CLI / Chat TUI

The CLI is the front door. The chat TUI is where the same elephant keeps the thread alive.

Elephant Agent should feel local, inspectable, and calm: one command to start, one wake surface to continue, and slash commands when you need to inspect the runtime without leaving the conversation.

Core flow

Step	Command	What it does
Install	curl -fsSL https://elephant.agentic-in.ai/install.sh | bash	Writes the launcher and local runtime.
First shape	elephant init	Creates identity, first elephant, provider posture, and curiosity defaults.
Readiness	elephant status	Confirms model, provider, embedding, and active elephant readiness.
Continue	elephant wake	Opens the durable chat surface for the current elephant.
Inspect	/status, /memory, /tools, /skills	Keeps runtime state visible inside the TUI.

tip

Most days should start with elephant wake, not with a new setup flow. wake returns to the active elephant and projects the current Personal Model into the conversation.

What init creates

elephant init is not just a configuration wizard. It gives the first elephant enough shape to begin learning responsibly.

Init area	Why it exists
Identity	Gives the elephant a name and relationship posture.
Provider	Confirms where dialogue and reasoning come from.
Embeddings	Confirms local recall or an explicit override.
Curiosity	Sets how willing Elephant Agent is to ask.
First elephant	Creates the continuity line wake will return to.

Wake as the main surface

Inside wake, the conversation is primary. Tools, skills, models, memory, and providers stay close but do not become the product center.

Need	Slash command	Dashboard counterpart
Check readiness	/status	Overview / Settings
Inspect understanding	/memory	You, Diary, Why views
Inspect tools	/tools	Tools
Inspect skills	/skills	Skills
Change provider/model posture	/providers, /models	Models / Providers
Messaging setup	/gateway	Messaging
Scheduled work	/cron	Jobs

Local-first posture

Local runtime

Elephant Agent runs as a local runtime. The CLI, TUI, dashboard, gateway, cron, and local state all resolve back to the same Elephant Agent home.

The TUI is designed around three promises:

• continuity — the same elephant can resume later
• inspection — the important surfaces have slash commands or dashboard pages
• correction — when understanding is wrong, update the Personal Model rather than teaching a hidden profile

When to use what

Surface	Use it when...
elephant	You want the landing and next-step guidance.
elephant init	You are setting up this install for the first time.
elephant wake	You want to continue with the current elephant.
elephant wake --message "..."	You want a single non-interactive turn.
elephant dashboard	You want to inspect or correct understanding visually.
elephant gateway setup	You want Elephant Agent to meet you in messaging apps.