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Install cai with Homebrew, Nix

CLI tool for prompting LLMs. Version 0.13.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#cai.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cai

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#cai

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ca/cai/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

CLI tool for prompting LLMs

Commands and aliases

  • cai

history

Project history and usage

cai is a Rust CLI for running LLM, image, OCR, speech, coding-context, and automation prompts from the terminal.

Project history

The public repository was created on 2024-03-28 and the changelog marks 0.1.0 as the initial release on the same date. Early releases added provider subcommands, proper clap-based argument handling, local Ollama support, stdin prompt input, Anthropic support, multi-model prompting through cai all, and markdown syntax highlighting.

Through 2024 and 2025 cai expanded from a simple prompt CLI into a multi-provider terminal assistant, adding JSON output, raw output, OCR, file renaming, changelog generation, programming-language context commands, DeepSeek, Cerebras, xAI, Google Gemini, image generation, transcription, rewrite, and shell-adjacent helper commands.

Adoption history

cai belongs to the wave of post-ChatGPT command-line LLM clients. Its official README positions it as a user-friendly CLI with providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Groq, Cerebras, DeepSeek, xAI, Ollama, and Llamafile, and it is distributed through Cargo and Homebrew.

How it is used

Typical usage is short natural-language prompts, stdin pipelines, provider-specific model shortcuts, simultaneous prompting across providers, OCR, image generation, shell command generation, database querying, and coding-context prompts. The README documents API key setup on first run and support for local LLM servers.

Why package nerds care

cai is a good snapshot of how AI tooling entered package managers: a fast-moving Rust CLI that maps commercial and local model providers into Unix-style commands, stdin/stdout workflows, and package-manager installation.

Timeline

  • 2024: Initial 0.1.0 release.
  • 2024: Provider subcommands, Ollama, Anthropic, multi-model prompts, and JSON/raw output added.
  • 2025: OCR, file renaming, programming contexts, DeepSeek, Cerebras, xAI, Gemini, image generation, and transcription features added.
  • 2026: 0.13.0 adds more commands including photo, say, config, query, edit, and commit.

Related projects

  • The official README lists related CLI LLM tools such as AIChat, clai, Ell, Goose, llm, smartcat, and tgpt.
  • cai integrates with hosted providers and local runtimes including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Groq, Cerebras, DeepSeek, xAI, Ollama, and Llamafile.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/cai/config.yaml~/.config/cai/config.yaml

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/cai/secrets.yaml~/.config/cai/secrets.yaml

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
caiexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-08-03
manager version0.13.0
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:cai
Version0.13.0
Package managerHomebrew
Homepagehttps://github.com/ad-si/cai
Repositoryhttps://github.com/ad-si/cai
Bottlenot recorded
Servicenone declared

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

cai

nix profile install nixpkgs#cai
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Cai
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ca/cai/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • pkg.so package database
  • pkgdb category and tag curation