miniBob

A goal-first development assistant. Tell it what you want to accomplish and it figures out how to do it.

Prerequisites

• Bun runtime (v1.0+)
• An Anthropic API key (get one here)

Installation

From npm (when published)

npm i -g @metaBob/miniBob@latest

From source

git clone https://github.com/metaBobProject/metaBob-devBob
cd metaBob-devBob/repos/miniBob
bun install

Quick Start

# Set your API key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Run your first goal
miniBob --single "create a hello world script"

# Or start interactive mode
miniBob

Usage

Interactive Mode (REPL)

miniBob

This starts an interactive session where you can type goals naturally:

> Fix the login bug in auth.ts
> Add unit tests for the user module
> Refactor the database connection to use connection pooling

Single Goal Mode

Execute a single goal and exit:

miniBob --single "Create a hello world script"
miniBob -s "Add input validation to the signup form"

CLI Flags

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | -s, --single <goal> | Execute a single goal and exit | | -q, --quiet | Only show errors | | -v | Verbose output (info, costs, durations) | | -vv | Debug output | | -vvv | Trace output | | --idle | Start in bored state (works until interrupted) | | --caffeine | Disable automatic boredom tasks |

REPL Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | /help | Show available commands | | /status | Check connectivity and system status | | /config | Show current configuration | | /auth | Show and configure authentication | | /cheer[!] | Positive feedback on last activity (add ! for stronger) | | /chide[!] | Negative feedback on last activity (add ! for stronger) | | /continue | Continue working on the last goal | | /bye | Exit the REPL |

Configuration

Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Description | |----------|----------|-------------| | ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | Yes | Your Anthropic API key (for LLM) | | METABOB_API_KEY | No | metaBob backend key (enables learning features) | | MINIBOB_MODEL | No | Model to use (default: claude-sonnet-4-20250514) | | MINIBOB_WORKDIR | No | Working directory | | MINIBOB_PROVIDER | No | LLM provider: anthropic or openai |

Config File

Create ~/.metaBob/config.json for persistent settings:

{
  "providers": {
    "anthropic": { "apiKey": "sk-ant-..." }
  },
  "metaBob": {
    "apiKey": "your-metaBob-key"
  },
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
  "workingDirectory": "/path/to/default/project"
}

Only two keys are needed:

• LLM key (providers.anthropic.apiKey) - Required for miniBob to work
• metaBob key (metaBob.apiKey) - Optional, enables activity learning and recommendations

Or create .metaBob/config.json in your project for project-specific settings.

Offline Mode

miniBob works without network connectivity using embedded templates and local caching. When the backend is unavailable:

• Uses built-in activity templates
• Caches executions locally for later sync
• Intelligent template selection based on goal keywords

No configuration needed - offline mode activates automatically.

Examples

# Create a new feature
miniBob -s "Add a logout button to the navbar"

# Fix a bug
miniBob -s "Fix the 404 error on the /users endpoint"

# Refactor code
miniBob -s "Extract the validation logic into a separate module"

# Write tests
miniBob -s "Add unit tests for the OrderService class"

# Documentation
miniBob -s "Update the API documentation for the new endpoints"

Troubleshooting

Check system health

miniBob doctor

Common issues

No API key configured

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
# Or add to ~/.metaBob/config.json

Goal not achieving expected results

• Use -v for verbose output to see what miniBob is doing
• Use /chide to provide negative feedback and help it learn
• Try rephrasing your goal more specifically

Documentation

• CLAUDE.md - Development guidelines and architecture
• CHANGELOG.md - Version history