ish

ish is a terminal coding agent - fast, interactive, and built for real project work.

Install the npm package agentish, run ish, and get an agent that reads your repo, edits files, runs commands, resumes sessions, and loads plugins.

npm install -g agentish
ish

On first run, ish prompts for your API key automatically. You can also set ISH_API_KEY in your shell.

Why ish

• Terminal-native - multiline input, paste chips, image paste, slash commands, themes, session resume
• Agentic tools - read, search, edit, write, and run commands with policy controls
• Plan mode - toggle a planning pass before execution with /plan or Shift+Tab
• Plugin compatible - loads Claude Code plugin installs from ~/.claude/plugins/
• MCP bridge - lazy-loaded MCP servers, no startup hang
• Fast boot - ish version exits instantly; heavy work loads only when needed

Quick start

# Install
npm install -g agentish

# Save your API key (only needed if ISH_API_KEY is not set - first run prompts automatically)
ish

# Check for updates
ish update

# One-shot prompt
ish "find unused exports in src/"

Get an API key from ish.chat or set ISH_API_KEY for the current shell.

Commands

| Command | Description | |---|---| | ish | Start an interactive session | | ish "<prompt>" | Run one prompt and exit | | ish doctor | Check install, tools, API key, plugins, and MCP | | ish update | Check npm for updates (npm update -g agentish) | | ish logout | Remove stored credentials | | ish models | List available models | | ish themes | Preview color themes | | ish version | Print version | | ish help | Show CLI help |

Flags

| Flag | Description | |---|---| | --model <id> | Model to use (default: claude-sonnet-4.6) | | --theme <name> | Color theme | | --api-key <key> | API key for this run only | | --no-plugins | Skip plugin and MCP loading | | --plugin-dir <path> | Load a local plugin directory (dev/testing) |

Interactive slash commands

Type / in the prompt for the default menu:

/model   /theme   /policy   /plan    /compact   /resume   /rename   /rewind
/clear   /shortcuts   /help   /exit   /plugins   /plugin   /reload-plugins   /mcp

Start typing to filter - e.g. /c reveals plugin commands like /caveman and /caveman:caveman.

| Command | Description | |---|---| | /policy [mode] | Tool policy: ask, accept-edits, read-only | | /plan [on\|off] | Toggle planning mode before execution (also Shift+Tab) | | /compact | Summarize context at a task boundary | | /resume | Pick a saved session | | /rewind [n] | Drop recent turns | | /shortcuts | Show keyboard shortcuts | | /plugins | Installed plugins and skills | | /plugin | Plugin actions (browse, install, info, health) | | /plugin install name@marketplace | Install a plugin | | /plugin uninstall name@marketplace | Remove an installed plugin | | /plugin marketplace add owner/repo | Add a Claude plugin marketplace | | /reload-plugins | Reload the plugin harness |

Keyboard shortcuts

Run /shortcuts inside ish for the platform-specific list. Common bindings:

• Enter sends the message.
• Option+Enter on macOS, or Alt+Enter on Windows/Linux, inserts a newline.
• Cmd+V on macOS, or Ctrl+V on Windows/Linux, pastes text. Large multiline pastes collapse to chips like [#1 +100 lines].
• Ctrl+V on macOS, or Alt+V on Windows/Linux, pastes a clipboard image as [Image 1].
• Shift+Tab toggles plan mode.
• ↑ / ↓ browse prompt history.
• Ctrl+C clears the current input; press twice on an empty input to exit.

Plan mode

Use /plan or Shift+Tab to toggle plan mode for the current session. When active, ish asks the agent to plan first and maintain plan.md.

Plan mode is also enforced by the native tools layer:

• Reads and searches are allowed.
• Writing/editing plan.md is allowed.
• Source-file writes and shell commands are blocked until you turn plan mode off and approve execution.

Plan mode is session-local: new ish sessions start with plan mode off.

Plugins

ish reads the same install registry Claude Code uses:

• ~/.claude/plugins/installed_plugins.json
• ~/.claude/settings.json (enabledPlugins)

Install a plugin in Claude Code, enable it, and ish picks it up automatically. You can also add Claude-compatible marketplaces directly in ish:

/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official
/plugin browse
/plugin install agent-sdk-dev@claude-plugins-official

Skills are exposed as namespaced slash commands:

/caveman:caveman
/claude-mem:make-plan

Plugin MCP servers use plugin-scoped IDs (e.g. caveman/local-server), not generic claude_* prefixes.

For local development:

ish --plugin-dir ./my-plugin

Configuration

| Variable | Description | |---|---| | ISH_API_KEY | API key for the current session | | ISH_MODEL | Default model | | ISH_BASE_URL | API base URL (default: https://api.ish.chat/v1) | | ISH_HOME | Config directory (default: ~/.ish) | | ISH_THEME | Default color theme |

Credentials are stored at ~/.ish/credentials.json. Sessions are saved under ~/.ish/sessions/.

Development

This repo is an npm workspace monorepo:

apps/cli/       # ish CLI (published as agentish)
packages/ui/    # Terminal UI (agentish-ui)

git clone https://github.com/junioralive/ish-cli.git
cd ish-cli
npm install
npm run build
npm test

# Run from source
npm run ish

Publish to npm

The CLI is published as agentish. The binary is still ish.

npm run build
npm run publish:npm

This publishes agentish-ui first, then agentish. You need to be logged in to npm.

License

MIT - see LICENSE.