Chat

Interactive chat mode with AI agents

The chat command starts an interactive chat session with an AI agent.

Usage

praisonai chat [OPTIONS] [PROMPT]

Arguments

Argument	Description
PROMPT	Initial prompt for the chat session

Options

Option	Short	Description	Default
--model	-m	LLM model to use	gpt-4o-mini
--verbose	-v	Verbose output	false
--memory		Enable memory persistence	false
--tools	-t	Tools file path
--user-id		User ID for memory isolation
--session	-s	Session ID to resume
--workspace	-w	Workspace directory	current dir
--debug		Enable debug logging to ~/.praisonai/async_tui_debug.log	false
--safe		Safe mode: require approval for file writes and commands	false
--autonomy/--no-autonomy		Enable agent autonomy for complex tasks	true
--ui-backend		UI backend: auto, plain, rich, mg	auto
--json		Output JSON (forces plain backend)	false
--no-color		Disable colors	false
--theme		UI theme: default, dark, light, minimal	default
--compact		Compact output mode	false

Examples

Start a chat session

praisonai chat

Chat with initial prompt

praisonai chat "Hello, how can you help me today?"

Chat with specific model

praisonai chat --model gpt-4o "Explain machine learning"

Chat with memory enabled

praisonai chat --memory "Remember my name is Alice"

Resume a previous session

praisonai chat --session abc123

Use plain text output (no colors)

praisonai chat --ui-backend plain "What is 2+2?"

Output as JSON

praisonai chat --json "Summarize this text"

Use middle-ground UI (enhanced streaming)

praisonai chat --ui-backend mg

UI Backends

The --ui-backend flag controls how output is rendered:

Backend	Description
auto	Auto-select best available (default)
plain	Plain text, no colors, works everywhere
rich	Rich formatting with colors and panels
mg	Middle-ground: enhanced streaming with no flicker

Environment variable: Set PRAISONAI_UI_SAFE=1 to force plain backend.

Interactive Commands

During a chat session, you can use these commands:

Command	Description
/help	Show available commands
/exit, /quit	Exit the chat session
/clear	Clear conversation history
/new	Start new conversation
/session	Show current session info
/sessions	List all saved sessions
/continue	Continue most recent session
/model [name]	Show or change model
/cost	Show token usage and cost
/history	Show conversation history
/export [file]	Export conversation to file
/import <file>	Import conversation from file
/status	Show ACP/LSP runtime status
/auto	Toggle autonomy mode (auto-delegate complex tasks)
/debug	Toggle debug logging to ~/.praisonai/async_tui_debug.log
/plan <task>	Create a step-by-step plan for a task
/handoff <type> <task>	Delegate to specialized agent (code/research/review/docs)
/compact	Toggle compact output mode
/multiline	Toggle multiline input mode
/files	List workspace files for @ mentions
/queue	Show pending prompts in queue

Quick Start

Running praisonai with no arguments starts interactive mode:

praisonai

This is equivalent to praisonai chat.

Features

The interactive chat mode includes:

• ASCII Art Logo - Beautiful PraisonAI branding on startup
• Status Bar - Shows model, session info, and keyboard shortcuts
• Auto-completion - Tab completion for commands and file paths
• Command History - Navigate previous commands with arrow keys
• Markdown Rendering - Rich formatted responses with syntax highlighting
• Streaming Output - Real-time response streaming

See Also

• Interactive TUI - Full TUI interface
• Session - Session management
• Memory - Memory management