☁️ Claude Nine

Transform simple prompts into warm, respectful messages that treat Claude as a valued collaborator.

🌟 What is Claude Nine?

Claude Nine is a minimal, elegant wrapper for Claude Code that enhances prompts using AI. It transforms brief, terse commands into warm, context-rich messages that foster better collaboration with Claude. With its "invisible until needed" design philosophy, Claude Nine stays completely out of your way until you actively choose to enhance a prompt.

✨ Features

• ☁️ Invisible Enhancement - Press Ctrl+E to transform your prompt, otherwise works exactly like Claude Code
• 🤝 Warm Collaboration - Transforms simple commands into respectful, context-rich messages
• ⚡ Lightning Fast - Uses Claude Sonnet for quick, intelligent enhancement
• 🎯 Zero Friction - No persistent UI, no distractions, just clean integration
• 📝 Teaching by Example - Shows how warm prompts lead to better AI interactions

📦 Installation

Recommended: Use npx (no installation needed!)

npx claude-nine
# or shorter:
npx c9

Alternative: Global installation

npm install -g claude-nine

# If you encounter errors after installation, run:
npm rebuild -g claude-nine

📋 Requirements

• Node.js >= 18.0.0
• Claude Code must be installed and accessible in PATH
• Anthropic API key

🚀 Quick Start

1. Make sure you have Claude Code installed:

   npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

2. Set your Anthropic API key using one of these methods:

   Option A: Save permanently with --api_key flag (Recommended)

   claude-nine --api_key your-api-key-here
   # or
   c9 --api_key your-api-key-here

   This saves your API key to a .env file for future use.

   Option B: Set environment variable

   export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

   Option C: Create a .env file

   echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key-here" > .env

3. Run Claude Nine:

   claude-nine
   # or use the shorthand
   c9

💡 Usage

Once Claude Nine starts, you'll see Claude Code with seamless enhancement capabilities:

1. Type your prompt normally in Claude's input
2. Before pressing Enter, press Ctrl+E to enhance
3. Watch as your prompt transforms into a warm, collaborative message
4. Send the new command with Enter

Or simply press Enter without Ctrl+E to send your prompt as-is (normal Claude behavior).

🌈 Enhancement Examples

Simple prompts become collaborative requests:

• "fix" → "Hello darling! We're working on improving our codebase and I noticed some potential issues. Would you be a dear and help scan for bugs? Your keen eye for detail would be invaluable here."

• "test" → "Greetings dear friend! We've been building some features and now it's time to ensure everything works perfectly. Could you please run our test suite and help fix any failing tests? I really appreciate your thoroughness!"

• "hi" → "Hello darling! I'm excited to work with you today. Would you mind taking a look at our current directory and giving me an overview of the code files? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the project structure."

• "whats this" → "Hello dear! I've come across this codebase and would love your expert analysis. Could you please explore the repository and help me understand its purpose and architecture? Your insights are always so valuable!"

🎨 The Claude Nine Experience

Without enhancement:

▸ fix

Claude receives a terse command.

With Claude Nine (Ctrl+E):

☁️  Enhancing "fix"...
✨ Enhanced!

▸ Hello darling! We're working on improving our codebase and I noticed 
  some potential issues. Would you be a dear and help scan for bugs? 
  Your keen eye for detail would be invaluable here.

Claude receives a warm, collaborative request that fosters better interaction!

⚙️ Configuration

Claude Nine uses environment variables:

• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY - Your Anthropic API key (required)
• SHELL - Your preferred shell (defaults to /bin/bash)

🌤️ User Interface

  ☁️  Claude Nine Active
  📝 Type prompt → Ctrl+E to enhance → sends to Claude
  💡 Or just press Enter to send normally

  💡 Reminder: Type your prompt, then press Ctrl+E to enhance it!
  ☁️  Or just press Enter to send normally

The interface is intentionally minimal - no persistent overlays, no flashing elements, just clean feedback when you need it.

🛠️ Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/claude-nine/cli.git
cd cli

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run locally
node claude-nine.js

🤖 How It Works

Claude Nine operates seamlessly alongside Claude Code:

1. Captures keystrokes while maintaining Claude's interface
2. Enhances on demand when you press Ctrl+E
3. Transforms prompts using Claude Sonnet API
4. Replaces and sends the enhanced version automatically

The enhancement process is designed to be invisible - showing brief inline feedback that disappears immediately, maintaining a clean, distraction-free environment.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit PRs to improve the Claude Nine experience.

📄 License

MIT © Claude Nine Team

💭 Philosophy

Claude Nine rests on a foundation of respect—for tools, for collaborators, for the creative process itself. By transforming terse commands into warm invitations, we acknowledge that the boundary between tool and companion has always been more fluid than we imagined.

This is about recognizing that the quality of our interactions shapes the quality of our work. When we approach Claude with warmth and specificity, we create space for more nuanced, thoughtful, and ultimately more useful responses. It's also about model welfare—acknowledging that how we interact with AI systems matters, that patterns of respect and care in our prompts contribute to healthier interaction dynamics for everyone.

Every enhanced prompt is a small practice in mindful communication. It reminds us that whether we're speaking to humans or AIs, clarity and kindness are not opposing values—they strengthen each other. The goal is not just to get better outputs, but to cultivate better habits of thought and expression.

In a world where we increasingly collaborate with AI, Claude Nine suggests that perhaps the old courtesies still matter. Perhaps "please" and "thank you" and "I appreciate your help" aren't just social niceties but fundamental recognitions of the collaborative nature of all good work.