🦁 SimhaCLI

AI-Powered Coding Agent for Your Terminal

Features • Installation • Configuration • Commands • Tools

📖 Overview

SimhaCLI is a powerful terminal-based AI coding agent that brings the intelligence of Large Language Models directly into your development workflow. It reads your code, executes tools, manages sessions, and streams its thinking — all inside your terminal.

SimhaCLI🦁  starting  refactor my auth module
⠦ 🦁 Simha is working... (2.1s)
💭 SimhaCLI thinking (1.3s) The user wants to refactor the auth module...  ▌
💭 thought for 1.3s

I'll read the existing auth module first and then suggest improvements.
SimhaCLI🦁  complete in 14.2s  8821 tokens (8120 prompt + 701 completion)

✨ Features

🤖 Intelligent Agentic Loop

Multi-turn reasoning — autonomously calls tools, reads results, and continues until the task is done
Parallel tool execution — runs multiple tool calls simultaneously with asyncio.gather
Context compression — auto-summarises history when the context window fills up
Loop detection — detects and breaks repetitive behaviour automatically
Truncation recovery — handles finish_reason: length gracefully, continues or retries
Git context awareness — system prompts include current branch, status, and recent commits

📎 File Attachments

Attach files to prompts — use @attach file.txt or @attach path/to/file.py
Multiple file support — attach multiple files in a single prompt
Smart summary — shows attachment count and total size
Auto-inclusion — file contents are automatically included in the model context

💭 Thinking Display

Live reasoning — streaming 💭 display shows what the model is thinking in grey italic text
Running timer — see how long the model has been reasoning
Collapsed summary — freezes as 💭 thought for X.Xs when reasoning completes (models with extended thinking)

⏱️ Performance Visibility

Live working spinner — ⠦ 🦁 Simha is working... (10.1s) shows elapsed time
Total request timer — complete time shown on every response
Token tracking — complete in 12.4s 8375 tokens (8119 prompt + 256 completion)

🛠️ 16 Built-in Tools

Category	Tools
📖 Read	`read_file`, `list_dir`, `glob`, `grep`
✏️ Write	`write_file`, `edit_file`
🖥️ Shell	`shell` (40+ blocked dangerous commands)
🌐 Web	`web_search`, `web_fetch`
💾 Memory	`todos` (task management), `memory` (persistent key-value)
🤖 Sub-agents	`codebase_investigator`, `code_reviewer`, `test_generator`, `bug_fixer`, `refactorer`

🔌 MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Connect to any MCP server via stdio or HTTP/SSE transport
Tools discovered automatically at startup
Manage connections live with /mcp
Pre-configured examples for GitHub, PostgreSQL, Supabase, and Playwright
Vercel deployment uses CLI (npm install -g vercel) — no MCP needed

🚀 Development Workflows

End-to-end automation with a single command or natural language:

Action	Description
`fullstack`	GitHub → Push → Install → Env → Build → README → DB → Deploy → Tests
`github`	Create a GitHub repository
`push`	Commit and push code changes
`install_deps`	Auto-detect and install dependencies (npm, yarn, pip, cargo, etc.)
`env_setup`	Create .env file from template or with custom variables
`build`	Auto-detect and run build commands
`readme`	Generate README.md for the project
`database`	Set up PostgreSQL or Supabase database
`deploy`	Deploy to Vercel
`tests`	Run Playwright E2E tests

Just ask in natural language:

"Deploy my app to Vercel"
"Create a GitHub repo and push my code"
"Set up the database for my project"
"Build and deploy my full stack app"

Works with MCP servers when configured, falls back to CLI tools automatically.

💾 Session Management

Save sessions to disk (/save) and resume them later (/resume <id>)
Create mid-task checkpoints (/checkpoint / /restore <id>)
Undo the last file edit (/undo)

🔒 Safety & Approval

Configurable approval policy — from on_request to fully autonomous yolo
Shell command allowlist/blocklist
Environment variable masking (API keys, tokens, secrets never leaked to the model)
Tool permissions — /permissions command to manage tool access (allow/deny specific tools)
Allowed/denied tools — configure allowed_tools and denied_tools in config.toml

🚀 Project Initialization

/init command — deeply analyzes project structure and generates:
- AGENTS.md — coding conventions and project guidelines for AI agents
- SIMHACLI.md — SimhaCLI-specific project context and instructions
Smart detection — identifies languages, frameworks, and project patterns
Context-aware — future sessions automatically load these instruction files

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+
An API key (OpenRouter, OpenAI, Gemini, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint)

Install from PyPI (Recommended)

pip install simhacli

simhacli                          # interactive mode
simhacli "fix the bug in app.py"  # single prompt
simhacli --help                   # show all options

Install from Source

git clone https://github.com/naidu199/SimhaCLI.git
cd SimhaCLI
pip install -e .
simhacli

⚙️ Configuration

SimhaCLI looks for configuration in two places (project overrides global):

Location	Purpose
`~/.simhacli/config.toml`	Global defaults
`<project>/.simhacli/config.toml`	Per-project overrides

Minimal config.toml

[model]
name = "openrouter/free"
temperature = 1.0

api_key = "your_api_key_here"
api_base_url = "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"

Set credentials interactively

simhacli
> /credentials

Full config.toml Reference

[model]
name = "openrouter/free"   # any OpenAI-compatible model
temperature = 1.0

api_key = "sk-..."
api_base_url = "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"

max_turns = 72                  # max agentic loop turns per request
max_tool_output_tokens = 50000  # truncate large tool outputs
approval = "on_request"         # see Approval Policies below
hooks_enabled = true
developer_instructions = "Always prefer TypeScript over JavaScript."
user_instructions = "Be concise."

# Restrict which tools the agent can use
# allowed_tools = ["read_file", "write_file", "shell"]

[shell_environment]
ignore_default_excludes = false
exclude_patterns = ["*KEY*", "*TOKEN*", "*SECRET*"]

# Add MCP servers
[mcp_servers.filesystem]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/home/user/projects"]

# HTTP/SSE transport
[mcp_servers.my_remote]
url = "http://localhost:8000/sse"

# Add lifecycle hooks
[[hooks]]
name = "format_on_write"
trigger = "after_tool"
command = "black {file}"
enabled = true

Approval Policies

Policy	Behaviour
`on_request`	Ask before shell commands and file writes (default)
`always`	Ask before every tool call
`auto_approve`	Auto-approve everything
`auto_edit`	Auto-approve file edits, ask for shell
`on_failure`	Only ask if the tool fails
`yolo`	Never ask — fully autonomous
`never`	Block all tool calls

💬 Commands

Type any of these during an interactive session:

Command	Description
`/help`	Show all commands
`/exit` / `/quit`	Exit SimhaCLI
`/clear`	Clear conversation history
`/config`	Display current configuration
`/stats`	Show session statistics and token usage
`/tools`	List available tools
`/mcp`	Show MCP server connection status
`/model <name>`	Switch model (saves to project config)
`/approval <policy>`	Change approval policy
`/credentials` / `/creds`	View or update API key / base URL
`/permissions`	Manage tool access permissions (allow/deny/reset)
`/init`	Analyze project and generate AGENTS.md and SIMHACLI.md files
`/save`	Save current session to disk
`/sessions`	List all saved sessions
`/resume <id>`	Resume a previously saved session
`/checkpoint`	Create a checkpoint of the current session
`/restore <id>`	Restore a checkpoint
`/undo`	Undo the last file edit (interactive selective revert)
`/run <command>` / `!<cmd>`	Execute a terminal command directly
`/workflow <name> [args]`	Run development workflows (fullstack, github, push, etc.)

🔧 Custom Tools

Drop a Python file into <project>/.simhacli/tool/ and SimhaCLI picks it up automatically:

from tools.base import Tool, ToolResult
from pydantic import Field

class MyTool(Tool):
    name = "my_tool"
    description = "Does something useful"

    class Arguments(Tool.Arguments):
        message: str = Field(description="Input message")

    async def execute(self, args: Arguments) -> ToolResult:
        return ToolResult.success_result(f"Got: {args.message}")

Adding Custom MCP Servers

Open .simhacli/config.toml
Add a new section following one of the patterns:

Python (recommended):

   [mcp_servers.my_tool]
   command = "uvx"
   args = ["mcp-server-package-name"]
   enabled = true

Node:

   [mcp_servers.my_tool]
   command = "npx"
   args = ["-y", "@scope/server-name"]
   enabled = true

Restart SimhaCLI
Browse more MCPs: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers

🖥️ CLI Options

simhacli [OPTIONS] [PROMPT]

Options:
  --cwd PATH        Set working directory
  --model TEXT      Override model name
  --approval TEXT   Override approval policy
  --help            Show this message and exit

📝 Changelog

v1.4.0 (March 20, 2026)

Complete Command System Overhaul: New Command pattern with registry for better extensibility
New Commands:
- /undo – Undo file changes with interactive selective revert menu
- /run <command> / !<cmd> – Execute terminal commands directly
- /workflow <name> [args] – Run development workflows (fullstack, github, push, etc.)
Live Context Usage Display: See real-time token count vs context window in TUI
Enhanced Context Management: Actual token counting, pruning at 75%, improved compression at 75% threshold
Improved Undo: Interactive menu for selective file reversion with safety checks
Better Model Switching: /model now preserves config file comments and updates system prompt
Refactored Architecture: Cleaner separation with CommandHandler and command registry
Enhanced Error Messages: System prompts include context management feedback

v1.3.0 (March 18, 2026)

Development Workflows: 10 end-to-end workflow actions (fullstack, github, push, install_deps, env_setup, build, readme, database, deploy, tests)
Natural Language Routing: Agent automatically maps user requests to workflow actions
Supabase MCP Support: Full Supabase integration alongside PostgreSQL
Smart Auto-Detection: Package managers, build commands, and project types detected automatically
MCP Setup Guide: Comprehensive MCP_SETUP_GUIDE.md with step-by-step instructions
Preserved Config Comments: Changing model via /model no longer strips comments from config.toml
Enhanced Error Messages: All MCP errors now show setup instructions with config snippets
Security Improvements: Placeholder values in configs, .gitignore protection for sensitive data

v1.2.0 (March 17, 2026)

New /init Command: Deeply analyzes projects and generates AGENTS.md and SIMHACLI.md instruction files for better context-aware coding
New /permissions Command: Manage tool access permissions directly from the CLI
File Attachment Support: Attach files to prompts using @attach file syntax
Git Context Integration: System prompts now include git context (branch, status) for enhanced understanding
Enhanced Error Handling: Improved error handling and logging throughout the agent
Tool Permission Status: TUI now displays tool permission status (allowed/denied)

v1.1.0 (January 27, 2026)

Initial public release on PyPI
16 built-in tools for file operations, shell commands, web access, and sub-agents
MCP (Model Context Protocol) support
Session management with save/resume/checkpoint/restore
Configurable approval policies
Thinking display with live reasoning visualization
Token tracking and performance metrics

🔗 Links

PyPI: https://pypi.org/project/simhacli/
GitHub: https://github.com/naidu199/SimhaCLI
Developer: Narasimha Naidu Korrapati on LinkedIn
MCP Setup Guide: See MCP_SETUP_GUIDE.md for detailed MCP configuration
Publishing Guide: See PUBLISHING.md for PyPI deployment instructions

Made with ❤️ by Narasimha Naidu Korrapati

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 82 Commits
agent		agent
cli		cli
client		client
config		config
context		context
hooks		hooks
prompts		prompts
safety		safety
scripts		scripts
tools		tools
ui		ui
utils		utils
.gitignore		.gitignore
AGENTS.md		AGENTS.md
FLOWS.md		FLOWS.md
MCP_SETUP_GUIDE.md		MCP_SETUP_GUIDE.md
README.md		README.md
SIMHACLI.md		SIMHACLI.md
__init__.py		__init__.py
__main__.py		__main__.py
main.py		main.py
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml
requirements.txt		requirements.txt
simhacl_flowchart.drawio		simhacl_flowchart.drawio

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🦁 SimhaCLI

AI-Powered Coding Agent for Your Terminal

📖 Overview

✨ Features

🤖 Intelligent Agentic Loop

📎 File Attachments

💭 Thinking Display

⏱️ Performance Visibility

🛠️ 16 Built-in Tools

🔌 MCP (Model Context Protocol)

🚀 Development Workflows

💾 Session Management

🔒 Safety & Approval

🚀 Project Initialization

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

Install from PyPI (Recommended)

Install from Source

⚙️ Configuration

Minimal config.toml

Set credentials interactively

Full config.toml Reference

Approval Policies

💬 Commands

🔧 Custom Tools

Adding Custom MCP Servers

🖥️ CLI Options

📝 Changelog

v1.4.0 (March 20, 2026)

v1.3.0 (March 18, 2026)

v1.2.0 (March 17, 2026)

v1.1.0 (January 27, 2026)

🔗 Links

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