Lacy Shell – Talk to your terminal. Commands run, questions go to AI

# Lacy **Talk to your shell.** Commands run. Questions go to AI. No prefixes. No context switching. You just type. [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/lacy) [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/lacy) [](https://github.com/lacymorrow/lacy/stargazers) [](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

## Why Lacy? - **No new tools to learn** — Lacy works with your existing AI CLI (Claude Code, Gemini, OpenCode, Codex, Lash). It's a complement, not a replacement. - **Zero friction** — No slash commands, no hotkeys, no separate terminal. Type naturally and Lacy routes it. A real-time color indicator shows you what will happen before you press enter. - **Smart detection** — Lacy classifies input using word analysis, not AI. It's instant. Commands like `ls -la` stay green (shell). Questions like `what files are here` turn magenta (AI). If a command fails with natural language patterns, it silently reroutes to AI. > *Works with ZSH and Bash 4+ on macOS, Linux, and WSL.* ## Install ```bash curl -fsSL https://lacy.sh/install | bash ```

Other methods

```bash # Homebrew brew tap lacymorrow/tap brew install lacy # npx (interactive) npx lacy # Manual git clone https://github.com/lacymorrow/lacy.git ~/.lacy echo 'source ~/.lacy/lacy.plugin.zsh' >> ~/.zshrc ```

## How It Works Real-time visual feedback shows what will happen before you hit enter:

Commands execute in your shell. Natural language goes to your AI agent. No prefixes, no context switching — you just type. | Input | Routes to | Why | | ------------------------------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- | | `ls -la` | Shell | Valid command | | `what files are here` | AI | Natural language | | `git status` | Shell | Valid command | | `do we have a way to install?` | AI | Reserved word — never a real command | | `fix the bug` | AI | Multi-word, not a command | | `kill the process on 3000` | Shell → AI | Valid command, but fails — rerouted | | `go ahead and fix it` | Shell → AI | "go" is valid, but "ahead" triggers reroute | | `!rm -rf *` | Shell | `!` prefix forces shell | The first word of your input is also syntax-highlighted in real-time: **green** for shell commands, **magenta** for AI queries. **Smart rerouting** (auto mode): When a valid command contains natural language patterns (3+ bare words with articles, pronouns, etc.) and fails, lacy shows a hint and automatically re-sends it to the AI agent. Shell reserved words like `do`, `then`, `in`, `else` are routed directly to the agent — they pass `command -v` but are never standalone commands. ## Modes

| Mode | Behavior | Activate | | --------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------- | | **Auto** | Smart routing (default) | `mode auto` | | **Shell** | Everything to shell | `mode shell` or `Ctrl+Space` | | **Agent** | Everything to AI | `mode agent` or `Ctrl+Space` | ## Supported Tools Lacy auto-detects your installed AI CLI. All tools handle their own auth — no API keys needed.

```bash tool set claude # Use Claude Code tool set lash # Use Lash tool set auto # Auto-detect (first available) ``` Or edit `~/.lacy/config.yaml`: ```yaml agent_tools: active: claude # lash, claude, opencode, gemini, codex, custom, or empty for auto ``` ## Commands | Command | Description | | --------------------------- | -------------------- | | `mode` | Show current mode | | `mode [shell\|agent\|auto]` | Switch mode | | `tool` | Show active AI tool | | `tool set ` | Set AI tool | | `ask "query"` | Direct query to AI | | `Ctrl+Space` | Toggle between modes | ## CLI After installation, the `lacy` command is available (no Node required): ```bash lacy setup # Interactive settings (tool, mode, config) lacy status # Show installation status lacy doctor # Diagnose common issues lacy update # Pull latest changes lacy config edit # Open config in $EDITOR lacy uninstall # Remove Lacy Shell lacy help # Show all commands ``` ## Uninstall ```bash lacy uninstall # or npx lacy --uninstall # or curl -fsSL https://lacy.sh/install | bash -s -- --uninstall ``` ## Configuration Config file: `~/.lacy/config.yaml` ```yaml agent_tools: active: claude # lash, claude, opencode, gemini, codex, or empty for auto modes: default: auto # shell, agent, auto api_keys: openai: "sk-..." # Only needed if no CLI tool installed anthropic: "sk-ant-..." ``` ## Troubleshooting **No AI response** — Check `tool` to see if a tool is detected. Install one: `npm i -g lashcode` or `brew install claude`. **Colors not showing** — Ensure your terminal supports 256 colors (green=34, magenta=200, blue=75). **Command rerouted unexpectedly** — In auto mode, commands with natural language patterns that fail are re-sent to the AI. Switch to `mode shell` to disable this, or prefix with `!`. **Emergency bypass** — Prefix any command with `!` to force shell execution: `!rm -rf node_modules` ## Releasing Requires [Bun](https://bun.sh), [gh](https://cli.github.com), and `npm login`. ```bash bun run release # interactive — prompts for patch/minor/major bun run release patch # patch bump (1.5.3 → 1.5.4) bun run release minor # minor bump (1.5.3 → 1.6.0) bun run release major # major bump (1.5.3 → 2.0.0) bun run release 2.0.0 # explicit version ``` The script handles the full release flow: 1. Bumps version in both `package.json` files 2. Commits with `release: v` and tags 3. Pushes to GitHub and creates a GitHub release 4. Publishes the npm package (prompts for OTP if required) ## Support This Project Lacy Shell is free and open source. If it saves you time, consider sponsoring the project: [](https://github.com/sponsors/lacymorrow) Your support keeps development active and helps cover infrastructure costs. ## Contributing Contributions welcome! Check out the [issues](https://github.com/lacymorrow/lacy/issues) for good first issues, or open a new one. ## License MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE).