Command Line

The CLI calls the same coding-session API as SDK consumers. It provides interactive conversation and one-shot Print output.

Run

From the project root, after model configuration:

pnpm run coding-agent
pnpm run coding-agent --print "Read package.json and explain the scripts."
bash packages/coding-agent/src/cli.sample.sh

pnpm run chat and pnpm run run are aliases for the same entry point. The CLI sample preserves the caller's working directory.

Options

Option	Behavior
--print, -p	Print the final assistant text and exit. Requires a prompt.
--provider NAME, --model ID	Select a configured provider/model.
--base-url URL, --api-key KEY	Override endpoint and authentication for the selected provider.
--continue, -c	Continue the most recent session for the current project.
--session PATH	Open a Loop JSONL session by path.
--session-dir PATH	Override session storage/lookup directory.
--no-session	Keep history in memory only.
--tools read,bash,edit,write	Select built-in tools. --tools "" disables all.
--permission-preset LEVEL	Explicitly select read-only, workspace-write or danger-full-access for the startup session, including a restored session.
--system-prompt TEXT	Replace base instructions with literal text, not a file path.
--no-context-files	Disable ancestor/project instruction discovery.
--help, -h	Show options without starting a session.
--version, -v	Show the Loop version.
--	End flag parsing; remaining words become the prompt.

--session, --continue, and --no-session are mutually exclusive. Unknown flags reject. Prompt arguments are joined with spaces. There is no @file expansion, automatic piped-input prompt, JSON mode, or RPC mode.

Interactive commands

Command	Behavior
/abort	Cancel the run and wait for finalization.
/compact	Summarize older context while idle, preserving complete original history. See compaction.
/model	Show the active provider/model.
/model provider/id	Switch a configured model while idle; a bare ID uses the current provider.
/permissions [level]	Show the effective preset or persist a supported preset while idle.
/approve REQUEST_ID	Allow exactly one pending operation in this session.
/approve-session REQUEST_ID	Allow an eligible MCP tool with any arguments for the live session and catalog lifetime.
/reject REQUEST_ID	Reject the pending operation.
/new	Replace the current session with an empty one.
/resume	List saved session paths for the current workspace.
/resume path	Open that session and recreate its workspace services.
/flush	Retry a pending history save.
/quit	Exit; pending unsaved history blocks ordinary exit.

Ctrl+C cancels when busy and exits when idle, unless a save is pending. There is no input queue: another ordinary prompt while busy rejects.

Startup shows the active model and permission preset. Accepted prompts show waiting feedback; model updates can show thinking or tool preparation, followed by tool status and streamed text. Complete text without deltas is rendered when the assistant ends. Thinking content itself is not printed.

Permissions and approvals

Without an explicit flag, startup restores the saved permission preset or uses the new-session settings default (built-in: read-only). The flag applies only to the startup session: /new uses new-session defaults and /resume restores that session's saved preset. /permissions changes only the active session; it does not change global settings. Full access permits host writes and unsandboxed shell commands without individual approval.

Interactive approval requires both terminal input and output. The CLI prints the tool, reason, exact arguments and scope as escaped JSON. File requests identify the canonical path and content hashes; shell requests explicitly cover host filesystem, network, environment and descendants without a sandbox. Use the displayed request ID with /approve or /reject; a plain yes or stale ID cannot approve. Eligible MCP requests also display /approve-session, which grants that exact tool until the live session or catalog lifetime ends. Other operations reject that decision. CLI startup does not automatically load MCP configuration; see MCP integration.

The waiting tool has no approval deadline and resumes only after an accepted decision. Rejection, /abort, Ctrl+C during a run, or shutdown settle the request without granting execution. SDK requests with an explicit timeout still report expiry. The terminal prints the outcome. Session replacement rebinds the interaction handler; decisions do not transfer to another session.

Print mode and non-terminal input do not register an approval handler. Operations requiring additional authority fail closed instead of waiting for piped input. See permissions and approval lifecycle.

Print and errors

Print mode waits for completion and outputs only the final assistant text; it is not a text-delta stream. Model and storage failures produce a nonzero exit. Normal success is 0, ordinary failure is 1, Print cancellation by SIGINT is 130, and termination by SIGTERM is 143.

A pending storage failure enters save recovery, including in Print mode: the process stays alive for /flush rather than discarding its only in-memory snapshot. See sessions.

Source

cli.ts, args.ts, main.ts, interactive mode, and CLI tests.