a2a-cli

A command-line interface for interacting with A2A (Agent-to-Agent) protocol compliant agents. Send messages, manage tasks, and chat interactively with agents from your terminal.

Installation

npm install -g a2a-cli

Quick Start

# Start an interactive chat session
a2a-cli chat

# Send a one-off message
a2a-cli send "Hello, agent"

# Send with custom server
a2a-cli --server http://localhost:8000 send "What is the weather?"

Commands

chat - Interactive Chat Session

Start an interactive conversation with the agent:

a2a-cli chat
a2a-cli --server http://localhost:8000 chat

In-chat commands:

• /new - Start a fresh session (clears task and context IDs)
• /exit - Exit the chat session

Example session:

A2A Terminal Client
Agent Base URL: http://localhost:41241
✓ Agent Card Found:
  Name:        Example Agent
  Streaming:   Supported

Example Agent > You: Hello, can you help me?

Example Agent [10:23:45]: ⏳ Status: working
Example Agent [10:23:45]: ✉️ Message:
  📝 Text: Hello! I'd be happy to help you.

Example Agent > You: /exit
Exiting A2A Terminal Client. Goodbye!

send - Send a Message

Send a one-off message to the agent:

# Send a message directly
a2a-cli send "Hello, agent"

# Wait for task completion (streaming mode)
a2a-cli send "Generate a list of 5 movie recommendations" --wait

# Send from stdin
a2a-cli send < prompt-file.txt
cat prompt-file.txt | a2a-cli send

# With custom server
a2a-cli --server http://localhost:8000 send "What's the time?"

Options:

• -w, --wait - Wait for task completion using streaming mode (default: false)

get - Get Task Details

Retrieve details about a specific task:

a2a-cli get <task-id>

Output includes:

• Task ID and Context ID
• Current status
• Status messages
• Artifacts (if any)

cancel - Cancel a Task

Cancel a running task:

a2a-cli cancel <task-id>

Global Options

• -s, --server <url> - Agent server URL (default: http://localhost:41241)
• -V, --version - Output the version number
• -h, --help - Display help information

Usage Examples

# Interactive chat with default server
a2a-cli chat

# Interactive chat with custom server
a2a-cli --server http://localhost:8000 chat

# Send a quick message (fire and forget)
a2a-cli send "What is 2+2?"

# Send and wait for completion
a2a-cli send "Write me a poem" --wait

# Send from a file
a2a-cli send < my-prompt.txt

# Get task information
a2a-cli get task-abc-123

# Cancel a long-running task
a2a-cli cancel task-abc-123

# Chain commands
a2a-cli --server http://localhost:8000 send "Generate code" --wait > output.txt

Features

• 🚀 Multiple command modes: Interactive chat or one-off messages
• 📡 Streaming support: Real-time agent responses with --wait flag
• 📝 Task management: Query and cancel tasks
• 🎨 Rich output: Color-coded status indicators and formatted messages
• 📄 Artifact support: Display files and data returned by agents
• 🔄 Context persistence: Maintains conversation context in chat mode
• 📥 Stdin support: Pipe prompts from files or other commands

Development

# Run in development mode
npm run dev chat
npm run dev send "test message"

# Type checking
npm run typecheck

# Build
npm run build

Color Coding

The CLI uses colors for better readability:

• 🟦 Blue: Working/In-progress states
• 🟩 Green: Completed/Success states
• 🟨 Yellow: Warnings/Input required
• 🔴 Red: Errors/Failed states
• ⚪ Gray: Metadata and timestamps

License

ISC