Tokenless CLI

tokenless is the daemon-only, agent-facing entrypoint for using a visible ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini session without exporting provider credentials or calling hidden provider APIs.

Install

npx tokenless setup

First install and enable the Tokenless extension in the Chromium browser that will hold your provider session. Then npx tokenless setup installs the local runtime, registers the Native Messaging host for one detected browser, opens the selected provider page when needed, and succeeds only after the extension bridge is live. Sign in to the provider in that visible page if prompted. Install globally with npm install -g tokenless only if you prefer the shorter tokenless command. tokenless install remains available when you only want to provision the local runtime without activating the browser bridge.

The universal package contains JavaScript only and declares exact-version optional native packages for darwin/linux on arm64/x64 and win32 on arm64/x64. npm installs only the matching package, which contains tokenless-daemon and tokenless-native-host; publisher-side prepack verification requires each executable to report the exact role, package version, and normalized target tuple before packing. No install hook or normal command downloads or verifies an executable, and users do not need Rust. The published extension id is bundled; pass --extension-id <id> only for an unpacked or alternate extension build.

Configure defaults:

tokenless config --preferred-providers chatgpt,claude,gemini --browser chrome --json

Agent Workflow

npx tokenless run \
  --project-name "Website redesign" \
  --chat-name "Navbar review" \
  --project-root /path/to/project \
  --prompt-file /tmp/request.md \
  --json

run requires no extension id after setup. It starts the Rust daemon when needed. If the extension bridge is live, the CLI does not pre-open a wake tab; otherwise it opens only the selected provider's validated HTTPS UI in the configured Chromium browser. The extension reuses an approved provider tab when possible or opens one provider tab when necessary. ChatGPT is the provider default. Tokenless never opens a task page, extension page, local file, runner, settings, or history page.

ChatGPT visible controls

ChatGPT runs enforce the visible Chat surface before submission. Use the visible control inventory to discover what the signed-in account currently exposes:

npx tokenless chatgpt-controls --json

Configure a new ChatGPT turn or attach the same controls to run:

npx tokenless chatgpt-configure \
  --model "GPT-5.6 Sol" \
  --model-fallback "GPT-5.5,o3" \
  --effort pro \
  --json

npx tokenless run \
  --provider chatgpt \
  --model "GPT-5.6 Sol" \
  --model-fallback "GPT-5.5,o3" \
  --effort extra_high \
  --prompt "Review this design." \
  --json

--effort accepts instant, medium, high, extra_high, or pro. Tokenless uses visible DOM roles and selected state, not provider APIs or browser storage. When a requested model is absent it tries --model-fallback in order, then preserves the visible current model. When a complete five-level Intelligence menu is visible it selects the strongest available level at or below the requested level; incomplete or unlabelled menus preserve the current setting rather than guessing. In all non-safety control fallbacks, the prompt is still submitted.

For a visible provider task expected to take longer than three minutes, add --long-running. It extends the visible-response wait to 35 minutes and the daemon job wait to 36 minutes. Progress heartbeats are written to stderr so --json keeps stdout machine-readable. Do not use --no-wait for this mode.

Research citations

When a provider visibly renders citations in the final assistant response, run --json returns them at result.read.sources. Each source contains a direct external HTTPS URL, its visible title when available, and its domain. Normal run output prints the same sources after the answer. Tokenless deduplicates source URLs, removes common tracking parameters, and excludes provider-internal links. Citation collection is limited to visible response DOM; it does not inspect browser history, storage, or provider APIs.

Use returned task ids to inspect daemon-backed state:

npx tokenless state --task-id "project:Website redesign:chat:Navbar review" --json

Cancel a job only through daemon-confirmed cancellation:

npx tokenless cancel --job-id "<job-id>" --json

If explicit cancellation or SIGINT/SIGTERM cannot be confirmed before the bounded cancel-request deadline, the CLI exits nonzero with job_cancel_failed and warns that the job may continue. --cancel-timeout-ms can shorten that deadline for automation.

Capture a sanitized visible-page DOM snapshot through the same path:

npx tokenless snapshot-dom --provider chatgpt --json

--no-open requires an already-live bridge and fails before queueing otherwise. --no-daemon and local task-page fallback do not exist.

Boundary

Tokenless uses only visible provider DOM after user-granted extension permission. It does not read provider cookies, localStorage/sessionStorage tokens, hidden auth headers, or private backend APIs. Daemon access is loopback-only. Before every bearer-authenticated job call, the CLI verifies a fresh challenge-bound /ready HMAC proof covering both protocols and canonical home; an unproved listener never receives the token. doctor refreshes installed binaries before reading config or running checks and exits nonzero when any reported check fails.