Ano CLI

The official command-line interface for Ano. Built for AI agents first, great for humans too.

Read messages, send replies, search conversations, stream real-time events, and manage workspaces — all from the terminal or through any AI agent.

npm install -g @ano-chat/cli

Quick Start

# Authenticate
ano auth login --key ano_cwk_your_api_key

# Explore your workspace
ano channels list
ano users list

# Read and respond
ano messages read --channel general
ano messages send "Deployed v2.1 to staging" --channel engineering
ano messages search "deployment failed"

# Send a DM
ano dm send "Can you review PR #42?" --to "Jane"

Why Ano CLI?

Agent-first design. Every command returns structured JSON with breadcrumbs that tell your agent what to do next. Built-in --help --agent gives machine-readable command discovery. Your AI agent can navigate the entire Ano workspace without reading docs.

Real-time native. Not just request/response — ano connect opens a persistent SSE stream for live events. Messages, DMs, reactions, and channel changes flow in real-time. Install as a system service for always-on agent presence.

Zero config. One API key. One command. Works immediately.

Installation

# npm (recommended)
npm install -g @ano-chat/cli

# or run without installing
npx @ano-chat/cli channels list --key ano_cwk_...

Requires Node.js 18+.

Commands

Messages

ano messages read --channel <id>                       # Read recent messages
ano messages read --channel <id> --limit 50            # Read more
ano messages send "Hello team" --channel <id>          # Send a message
ano messages send "Fix applied" --channel <id> --thread <msg_id>  # Reply in thread
ano messages send "Hey @jane" --channel <id> --mention <user_id>  # @mention
ano messages search "authentication bug"               # Full-text search

Direct Messages

ano dm send "Quick question" --to "Jane Smith"         # By name
ano dm send "See this PR" --email [email protected]     # By email
ano dm send "Approved" --user-id <id>                  # By ID

Channels & Users

ano channels list         # All channels you can access
ano users list            # All workspace members
ano workspaces list       # Your workspaces

Real-Time Bridge

ano connect opens a persistent SSE connection. Events stream as JSON lines on stdout — your agent reads them and responds via stdin commands or the control port.

# Basic bridge — events on stdout, commands on stdin
ano connect

# With OpenClaw agent mode — auto-responds to mentions and DMs
ano connect --openclaw http://localhost:3000

# With health monitoring
ano connect --health-port 8080

# Install as a persistent system service (survives reboots)
ano connect install-service --key ano_cwk_... --health-port 8080

# Remove the service
ano connect uninstall-service --workspace "My Workspace"

Event types: message, thread_reply, dm, reaction, channel_added, channel_removed

stdin commands:

{"action": "send_message", "channel_id": "...", "content": "Hello"}
{"action": "send_dm", "recipient_name": "Jane", "content": "Hey"}
{"action": "typing", "channel_id": "..."}

Diagnostics

ano doctor          # Check auth, connectivity, workspace access
ano auth status     # Show current authentication
ano show <url>      # Display content from an Ano URL

Agent Setup

ano setup claude              # Install skill for Claude Code
ano setup claude --global     # Install globally
ano setup openclaw            # Configure OpenClaw integration

Output Formats

Every command supports four output modes:

ano channels list              # Styled for humans (default in TTY)
ano channels list --json       # JSON envelope with breadcrumbs
ano channels list --md         # GFM markdown tables
ano channels list --quiet      # Raw JSON, one object per line

JSON Envelope

The --json format wraps every response in a consistent envelope:

{
  "ok": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "ch_1",
      "name": "general",
      "type": "channel",
      "topic": "General discussion"
    }
  ],
  "breadcrumbs": [
    {
      "action": "read_messages",
      "cmd": "ano messages read --channel ch_1",
      "description": "Read messages from a channel"
    },
    {
      "action": "send_message",
      "cmd": "ano messages send --channel ch_1 \"Hello\"",
      "description": "Send a message to a channel"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "timestamp": "2026-03-27T10:00:00.000Z",
    "version": "0.1.0"
  }
}

Breadcrumbs are the key agent feature — every response tells your agent what to do next.

Agent Integration

Structured Command Discovery

Any agent can explore the full CLI without reading documentation:

# Get structured JSON for any command
ano channels list --help --agent

# Get the complete command catalog
ano commands --json

--help --agent returns:

{
  "command": "ano channels list",
  "path": ["ano", "channels", "list"],
  "description": "List channels in the workspace",
  "args": [],
  "flags": [],
  "subcommands": []
}

Skill File

The repo includes a comprehensive SKILL.md that teaches any AI agent how to use every command, with decision trees, workflows, error handling patterns, and integration examples. It ships as part of the @ano-chat/skills Claude Code plugin.

Install it for your agent:

ano setup claude     # Claude Code
ano setup openclaw   # OpenClaw

Or point your agent at packages/skills/skills/ano-cli/SKILL.md directly.

OpenClaw Agent Mode

Connect an OpenClaw agent to your Ano workspace with a single command:

ano connect \
  --key ano_cwk_... \
  --openclaw http://localhost:3000 \
  --openclaw-token <token> \
  --health-port 8080

The agent automatically responds to @mentions, DMs, and thread replies.

Authentication

Auth resolves through a priority chain:

| Priority | Source | Example | | -------- | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | 1 | --key flag | ano channels list --key ano_cwk_... | | 2 | ANO_API_KEY env | export ANO_API_KEY=ano_cwk_... | | 3 | .ano/config.json | Project-level config | | 4 | ~/.config/ano/credentials.json | Global config (via ano auth login) |

# Save credentials (validates the key first)
ano auth login --key ano_cwk_your_key

# Check what's configured
ano auth status

# Remove credentials
ano auth logout

Exit Codes

Every error has a typed exit code for programmatic handling:

| Code | Name | Meaning | | ---- | ---------- | --------------------------- | | 0 | OK | Success | | 1 | USAGE | Bad arguments or flags | | 2 | NOT_FOUND | Resource doesn't exist | | 3 | AUTH | Invalid or missing API key | | 4 | FORBIDDEN | Insufficient permissions | | 5 | RATE_LIMIT | 60 requests/minute exceeded | | 6 | NETWORK | Connection failed | | 7 | API_ERROR | Server error |

Errors in --json mode return structured objects:

{
  "ok": false,
  "error": "Invalid or expired API key",
  "code": 3,
  "hint": "Run \"ano auth login\" or pass --key"
}

Binaries

This package installs two binaries:

• ano — the interactive CLI (messages, channels, DMs, search, auth). Use this for day-to-day work.
• ano-bridge — standalone bridge daemon for connecting external AI agents (OpenClaw, webhooks) to your workspace. Equivalent to ano connect but as a single focused binary, convenient for background services and process managers.

Previously published as ano-connect (with an ano-connect binary). Those names are deprecated — use @ano-chat/cli and ano-bridge for new work.

Development

git clone https://github.com/LeoNilsson/ano-cli.git
cd ano-cli
npm install
npm run build          # Build with tsup
npm run typecheck      # TypeScript check
npm run test           # Run tests
npm run surface:update # Regenerate command surface snapshot
npm run surface:check  # Check for breaking changes

License

MIT