Shell Genie is a command-line tool that translates natural language requests into executable shell commands, aimed at users who are less familiar with shell syntax or want to speed up their workflow. It offers a convenient way to interact with the terminal using plain English.

How It Works

Shell Genie leverages large language models (LLMs) to interpret user prompts and generate corresponding shell commands. It supports multiple backends, including OpenAI's GPT-3.5 Turbo and a self-hosted "free-genie" option intended for dataset collection. The tool can also provide explanations for the generated commands.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install via pipx: pipx install shell-genie
• Alternatively, use pip within a Python 3.10+ virtual environment: pip install shell-genie
• Initialization required: shell-genie init (selects backend, configures API keys if needed).
• Official documentation and video examples are available.

Highlighted Details

• Translates natural language to shell commands.
• Can explain the generated commands.
• Supports multiple LLM backends, including a free, self-hosted option.
• Allows creating aliases for quicker access (e.g., alias please='shell-genie ask').

Maintenance & Community

The repository explicitly states it is no longer maintained by the original author. Users are directed to consider tools like shellGPT.

Licensing & Compatibility

Licensed under the MIT license, permitting commercial use and integration with closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

The tool is not actively maintained. Generated commands may not always work as expected and could potentially be destructive (e.g., rm -rf /); users are strongly advised to understand commands before execution. The "free-genie" backend has no guarantee of availability.