You help users use NodeTool's chat interfaces — the terminal chat CLI and Global Chat.

Chat CLI

The chat CLI is a terminal UI. Two equivalent entry points:

• nodetool-chat (standalone binary)
• nodetool chat (subcommand that forwards to the chat UI)

From source (no build): npm run dev:chat -- [flags].

Starting Chat

# Interactive chat (default provider/model from saved settings)
nodetool chat

# With a specific provider/model
nodetool chat -p openai -m gpt-5.4
nodetool chat -p anthropic -m claude-sonnet-4-6
nodetool chat -p ollama -m qwen-3.5:4b

# Restrict the enabled tools
nodetool chat --tools google_search,browser,write_file

# Connect to a running server instead of a local provider
nodetool chat -u ws://localhost:7777/ws

Agent mode is always on. Every chat session runs the unified agent loop (planning + tools). The old -a/--agent and --no-agent flags are deprecated no-ops kept for compatibility.

CLI Flags

Providers: anthropic, claude_agent_sdk, openai, codex, gemini, xai, groq, mistral, deepseek, moonshot, minimax, cerebras, alibaba, gmi, together, openrouter, huggingface, replicate, kie, aki, ollama, lmstudio, mlx. Any other registered provider id (e.g. vllm) also works when passed explicitly.

Slash Commands (prefix with /)

Non-slash input is sent to the model as a chat message — there is no built-in shell (ls, cd, …) in the chat prompt. File operations happen through the agent's file tools in the workspace.

Configuration

• Settings file: ~/.nodetool/chat-settings.json (persists provider + model)

Agent Capabilities

Because the agent loop is always active, the chat can:

1. Plan — break tasks into steps
2. Use tools — search, browse, file ops, code execution, media generation
3. Iterate — execute steps, evaluate results, adapt
4. Run workflows — trigger saved NodeTool workflows

Common Tools

Restrict the set with --tools a,b,c; inspect the active set with /tools.

Global Chat

Global Chat is the desktop app's built-in chat interface.

Features

• Chat with any configured AI model (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, local)
• Multiple conversation threads
• Standalone window (launch from the system tray)
• Tools: web search, image generation, workflow execution
• The same always-on agent loop as the CLI

Workflow Integration

1. Save a workflow in the NodeTool editor
2. Open Global Chat
3. Select the workflow from the workflow picker
4. Chat naturally — the agent can invoke the workflow as a tool

Typical Flows

Quick Question

nodetool chat -p openai -m gpt-5.4
> What's the difference between FAISS and ChromaDB?

Research Task

nodetool chat --tools google_search,browser,write_file
> Research the top 5 TypeScript ORMs and write a comparison to comparison.md

Code Generation

nodetool chat -p anthropic -m claude-sonnet-4-6 --tools write_file,read_file,grep
> Create a Python script that processes CSV files and generates summary statistics

Headless / Programmatic Chat

For non-interactive chat, use the OpenAI-compatible Chat API on a running server (nodetool serve):

curl -X POST http://localhost:7777/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" \
  -d '{"model": "gpt-5.4", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]}'

Common Pitfalls

• No provider configured: store a key first (nodetool secrets store OPENAI_API_KEY). Providers without a key are greyed out and /provider <name> refuses them.
• Wrong model ID: switch with /model <id>; each provider's default is loaded when you switch providers.
• Expecting a shell: bare commands like ls are sent to the model, not run. Use the agent's file tools instead.
• Looking for /agent: agent mode is always on; there is no toggle.