GitHub - acrotron/aye-chat: Aye Chat: AI-powered terminal workspace

4 min read Original article ↗

Your terminal, but with AI. Edit files, run commands, chat with AI - all in one session.

Install in 30 seconds

$ pip install ayechat
$ aye chat          # Start in any project

macOS (Homebrew):

brew tap acrotron/aye-chat
brew install aye-chat

Windows (Installer):

Download and run aye-chat-setup.exe

Aye Chat: The AI-powered terminal workspace

What it does

$ aye chat
> fix the bug in server.py
✓ Fixed undefined variable on line 42

> vim server.py
[opens real vim, returns to chat after]

> refactor: make it async
✓ Updated server.py with async/await

> pytest
✗ Tests fail

> restore
✓ Reverted last changes

No copy-pasting. No context switching. AI edits your files directly.

Why developers love it

  • Zero config - Automatically reads your project files (respects .gitignore)
  • Instant undo - restore command reverts any AI changes immediately
  • Real shell - Run git, pytest, even vim without leaving the chat
  • 100% local backups - Your code is safe, changes stored in .aye/
  • No prefixes - Just type. Commands run, everything else goes to AI

Instant undo with Aye Chat's Restore

Aye Chat's restore command provides an instant and reliable safety net for any changes made by the AI. Developers can forge ahead and experiment knowing that application restore is just one simple command away.

Restore offers fine-grained control:

  • restore <ordinal>: Lets users revert to a specific historical snapshot (e.g., 001). This is useful for stepping back through multiple AI interactions.
  • restore <ordinal> <file>: Allows restoring a specific file from a particular snapshot. This is incredibly powerful for selectively reverting changes without affecting other files that might have been correctly updated.

Restore works best when used alongside other commands:

  • history: to view available snapshots
  • diff: to compare current files with previous versions

These commands provide a comprehensive system for reviewing, managing, and reverting code changes, keeping you in control.

Quick examples

# In your project directory:
aye chat

> refactor this to use dependency injection
> pytest
> fix what broke  
> git commit -m "refactored DI"

Get started

  1. Install: pip install ayechat
  2. Start chatting: aye chat in any project folder

Get started - Windows Installer

For Windows users, the recommended way to install Aye Chat is with the official installer. It provides a standalone application that requires no manual setup.

Installation

  1. Download the latest aye-chat-setup.exe from the GitHub Releases page.
  2. Run the downloaded installer.
  3. During setup, it is highly recommended to keep the following options enabled:
    • Add the application directory to your PATH
    • Add 'Open Aye Chat here' to folder context menu

Usage

After installation, you can launch Aye Chat by:

  • Typing aye in any terminal.
  • Right-clicking a project folder and selecting Open Aye Chat here.
📚 Full command reference

Core Commands

Authentication

Does not require authentication

Starting a Session

aye chat                          # Start chat with auto-detected files
aye chat --root ./src             # Specify a different project root
aye chat --include "*.js,*.css"   # Manually specify which files to include

In-Chat Commands

Your input is handled in this order:

  1. Built-in Commands (like restore or model)
  2. Shell Commands (like ls -la or git status)
  3. AI Prompt (everything else)

Session & Model Control

  • new - Start a fresh chat session
  • model - Select a different AI model
  • verbose [on|off] - Toggle verbose output on or off
  • exit, quit, Ctrl+D - Exit the chat
  • help - Show available commands

Reviewing & Undoing AI Changes

  • restore, undo - Instantly undo the last set of changes made by AI
  • history - Show the history of changes made by AI
  • diff <file> - Compare current version against last change

Shell Commands

  • Run any command: ls -la, git status, docker ps
  • Interactive programs work: vim, nano, less, top
⚙️ Configuration & Privacy

Configuration

  • Aye Chat respects .gitignore and .ayeignore - private files are never touched
  • Change history and backups stored locally in .aye/ folder
  • Configure default model and preferences in ~/.aye/config.yaml

Privacy & Security

  • All file backups are local only
  • API calls only include files you explicitly work with
  • No telemetry or usage tracking
  • Open source - audit the code yourself
🧩 Plugins & Extensions

Extensible via Plugins

The core experience is enhanced by plugins:

  • Shell execution plugin
  • Autocompletion plugin
  • Custom command plugins
  • Model provider plugins
🐧 NixOS/Nix Installation 
# Run directly without installing
nix run github:acrotron/aye-chat

# Or install to your profile
nix profile install github:acrotron/aye-chat

Contributing

Aye Chat is open source! We welcome contributions.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file

Disclaimer

review the DISCLAIMER before using this software.

Ready to code with AI without leaving your terminal?

pip install ayechat && aye chat

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