mensa-cli Documentation

mensa is a terminal-based chat interface for Claude AI, built with Bun, React, and Ink. It uses the Claude Agent SDK to provide an agentic chat experience with tool use capabilities.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Quick Start
• Features
• Configuration
• Commands Reference
• MCP Servers

Installation

Prerequisites

• Bun runtime (v1.0+)
• Logged into Claude Code

From Source

git clone <repository-url>
cd mensa-cli
bun install
bun run build
bun install --global .

From npm (when published)

bun install -g mensa-cli

Quick Start

1. Make sure you're authenticated with Claude Code.

2. Run mensa:

   mensa

3. On first run, you'll be guided through model selection.

4. Start chatting! Type your message and press Enter.

Features

Agentic Tools

mensa gives Claude access to powerful tools:

• Read/Write/Edit - File operations
• Bash - Execute shell commands
• Glob/Grep - Search files and content
• WebFetch/WebSearch - Browse the web
• TodoWrite - Track tasks

Session Management

Continue previous conversations:

mensa --continue       # Resume most recent session
mensa --resume <id>    # Resume specific session by ID

Undo Support

Made a mistake? Use /undo to revert file changes from the last assistant response.

MCP Integration

Connect to Model Context Protocol servers for extended capabilities. See MCP documentation.

Budget Limits

Set spending limits to control costs:

mensa budget set 5.00   # Set $5 limit
mensa budget show       # View current limit
mensa budget clear      # Remove limit

Markdown Rendering

Assistant responses are rendered with proper markdown formatting including:

• Code blocks with syntax highlighting
• Headers, lists, and emphasis
• Links and inline code

Slash Commands

Type / to see available commands with autocomplete:

• /config - Open settings
• /mcp - Manage MCP servers
• /undo - Revert file changes
• /help - Show help

Configuration

Configuration is stored at ~/.mensa/config.json:

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
  "createdAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "mcpServers": {},
  "maxBudgetUsd": 10.00,
  "lastSessionId": "session-uuid"
}

Changing Models

Use /config or /settings in the app to change the Claude model.

Available models:

• Claude Sonnet 4.5 (Recommended)
• Claude Opus 4.5
• Claude Haiku 4.5

Keyboard Shortcuts

| Shortcut | Action | |----------|--------| | Enter | Submit message | | Ctrl+C | Interrupt current operation | | Backspace | Delete character | | Option+Backspace | Delete word | | Cmd+Backspace | Delete line | | Tab | Complete slash command | | Up/Down | Navigate suggestions |

Troubleshooting

Session not resuming

Sessions are stored locally. If you clear ~/.mensa/, session history is lost.

MCP server not connecting

1. Check the server is running: mensa mcp list
2. Verify the URL/command is correct
3. Check authentication headers if required

License

MIT