aish

AI Shell - convert natural language to bash commands.

Describe what you want to do and aish translates it into the right shell command using Claude Code or Codex CLI. It reads your project files (Makefile, package.json, README, etc.) to get the exact flags right.

Install

npm install -g aish-cli

Requires Claude Code (claude CLI) or Codex installed and authenticated.

Usage

aish <natural language query>

Examples

# Simple commands
aish list files

# Project-aware - reads your Makefile/package.json to find the right command
aish start the dev server
aish package ios app in debug, skip setup

# Multi-step tasks
aish create a new branch, commit everything, and push

aish will suggest a command, then let you Run, Edit, or Cancel before executing anything.

Zsh Plugin

For a seamless experience, use the zsh plugin. Press Ctrl+G anywhere in your terminal to enter AI mode.

Setup

Add to your ~/.zshrc:

source "$(npm root -g)/aish-cli/aish.plugin.zsh"

Features

• Ctrl+G - Enter AI mode
• Type query - Describe what you want in natural language
• Up/Down arrows - Navigate query history
• Left/Right arrows - Move cursor within query
• Enter - Submit query / Accept suggested command
• Tab - Refine command with follow-up (preserves context)
• Esc - Cancel

Placeholders

When the AI returns a command with placeholders like git commit -m "<message>", you'll be prompted to fill them in before the command is placed in your buffer.

Configuration

| Variable | Description | Default | |---|---|---| | AISH_HISTFILE | Query history file | ~/.aish_history | | AISH_HISTSIZE | Max history entries | 100 |

Options

-p, --provider <claude|codex>  AI provider (default: claude)
-m, --model <model>            Model override
--cwd <dir>                    Working directory
--print                        Output command only (for scripting)
-v, --verbose                  Show debug output
-h, --help                     Show help

Environment Variables

| Variable | Description | Default | |---|---|---| | AISH_PROVIDER | AI provider (claude or codex) | claude | | AISH_MODEL | Model to use | sonnet |

Flags take precedence over environment variables.

How It Works

1. You type a natural language query
2. aish detects your project tooling (npm/yarn/pnpm/cargo/etc.) from lockfiles
3. The AI reads your project files (README, Makefile, package.json, etc.) on demand
4. Returns one or more suggested commands
5. You choose to Run, Edit, or Cancel
6. On Run/Edit the command executes with your shell, inheriting stdio

License

MIT