom `models.json` is read from the active Atomic agent directory only; it is not merged across `.pi` and `.atomic` paths. See [models](docs/models.md), [providers](docs/providers.md), [RPC](docs/rpc/protocol.md#get_available_models), and [extensions](docs/extensions/authoring.md#constrained-sampling). **Custom providers & models:** Add providers via the active agent directory's `models.json` (normally `~/.atomic/agent/models.json`; `ATOMIC_CODING_AGENT_DIR`/`PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR` can select another directory) if they speak a supported API (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google). For custom APIs or OAuth, use extensions. See [docs/models.md](docs/models.md) and [docs/custom-provider.md](docs/custom-provider.md). --- ## Interactive Mode

Interactive Mode

The interface from top to bottom: - **Startup header** - Shows shortcuts (`/hotkeys` for all), loaded AGENTS.md files, prompt templates, skills, and extensions - **Messages** - Your messages, assistant responses, tool calls and results, notifications, errors, and extension UI - **Editor** - Where you type; border color indicates thinking level, with streaming activity shown in a separate status row - **Footer** - Working directory, session name, total token/cache usage, cost, context usage, current model The editor can be temporarily replaced by other UI, like built-in `/settings` or custom UI from extensions (e.g., a Q&A tool that lets the user answer model questions in a structured format). [Extensions](#extensions) can also replace the editor, add widgets above/below it, a status line, custom footer, or overlays. ### Editor | Feature | How | |---------|-----| | File reference | Type `@` to fuzzy-search project files | | Path completion | Tab to complete paths | | Multi-line | SHIFT+Enter (or CTRL+Enter on Windows Terminal) | | Images | CTRL+V to paste (ALT+V on Windows), or drag onto terminal | | Bash commands | `!command` runs and sends output to LLM, `!!command` runs without sending | Standard editing keybindings for delete word, undo, etc. See [docs/keybindings.md](docs/keybindings.md). ### Commands Type `/` in the editor to trigger commands. [Extensions](#extensions) can register custom commands, [skills](#skills) are available as `/skill:name`, and [prompt templates](#prompt-templates) expand via `/templatename`. | Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | `/login`, `/logout` | OAuth authentication | | `/model` | Switch models and automatically save the startup default | | `/thinking` | Switch thinking level and automatically save the startup default | | `/scoped-models` | Enable/disable models for CTRL+P cycling | | `/settings` | Theme, message delivery, transport, and other preferences | | `/resume` | Pick from previous sessions | | `/new` | Start a new session | | `/name ` | Set session display name | | `/session` | Show session info (file, ID, messages, tokens, cost) | | `/tree` | Jump to any point in the session and continue from there | | `/fork` | Create a new session from a previous user message | | `/clone` | Duplicate the current active branch into a new session | | `/compact` | Delete safe older transcript objects verbatim | | `/copy` | Copy last assistant message to clipboard | | `/export [file]` | Export session to HTML file | | `/share` | Upload as private GitHub gist with shareable HTML link | | `/reload` | Reload keybindings, extensions, skills, prompts, and context files (themes hot-reload automatically) | | `/hotkeys` | Show all keyboard shortcuts | | `/changelog` | Display the full version history | | `/exit` | Exit Atomic | | `/quit` | Quit Atomic | ### Keyboard Shortcuts See `/hotkeys` for the full list. Customize via the active agent directory's `keybindings.json` (normally `~/.atomic/agent/keybindings.json`). See [docs/keybindings.md](docs/keybindings.md). **Commonly used:** | Key | Action | |-----|--------| | CTRL+C | Interrupt active or queued work; when idle, clear editor | | CTRL+C twice while idle | Quit | | Escape | Abort active work and hold queued messages | | Escape twice | Open `/tree` | | CTRL+L | Open model selector | | CTRL+P / SHIFT+CTRL+P | Cycle scoped models forward/backward | | SHIFT+Tab | Cycle thinking level | | CTRL+O | Collapse/expand tool output | | CTRL+T | Collapse/expand thinking blocks | | CTRL+G | Edit chat or extension-editor text through the configured, environment, or platform external editor | ### Message Queue Submit messages while the agent is working: - **Enter** queues a *steering* message, delivered after the current assistant turn finishes executing its tool calls - **ALT+Enter** queues a *follow-up* message, delivered only after the agent finishes all work - **Escape** or **Ctrl+C** aborts active/queued work and pauses queued messages in place; submitting the next ordinary chat message resumes them once in their original per-queue order. After the abort settles, a later idle Ctrl+C still clears the editor and a second quick idle press quits without dequeuing the hold - **ALT+Up** explicitly retrieves queued messages back to the editor instead of resuming them On Windows Terminal, `ALT+Enter` is fullscreen by default. Remap it in [docs/terminal-setup.md](docs/terminal-setup.md) so Atomic can receive the follow-up shortcut. Configure delivery in [settings](docs/settings.md): `steeringMode` and `followUpMode` can be `"one-at-a-time"` (default, waits for response) or `"all"` (delivers all queued at once). `transport` selects provider transport preference (`"sse"`, `"websocket"`, `"websocket-cached"`, or `"auto"`) for providers that support multiple transports. --- ## Sessions Sessions are stored as JSONL files with a tree structure. Each entry has an `id` and `parentId`, enabling in-place branching without creating new files. See [docs/session-format.md](docs/session-format.md) for file format. ### Management Sessions auto-save to `~/.atomic/agent/sessions/` organized by working directory (legacy `~/.pi/agent/sessions/` sessions remain readable for compatibility). ```bash atomic -c # Continue most recent session atomic -r # Browse and select from past sessions atomic --no-session # Ephemeral mode (don't save) atomic --session # Use an exact ID or unique 8-hex UUID prefix atomic --import # Import a format-4 JSONL export into session storage atomic --session-id # Use/create an exact project-local session ID atomic --name "Refactor" # Set the session display name atomic --fork # Fork an exact ID or unique 8-hex UUID prefix ``` Use `/session` in interactive mode to see the current session ID before reusing it with `--session `, `--session-id `, or `--fork `. ### Branching **`/tree`** - Navigate the session tree in-place. Select any previous point, continue from there, and switch between branches. All history preserved in a single file.

Tree View

- Search by typing, fold/unfold and jump between branches with CTRL+←/CTRL+→ or ALT+←/ALT+→, page with ←/→ - Filter modes (CTRL+O): default → no-tools → user-only → labeled-only → all - Press SHIFT+L to label entries as bookmarks and SHIFT+T to toggle label timestamps **`/fork`** - Create a new session file from a previous user message on the active branch. Opens a selector, copies the active path up to that point, and places the selected prompt in the editor for modification. **`/clone`** - Duplicate the current active branch into a new session file at the current position. The new session keeps the full active-path history and opens with an empty editor. **`--fork `** copies the selected session into a new session in the current project. Use an exact session ID or a unique eight-character hexadecimal UUID prefix. ### Compaction Long sessions can exhaust context windows. Compaction now uses deletion-only context compaction by default: the selected model proposes safe deletion targets, Atomic validates them locally, and retained transcript content stays verbatim. **Manual:** `/compact` has no prompt arguments. **Automatic:** Enabled by default. Triggers on context overflow (recovers and retries) or when approaching the limit (proactive). Configure via `/settings` or `settings.json`. Automatic compaction uses the same verbatim deletion path. The full history still remains in the JSONL file; use `/tree` to revisit. See [docs/compaction.md](docs/compaction.md) for internals. Session model context is projected from append-only history. Extensions can append a `context_edit` to omit or replace an earlier message only for future model requests; raw history and usage remain unchanged: ```typescript const assistantId = sessionManager.appendMessage(partialAssistant); sessionManager.appendContextEdit(assistantId, null); // Hidden from model context, retained in JSONL. ``` Atomic uses the same mechanism itself when it retries a failed attempt: the attempt stays in the JSONL file but is omitted from what the model sees. --- ## Settings Use `/settings` to modify common options, or edit JSON files directly: | Location | Scope | |----------|-------| | `~/.atomic/agent/settings.json` | Global (all projects; legacy `~/.pi/agent/settings.json` also works) | | `.atomic/settings.json` | Project (overrides global; legacy `.pi/settings.json` also works after trust) | See [docs/settings.md](docs/settings.md) for all options. ### Telemetry and update checks Atomic has two separate startup features: - **Update check:** checks whether a newer Atomic version exists. Disable it with `ATOMIC_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=1` (`PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=1` remains a legacy alias). Disabling update checks only turns off this check. The update check is independent of version-adoption telemetry. - **Version-adoption telemetry:** measures whether releases reach real interactive launches and which versions stay in use. The metric is version-adoption pings / first-interactive-launch pings, not installs, users, MAU, or retention. Repeated eligible launches on several machines overcount. Opt-outs, offline mode, and dropped best-effort requests undercount. Atomic sends one GET to `https://atomic-version-adoption.bastani-atomic.workers.dev/v1/version-adoption` with the running version as the `version` query parameter and the existing `atomic/ (; ; )` User-Agent. There is no request body, UUID, cookie, auth header, or user content. The ping fires only in interactive mode, and only on the first interactive launch with fresh settings (no recorded changelog version), or the first interactive launch after an update whose version has changelog entries. It does not fire on every launch, on npm install, on a reinstall that kept settings, or in `-p` / RPC modes. Atomic stores only UTC date, version, and an aggregate count, retained as aggregates. Cloudflare, the hosting provider, necessarily processes transient connection metadata (IP, TLS) to serve the request. That is not a promise of platform-wide zero logging. Opt out by setting `enableInstallTelemetry` to `false` in `settings.json`, or by setting `ATOMIC_TELEMETRY=0` (`PI_TELEMETRY=0` remains a legacy alias). `ATOMIC_TELEMETRY=1`/`true`/`yes` forces the ping on. This does not disable update checks. Use `--offline` or `ATOMIC_OFFLINE=1` (`PI_OFFLINE=1` remains a legacy alias) to disable all startup network operations described here, including update checks, package update checks, and install/update telemetry. --- ## Context Files Atomic loads `AGENTS.override.md`, `AGENTS.md`, or `CLAUDE.md` at startup from: - `~/.atomic/agent/` (global; legacy `~/.pi/agent/` also works) - Parent directories (walking up from cwd) - Current directory An `AGENTS.override.md` file replaces that directory's `AGENTS.md` or `CLAUDE.md`; context from other directories is still concatenated. Use for project instructions, conventions, common commands. Disable context file loading with `--no-context-files` (or `-nc`). ### System Prompt Replace the default system prompt with `.atomic/SYSTEM.md` (project; legacy `.pi/SYSTEM.md` also works) or `~/.atomic/agent/SYSTEM.md` (global; legacy `~/.pi/agent/SYSTEM.md` also works). Append without replacing via `APPEND_SYSTEM.md`. --- ## Customization ### Prompt Templates Reusable prompts as Markdown files. Type `/name` to expand. ```markdown Review this code for bugs, security issues, and performance problems. Focus on: {{focus}} ``` Place in `~/.atomic/agent/prompts/`, `.atomic/prompts/` (legacy `~/.pi/agent/prompts/` and `.pi/prompts/` also work), or an [Atomic package](#atomic-packages) to share with others. See [docs/prompt-templates.md](docs/prompt-templates.md). ### Skills On-demand capability packages following the [Agent Skills standard](https://agentskills.io). Invoke via `/skill:name` or let the agent load them automatically. ```markdown # My Skill Use this skill when the user asks about X. ## Steps 1. Do this 2. Then that ``` Place in `~/.atomic/agent/skills/`, `~/.agents/skills/`, `.atomic/skills/` (legacy `~/.pi/agent/skills/` and `.pi/skills/` also work), or `.agents/skills/` (from `cwd` up through parent directories) or an [Atomic package](#atomic-packages) to share with others. See [docs/skills.md](docs/skills.md). ### Extensions TypeScript modules that extend Atomic with custom tools, commands, keyboard shortcuts, event handlers, and UI components. ```typescript export default function (pi: ExtensionAPI) { pi.registerTool({ name: "deploy", ... }); pi.registerCommand("stats", { ... }); pi.on("tool_call", async (event, ctx) => { ... }); } ``` `turn_end` and `agent_before_settle` are actionable persistence boundaries. Handlers can append structural entries and request one continuation. Later handlers see earlier proposals: ```typescript let replacedResponse = false; pi.on("turn_end", (event) => { if (replacedResponse || event.outcome !== "completed" || event.toolResults.length > 0) return; replacedResponse = true; return { entries: [ ...event.entries, { type: "context_edit", targetId: event.messageEntryId, replacement: null }, { type: "custom_message", customType: "replacement-instruction", content: "Answer again using the persisted user request.", display: false, }, ], continue: true, }; }); ``` Continuation is one-shot per boundary result, not per registered handler. It ensures one next provider request: tool-result, steering, or follow-up scheduling can satisfy that request without adding another one; otherwise Atomic makes one context-only request. Guard handlers like the example above because an unconditional `continue: true` is evaluated again after the next response and can loop indefinitely. Error and aborted responses remain hard exits. Use `agent_before_settle` for final actions after retries, compaction, and queued input are exhausted. See [docs/extensions/events.md](docs/extensions/events.md#agent_start-/-agent_end-/-agent_before_settle-/-agent_settled). The default export can also be `async`. Atomic waits for async extension factories before startup continues, which is useful for one-time initialization such as fetching remote model lists before calling `pi.registerProvider()`. **What's possible:** - Custom tools (or replace built-in tools entirely) - Sub-agents and plan mode - Custom compaction and summarization - Permission gates and path protection - Custom editors and UI components - Status lines, headers, footers - Git checkpointing and auto-commit - SSH and sandbox execution - MCP server integration - Make Atomic look like Claude Code - Games while waiting (yes, Doom runs) - ...anything you can dream up Place in `~/.atomic/agent/extensions/`, `.atomic/extensions/` (legacy `~/.pi/agent/extensions/` and `.pi/extensions/` also work), or an [Atomic package](#atomic-packages) to share with others. See [docs/extensions.md](docs/extensions.md) and [examples/extensions/](examples/extensions/). ### Themes Built-in: `dark`, `light`, `catppuccin-frappe`, `catppuccin-latte`, `catppuccin-macchiato`, and `catppuccin-mocha`. Custom themes hot-reload: modify the active theme file and Atomic immediately applies changes. Place in `~/.atomic/agent/themes/`, `.atomic/themes/` (legacy `~/.pi/agent/themes/` and `.pi/themes/` also work), or an [Atomic package](#atomic-packages) to share with others. See [docs/themes.md](docs/themes.md). ### Atomic Packages Bundle and share extensions, skills, prompts, and themes via npm or git. Find packages on [npmjs.com](https://www.npmjs.com/search?q=keywords%3Aatomic-package) or [Discord](https://discord.com/channels/1456806362351669492/1457744485428629628). > **Security:** Atomic packages run with full system access. Extensions execute arbitrary code, and skills can instruct the model to perform any action including running executables. Review source code before installing third-party packages. ```bash atomic install npm:@foo/atomic-tools atomic install npm:@foo/atomic-tools@1.2.3 # pinned version atomic install git:github.com/user/repo atomic install git:github.com/user/repo@v1 # tag or commit atomic install git:git@github.com:user/repo atomic install git:git@github.com:user/repo@v1 # tag or commit atomic install https://github.com/user/repo atomic install https://github.com/user/repo@v1 # tag or commit atomic install ssh://git@github.com/user/repo atomic install ssh://git@github.com/user/repo@v1 # tag or commit atomic remove npm:@foo/atomic-tools atomic uninstall npm:@foo/atomic-tools # alias for remove atomic list atomic update # update Atomic only atomic update --all # update Atomic and packages atomic update --extensions # update packages only atomic update --models # force-refresh authenticated provider model catalogs atomic update --self # update Atomic only atomic update --self --force # reinstall Atomic even if current atomic update npm:@foo/atomic-tools # update one package atomic config # enable/disable extensions, skills, prompts, themes ``` Packages install to `~/.atomic/agent/git/` (git) or global npm. Use `-l` for project-local installs (`.atomic/git/`, `.atomic/npm/`; legacy `.pi/git/` and `.pi/npm/` are compatibility fallbacks). Git `@ref` values are pinned tags or commits; pinned packages are skipped by `atomic update --extensions` and `atomic update --all`, so use `atomic install git:host/user/repo@new-ref` to move an existing package to a new ref. Git packages install dependencies with `npm install --omit=dev` by default, so runtime deps must be listed under `dependencies`; when `npmCommand` is configured, git packages use plain `install` for compatibility with wrappers. If you use a Node version manager and want package installs to reuse a stable npm context, set `npmCommand` in `settings.json`, for example `["mise", "exec", "node@20", "--", "npm"]`. Create a package by adding an app-name manifest key to `package.json` (`atomic` for this package). The legacy `pi` key is still accepted as a backwards-compatible shim: ```json { "name": "my-atomic-package", "keywords": ["atomic-package"], "atomic": { "extensions": ["./extensions"], "skills": ["./skills"], "prompts": ["./prompts"], "themes": ["./themes"], "workflows": ["./workflows"] } } ``` Without a manifest, Atomic auto-discovers from conventional directories (`extensions/`, `skills/`, `prompts/`, `themes/`, `workflows/`). Workflow packages may also use a singular `workflow/` directory. See [docs/packages.md](docs/packages.md). --- ## Programmatic Usage ### SDK ```typescript import { createAgentSession, SessionManager } from "@bastani/atomic"; // By default, createAgentSession builds a ModelRuntime from the active agent // directory's auth.json and models.json. const { session } = await createAgentSession({ sessionManager: SessionManager.inMemory(), }); await session.prompt("What files are in the current directory?"); ``` For advanced multi-session runtime replacement, use `createAgentSessionRuntime()` and `AgentSessionRuntime`. See [docs/sdk.md](docs/sdk.md) and [examples/sdk/](examples/sdk/). ### RPC Mode For non-Node.js integrations, use RPC mode over stdin/stdout: ```bash atomic --mode rpc ``` RPC mode uses strict LF-delimited JSONL framing. Clients must split records on `\n` only. Do not use generic line readers like Node `readline`, which also split on Unicode separators inside JSON payloads. See [docs/rpc.md](docs/rpc.md) for the protocol. --- ## Philosophy Atomic is aggressively extensible so it does not have to dictate your workflow. The distribution bundles first-party extensions for workflows, subagents, MCP, web access, and intercom, while still letting you build or install alternative [extensions](#extensions), [skills](#skills), and [Atomic packages](#atomic-packages). This keeps Atomic adaptable without forcing every workflow into the core CLI. **Bundled subagents and workflows.** Atomic includes the first-party subagents and workflows packages. Use them as shipped, customize them, or replace them with your own extensions if your workflow needs a different orchestration model. **Bundled MCP, web access, and intercom.** Atomic ships first-party integrations for MCP tools, web/repository/document/video extraction, and cross-session coordination. These are packaged extensions rather than hard-coded agent behavior, so they remain configurable and replaceable. **Security stays explicit.** Run in a container, use project trust controls, or build confirmation flows with [extensions](#extensions) inline with your environment and security requirements. **Composable planning and task tracking.** Use the bundled workflow/subagent/todo capabilities, write plans to files, or install a package that matches your team's process. **Foreground bash only.** Use tmux or explicit extensions for background work. Full observability, direct interaction. Upstream Pi's minimal-core rationale is documented in the [original blog post](https://mariozechner.at/posts/2025-11-30-pi-coding-agent/); Atomic preserves the extensibility model while also bundling first-party capabilities for common workflows. --- ## CLI Reference ```bash atomic [options] [--] [@files...] [messages...] ``` ### Package Commands ```bash atomic install [-l] # Install package, -l for project-local atomic remove [-l] # Remove package atomic uninstall [-l] # Alias for remove atomic update [source|self|atomic] # Update Atomic only, or one package source atomic update --all # Update Atomic and packages atomic update --extensions # Update packages only atomic update --models # Force-refresh authenticated provider model catalogs atomic update --self # Update Atomic only atomic update --self --force # Reinstall Atomic even if current atomic update --extension # Update one package atomic list # List installed packages atomic config # Enable/disable package resources ``` ### Modes | Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | (default) | Interactive mode (fullscreen TUI) | | `-p`, `--print` | Print response and exit | | `--mode json` | Output all events as JSON lines (see [docs/json.md](docs/json.md)) | | `--mode rpc` | RPC mode for process integration (see [docs/rpc.md](docs/rpc.md)) | | `--export [out]` | Export session to HTML | In print mode, Atomic also reads piped stdin and merges it into the initial prompt: ```bash cat README.md | atomic -p "Summarize this text" ``` ### Model Options | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | `--provider ` | Provider (anthropic, openai, google, etc.) | | `--model ` | Model pattern or ID (supports `provider/id` and optional `:`) | | `--api-key ` | API key (overrides env vars) | | `--thinking ` | `off`, `minimal`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`, `max` (subject to model capabilities) | | `--models ` | Comma-separated patterns for CTRL+P cycling | | `--list-models [search]` | List available models | ### Session Options | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | `-c`, `--continue` | Continue most recent session | | `-r`, `--resume` | Browse and select session | | `--session ` | Use an exact ID or unique 8-hex UUID prefix | | `--import ` | Import a format-4 JSONL export into session storage | | `--session-id ` | Use an exact project session ID; warn and create it when missing | | `--fork ` | Fork an exact ID or unique 8-hex UUID prefix | | `--session-dir ` | Custom session storage directory | | `--name `, `-n ` | Set the session display name | | `--no-session` | Ephemeral mode (don't save) | ### Tool Options | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | `--tools `, `-t ` | Allowlist specific tool names across built-in, extension, and custom tools; mandatory ordinary `intercom` remains available | | `--exclude-tools `, `-xt ` | Denylist specific built-in, extension, and custom tools; mandatory ordinary `intercom` cannot be excluded | | `--no-builtin-tools`, `-nbt` | Disable built-in tools by default but keep extension/custom tools enabled | | `--no-tools`, `-nt` | Disable every tool except mandatory ordinary `intercom` | Default built-in tools: `read`, `bash`, `edit`, `write`, `find`, `search`, `ask_user_question`, `todo`, plus `powershell` on native Windows when a PowerShell executable is available. `find.paths` accepts directories, files, or glob paths such as `*.ts` and honors `timeout`; `search` accepts `pattern`, `paths`, `i`, `gitignore`, and `skip` for regex content-search pagination. `read`/`search`/`write`/`edit` share session-scoped hashline snapshot tags for stale-safe line edits; copied hashline output is stripped by `write` only when it matches a known current-session snapshot. Archive selectors are Bun-native, and internal-resource selectors use the session router when available. Use `--exclude-tools` to disable one or more tools while leaving the rest available. ### Project Trust Options | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | `--approve`, `-a` | Trust project-local files/resources for this run | | `--no-approve`, `-na` | Ignore project-local files/resources for this run | Project trust gates `.atomic`/legacy `.pi` project resources, project package settings, project-local context files, and `.agents/skills` discovered from the project tree. Saved trust decisions can be managed with `/trust`; see [docs/security.md](docs/security.md). ### Resource Options | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | `-e`, `--extension ` | Load extension from path, npm, or git (repeatable) | | `--no-extensions`, `-ne` | Disable optional extension discovery; mandatory bundled Intercom remains loaded | | `--skill ` | Load skill (repeatable) | | `--no-skills`, `-ns` | Disable skill discovery | | `--prompt-template ` | Load prompt template (repeatable) | | `--no-prompt-templates`, `-np` | Disable prompt template discovery | | `--theme ` | Load theme (repeatable) | | `--no-themes` | Disable theme discovery | | `--no-context-files`, `-nc` | Disable context-file discovery and loading | Combine `--no-*` with explicit flags to load exactly what you need, ignoring settings.json (e.g., `--no-extensions -e ./my-ext.ts`). ### Other Options | Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | `--system-prompt ` | Replace default prompt (context files and skills still appended) | | `--append-system-prompt ` | Append to system prompt | | `--offline` | Disable startup network operations, including update checks, package updates, and telemetry | | `--verbose` | Force verbose startup | | `--` | Stop option parsing; remaining arguments are prompts or `@file` inputs | | `-h`, `--help` | Show help | | `-v`, `--version` | Show version | ### File Arguments Prefix files with `@` to include in the message: ```bash atomic @prompt.md "Answer this" atomic -p @screenshot.png "What's in this image?" atomic @code.ts @test.ts "Review these files" ``` ### Examples ```bash # Interactive with initial prompt atomic "List all .ts files in src/" # Non-interactive atomic -p "Summarize this codebase" # Prompt beginning with a dash atomic -p -- "- Summarize these points" # Non-interactive with piped stdin cat README.md | atomic -p "Summarize this text" # Different model atomic --provider openai --model gpt-4o "Help me refactor" # Model with provider prefix (no --provider needed) atomic --model openai/gpt-4o "Help me refactor" # Model with thinking level shorthand atomic --model sonnet:high "Solve this complex problem" # Limit model cycling atomic --models "claude-*,gpt-4o" # Read-only mode atomic --tools read,search,find,ls -p "Review the code" # High thinking level atomic --thinking high "Solve this complex problem" ``` ### Environment Variables | Variable | Description | |----------|-------------| | `AI_AGENT` | Set to `atomic` by Atomic's CLI, RPC, and compiled binary entry points, and in every Atomic-owned child-process environment, so generic tooling can attribute those processes correctly. Child environments force this value even when the caller supplies another value; the caller's environment object is not mutated. | | `ATOMIC_CODING_AGENT_DIR` | Override config directory (default: `~/.atomic/agent`; `PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR` is a legacy alias) | | `ATOMIC_CODING_AGENT_SESSION_DIR` | Override session storage directory (overridden by `--session-dir`; `PI_CODING_AGENT_SESSION_DIR` is a legacy alias) | | `ATOMIC_PACKAGE_DIR` | Override package directory (useful for Nix/Guix where store paths tokenize poorly; `PI_PACKAGE_DIR` is a legacy alias) | | `ATOMIC_OFFLINE` | Disable startup network operations, including update checks, package update checks, and install/update telemetry (`PI_OFFLINE` is a legacy alias) | | `ATOMIC_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK` | Skip the Atomic version update check at startup. `PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK` is a legacy alias. | | `ATOMIC_TELEMETRY` | Override version-adoption pings. Use `1`/`true`/`yes` to enable or `0`/`false`/`no` to disable. This does not disable update checks (`PI_TELEMETRY` is a legacy alias). | | `ATOMIC_REDUCED_MOTION` | Set to `1` to skip startup choreography and use a static working identity | | `ATOMIC_NO_PTY` | Set to `1` to disable PTY use for bash commands (`PI_NO_PTY` is a legacy alias) | | `NODE_COMPILE_CACHE` | Override Node's persistent compile-cache directory; set `NODE_DISABLE_COMPILE_CACHE=1` to opt out | | `PI_CACHE_RETENTION` | Provider/upstream-specific prompt-cache retention knob; set to `long` where supported. This is not an `ATOMIC_*` alias and has no Atomic-prefixed equivalent. | | `VISUAL`, `EDITOR` | External editor for CTRL+G | Bash and PowerShell commands receive an execution-time session snapshot through `ATOMIC_SESSION_ID`, `ATOMIC_PROVIDER`, `ATOMIC_MODEL`, and `ATOMIC_REASONING_LEVEL`. The `PI_SESSION_ID`, `PI_PROVIDER`, `PI_MODEL`, and `PI_REASONING_LEVEL` aliases carry identical values. Session file variables are not exposed. Unrelated inherited or caller-supplied environment variables are preserved. --- ## Contributing & Development See [CONTRIBUTING.md](../../CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines and [docs/development.md](docs/development.md) for setup, forking, and debugging. --- ## License MIT ## See Also - [@bastani/pi-ai](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@bastani/pi-ai): Core LLM toolkit - [@earendil-works/pi-agent-core](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@earendil-works/pi-agent-core): Agent framework - [@earendil-works/pi-tui](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@earendil-works/pi-tui): Terminal UI components