PraisonAI Code CLI

Standalone agentic terminal CLI: run agents, chat, and code without the full wrapper

praisonai-code is the terminal-native agent CLI — install it on its own for a smaller footprint when you only need agentic commands.

# Standalone install — no wrapper needed
from praisonaiagents import Agent

Agent(instructions="Summarise this URL").start("https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.12345")

# Same result from the CLI, standalone (PR #2853)
pip install praisonai-code
praisonai-code run "Summarise https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.12345"

The user runs a terminal prompt; praisonai-code executes the agent in-process and prints the reply.

As of praisonai-code 0.0.45 (PR #2853), default run "…" and run --output plain|verbose|silent "…" route in-process on a standalone pip install praisonai-code — the same Agent path used by --output actions|json|stream|stream-json. Only chat and code still require the praisonai wrapper.

Which install do I need?

Both praisonai-code (console script) and python -m praisonai_code call the same entry point: configure logging, register commands, then run the Typer app.

Quick Start

1. Install standalone

   pip install praisonai-code
   praisonai-code version
   

   The panel lists PraisonAI Code, PraisonAI Agents, and Python. When the full wrapper is installed, a PraisonAI Wrapper line appears as well.

   Use --version for a quick one-liner (package version only, no panel):

   praisonai-code --version
   

   Run your first agent:

   praisonai-code run "Summarise the top 3 arXiv papers on RAG this week"
   

   Every text mode — default run "…" and --output plain|verbose|silent|actions|json|stream|stream-json — runs standalone via the in-process Agent path. chat and code (interactive TUI) still need the wrapper.

2. Upgrade later if you need bots or gateway

   pip install praisonai
   

   The same praisonai-code binary keeps working. Wrapper-only commands (gateway, bot, onboard, pairing, identity, kanban, claw, dashboard) become available through the composed install.

How It Works

Text-mode run always executes in-process via the Agent path on a standalone install. When the wrapper is present, human-readable modes delegate to its handle_direct_prompt; when it is absent, they route through the in-process Agent with the matching output preset. Only chat and code fall to the install-hint branch. Plugin discovery is vendored inside praisonai-code, so plugin-related flows keep working without the wrapper.

Output presets map as plain → plain, silent/default → silent, verbose → verbose; silent-style presets print the final text. chat and code raise the install hint on a standalone install:

Error: chat requires the praisonai wrapper. Install the full wrapper: pip install praisonai

The vendored _registry module means plugins work even without the wrapper installed. Version resolution reads from the praisonai-code package metadata directly, not the wrapper.

Command matrix

Three tiers decide what a command needs: fully standalone, wrapper-required (listed on a standalone install but needs the wrapper at runtime), and wrapper-only (not listed without the wrapper).

Standalone (pip install praisonai-code)	Wrapper-required (listed, needs praisonai)	Wrapper-only (pip install praisonai)
acp · agent · agents · attach · auth · batch · benchmark · browser · call · checkpoint · command · commit · completion · config · context · debug · deploy · diag · docs · doctor · endpoints · env · eval · examples · flow · github · hooks · init · knowledge · langextract · langfuse · loop · lsp · managed · mcp · memory · models · n8n · obs · package · paths · permissions · plugins · port · profile · publish · rag · realtime · recipe · registry · replay · research · run "…" (default) · run --output plain/verbose/silent/actions/json/stream/stream-json · rules · sandbox · schedule · serve · session · setup · skills · templates · test · todo · tools · traces · tracker · train · ui · up · validate · version · workflow	chat · code	bot · claw · daemon · dashboard · gateway · identity · kanban · onboard · pairing

Wrapper-required commands are listed in --help but fail fast with an install hint when the wrapper is missing. Wrapper-only names stay out of --help entirely and do not load a Typer module.

The 14 stub groups below are a special mixed case — their legacy entry points are wrapper-required, but native subcommands stay standalone-safe:

Command	Standalone	Wrapper-required
Stub groups (agents, workflow, registry, memory, skills, hooks, rules, eval, package, templates, todo, research, commit, call) — delegating entry points	❌ Fail fast with hint	✅
Stub groups — native subcommands (memory learn, skills bundle/check/eligible, eval list-judges/list)	✅	✅

daemon start runs standalone in both foreground and --background modes — only the bot/gateway daemon sub-apps are wrapper-only.

Standalone limits

On a pip install praisonai-code-only install:

Command	Works standalone?	Notes
run --help, config, doctor	Yes
run --output actions "…"	Yes	In-process Agent (structured events preset)
run --output json "…"	Yes	In-process Agent (structured JSON output)
run --output stream "…"	Yes	In-process Agent (streaming text)
run --output stream-json "…"	Yes	In-process Agent (streaming JSON events)
run "…" (default)	Yes	In-process Agent (silent preset; prints final text)
run --output plain/verbose/silent "…"	Yes	In-process Agent (plain/verbose/silent presets)
chat, code	No	TUI / interactive legacy live in wrapper (pip install praisonai)
daemon start (foreground)	Yes
daemon start --background	Yes	Spawns python -m praisonai_code.runtime
Piped stdin (type file.log | praisonai-code run "…")	Yes	Works on Windows as of 2026-07-07 (PR #2705) via a stat-based pipe classifier; also supports Get-Content file.log | praisonai-code run "…". Interactive terminals skip the stdin read. See Piped Input.

For interactive terminal UX (chat, code), install the wrapper: pip install praisonai. Default run and every --output text mode already work standalone.

praisonai-code doctor returns exit 0 on a healthy standalone install — wrapper-presence checks (performance_praisonai_import, acp_module, praisonai_package_structure, console_script_execution) SKIP rather than FAIL (PR #2851).

Stub command groups on standalone

Run agents standalone without the wrapper — the SDK works directly:

from praisonaiagents import Agent

Agent(instructions="Summarise this URL").start("https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.12345")

# Same result from the CLI, standalone (in-process)
pip install praisonai-code
praisonai-code run --output actions "Summarise https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.12345"

Fourteen command groups — agents, workflow, registry, memory, skills, hooks, rules, eval, package, templates, todo, research, commit, and call — delegate to the praisonai wrapper for their legacy entry points. On a standalone pip install praisonai-code (PR #2854) those entry points exit 1 with a single-line install hint — no Rich traceback:

agents requires the full wrapper. Install the full wrapper: pip install praisonai

The <group> name changes per command (workflow requires the full wrapper. …, registry requires the full wrapper. …, and so on).

These groups are mixed, not wholly wrapper-only. Their native subcommands keep working standalone — only the legacy delegating entry points fail fast.

Group	Standalone-safe native subcommand(s)
memory	memory learn (status/show/add/search/clear)
skills	skills bundle, skills check, skills eligible
eval	eval list-judges, eval list (alias — PR #2848)

Run pip install praisonai to unlock the wrapper-delegating entry points, or use the native standalone-safe subcommand.

Wrapper-command loading

Wrapper-only commands (bot, gateway, pairing, identity, onboard, kanban, dashboard, claw, daemon) are Typer sub-apps whose implementations live in the praisonai wrapper. When you install praisonai-code standalone, these commands are not listed in --help and are not resolvable — get_command() returns None instead of loading a module that doesn’t exist in praisonai_code.

# Standalone install, wrapper-only command
$ pip install praisonai-code
$ praisonai-code bot --help
Error: No such command 'bot'.

To use bot, gateway, pairing, identity, onboard, kanban, dashboard, claw, or daemon, install the full wrapper:

pip install praisonai

Configuration and environment

Variable / command	Behaviour
LOGLEVEL	Read on CLI entry via configure_cli_logging (default WARNING). Controls root log verbosity for standalone runs.
praisonai-code version check	Compares your installed version with PyPI (https://pypi.org/pypi/praisonai-code/json).

Version commands

praisonai-code version

Shows the full version panel:

PraisonAI Code: 0.0.4
PraisonAI Wrapper: 1.x.x   ← only shown when praisonai is installed
PraisonAI Agents: 1.6.x
Python: 3.12.x

praisonai-code version --json

Returns structured JSON:

{
  "praisonai-code": "0.0.4",
  "praisonai": "1.x.x",
  "praisonaiagents": "1.6.x",
  "python": "3.12.x"
}

The praisonai key is omitted when the wrapper is not installed.

praisonai-code version check

Queries PyPI and returns update status:

{
  "current": "0.0.4",
  "latest": "0.0.5",
  "update_available": true
}

praisonai-code version check needs outbound HTTPS to PyPI.

Best Practices

When to use praisonai-code alone

Use praisonai-code for any run "…" prompt (default or any --output mode), config, doctor, or the warm-runtime daemon — smaller install, no gateway/bot deps.

When to install the full wrapper

Install praisonai for interactive chat/code, Telegram/Discord/Slack bots, the WebSocket gateway, or kanban/dashboard.

Monorepo dev install order

In dev, pip install -e src/praisonai-agents && pip install -e src/praisonai-code && pip install -e src/praisonai (this exact order) — matches the release publish order in pypi-release.yml.

AgentApp is a silent alias for AgentOS

from praisonai import AgentOS and from praisonai import AgentApp both work — AgentApp is a backward-compat silent alias for AgentOS. No deprecation warning is emitted.

Related

Choose your install

Compare full wrapper, code-only, and SDK installs

Architecture

Six-package layout and dependency direction