bob-cli 0.3.0

CLI app for Bob - a general-purpose AI agent framework
bob-cli-0.3.0 is not a library.

bob-cli (package: cli-agent)

License

CLI agent for the Bob Agent Framework.

Overview

bob-cli is a command-line interface for Bob, a general-purpose AI agent framework. It provides:

  • Interactive REPL: Chat through AgentLoop with built-in slash commands and session reset shortcuts
  • Multi-Model Support: Works with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and other LLM providers
  • Tool Integration: Connect to MCP servers for file operations, shell commands, and more
  • Skill System: Load and apply predefined skills for specialized tasks

Installation

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/longcipher/bob
cd bob

# Build and run
cargo run --bin bob-cli -- --config agent.toml

Binary Release

# Download from GitHub releases
# (Coming soon)

Configuration

Create an agent.toml file in the project root:

[runtime]
default_model = "openai:gpt-4o-mini"
max_steps = 12
turn_timeout_ms = 90000
dispatch_mode = "native_preferred"

# Optional: Configure MCP servers
[mcp]
[[mcp.servers]]
id = "filesystem"
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/tmp"]
tool_timeout_ms = 15000

# Optional: Configure skills
[skills]
max_selected = 3
token_budget_ratio = 0.1

[[skills.sources]]
type = "directory"
path = "./skills"
recursive = false

# Optional: Persist session state/checkpoints/artifacts across restarts
[store]
path = "./.bob/sessions"

# Optional: Configure policies
[policy]
deny_tools = ["local/shell_exec"]
allow_tools = ["local/read_file", "local/write_file"]
default_deny = false

# Optional: Configure approval guardrails
[approval]
mode = "allow_all"
deny_tools = ["local/shell_exec"]

# Optional: Configure per-session token budget
[cost]
session_token_budget = 10000

When [store] is set, budget accounting is also persisted, so restarting the CLI does not reset per-session token limits.

dispatch_mode supports native_preferred and prompt_guided.

Environment Variables

Set your LLM provider API key:

# For OpenAI
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# For Anthropic
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

# For Google
export GEMINI_API_KEY="..."

Usage

Starting the Agent

cargo run --bin bob-cli

The agent will start an interactive REPL:

Bob agent ready  (model: openai:gpt-4o-mini)
Type a message and press Enter. /help for commands.

> Summarize the latest meeting notes in this folder

REPL Commands

  • Type your message and press Enter to send
  • /quit or /exit to exit the agent
  • /help or /h to show available commands
  • /usage to inspect cumulative session token usage
  • /tools to list all available tools
  • /tool.describe <tool-name> to print a tool schema
  • /tape.info, /tape.search <query>, /anchors, and /handoff [name] for session tape inspection
  • /new or /reset to start a fresh session context

Example Session

> Read docs/design.md and explain it in simple terms

I'll read docs/design.md for you...

[uses filesystem tool to read the document]

The design document describes...

> Translate this explanation into Chinese

[agent produces translated output]

Here is the translated explanation...

Features

Multi-Model Support

Works with any LLM provider supported by genai:

  • OpenAI: openai:gpt-4o, openai:gpt-4o-mini
  • Anthropic: anthropic:claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022
  • Google: google:gemini-2.0-flash-exp
  • Groq: groq:llama-3.3-70b-versatile
  • And more...

Tool Integration

Connect to MCP servers for extended capabilities:

  • Filesystem: Read, write, and manage files
  • Shell: Execute shell commands
  • Database: Query databases
  • Custom: Build your own MCP servers

Skill System

Apply predefined skills for specialized tasks:

  • Knowledge extraction
  • Summarization and transformation
  • Workflow automation
  • Domain-specific orchestration

Session Persistence

Sessions are persisted in-memory (development) or can be configured for persistent storage.

Development

# Run in development mode
cargo run --bin bob-cli

# Build release binary
cargo build --bin bob-cli --release

# Run tests
cargo test -p cli-agent

Architecture

The CLI agent is the composition root that:

  1. Loads configuration from agent.toml
  2. Wires up adapters (LLM, tools, storage, events)
  3. Creates the runtime
  4. Runs the REPL loop

See the main.rs for the implementation.

Related Crates

License

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See LICENSE for details.