Butterfish

What is Butterfish?

Butterfish is an innovative command-line tool designed for those who work from the terminal. It enhances your shell (bash, zsh) experience by integrating AI prompting capabilities through OpenAI's APIs. It acts like GitHub Copilot but tailored specifically for shell commands, allowing users to interact with AI directly in their command-line interface.

What can you do with Butterfish Shell?

When running Butterfish Shell, users can perform a variety of tasks, including:

• Command Generation: Ask for commands to perform specific tasks like “Give me a command to do x.”

• Troubleshooting: Query why a particular command failed, e.g., “Why did that command fail?”

• Agent Functionality: Use commands in Goal Mode, such as “!Run make in this directory, debug problems,” allowing the AI to act based on previous outputs.

• Culinary Assistance: Seek out recipes or engage in general inquiries, showcasing its flexibility beyond terminal tasks.

• Autocomplete: Get command suggestions based on context, enhancing efficiency.

Installation & Authentication

Butterfish is compatible with both MacOS and Linux systems. Here’s how to get started:

1. Using Homebrew on MacOS:

   brew install bakks/bakks/butterfish
   butterfish shell
   

2. Using Go:

   go install github.com/bakks/butterfish/cmd/butterfish@latest
   $(go env GOPATH)/bin/butterfish shell
   

During the first use, you will need to provide an OpenAI API key, which can be obtained here.

Features

• Seamless Integration: Works smoothly with bash and zsh, starting a new shell instance while preserving custom configurations.

• Contextual Awareness: The AI has access to your shell history, allowing for more relevant responses and feedback.

• GPT Autosuggest: Just like code completion, the AI suggests commands based on your typing and past history.

• Custom Prompts: Configure your prompting language in ~/.config/butterfish/prompts.yaml for more tailored interactions.

• Multiple Model Selection: Default to gpt-4-turbo, but you can opt for other models as needed.

Goal Mode

Butterfish Shell includes a feature called Goal Mode, where users can initiate an agent to execute commands on their behalf. By starting a command with !, the AI will respond with directives while maintaining context through previous shell activities. For instance, using !! allows the agent to execute commands without confirmation, which should be used cautiously.

How to Use Butterfish Shell

Engaging with Butterfish Shell is straightforward:

• Type commands as usual.
• Begin a command with a capital letter for AI interaction.
• Use ! for Goal Mode and !! for executing commands without confirmation.
• Access the command reference with butterfish shell --help for more advanced usage options.

Price

While Butterfish itself is open-source and free to use, leveraging it necessitates access to OpenAI’s API, which may incur costs depending on your usage and the plan chosen. If frequent use exceeds the free credits, a subscription may be needed for extended access.

Helpful Tips

• To avoid excess charges, consider disabling autosuggest with the -A flag or adjust the autosuggest timeout using the -t option.
• Always review commands provided by the AI, especially when using Goal Mode, to ensure they align with your objectives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Butterfish without an OpenAI API key?

No, you need an API key to authenticate and access AI services through Butterfish.

Is my command history safe with Butterfish?

Yes, while Butterfish uses your command history for contextual awareness, user privacy is prioritized, and sensitive data will not be stored.

What shell environments support Butterfish?

Butterfish is designed for shell environments like bash and zsh, making it versatile for both MacOS and Linux users.

What if my commands do not work as expected?

You can directly ask Butterfish why certain commands fail, allowing you to troubleshoot efficiently with the AI's assistance.