Ask for a change, approve the commands it wants to run, stop it, and give it more rope when you trust it.

Start in your project

cd ~/code/my-project
8gent

8gent works in the directory you start it from. The header shows the directory and its git state.

Ask in plain words

> Fix the failing test in src/auth.test.ts
> Add a --json flag to the export command and update the README
> Explain what src/router.ts does, then list anything unused

The agent reads files with its own tools (outlines, symbols, search), edits files, and proposes shell commands. Replies stream into the chat; the right-hand panel shows the tools it is using.

Approve what it runs

You start in Ask mode. Any shell command that is not already allowed stops at a card:

ASK  bun test src/auth.test.ts          Y approve  N deny  E edit  S skip

Y runs the command.
N, E and S all stop it today. Edit and skip are not wired yet, so treat them as deny.

Plainly read-only commands (ls, cat, git status and the like) and patterns you have allowed run without a card. See Allow and deny rules.

System One, the local command checker, looks at each command before the card. A command it blocks never reaches you. See System One.

Stop it, or move it aside

Key	What it does
`Esc`	Stops the current reply in this tab. Other tabs keep going
`Ctrl+G`	Sends the running task to the background and gives you a fresh prompt
`Ctrl+J`	Shows background jobs

Change how much it may do

Press Shift+Tab to step the tab through the four permission modes:

Mode	Use it when
Plan	You want a plan first. It reads and proposes, changes nothing
Ask	The default. It asks before commands
Guarded	Routine work. Safe steps run, risky ones still ask
Infinite	You are watching and want no questions. Back to Ask after 30 minutes

A good first loop: Shift+Tab to Plan, ask for a plan, read it, then Shift+Tab back to Ask and say "go". Full details: Permission modes.

Without the workspace

For scripts and pipes:

8gent chat "Summarise the last five commits" --json
echo "Explain this error" | 8gent chat --stdin
8gent run "Add tests for src/slug.ts" --output-format stream-json

See the CLI reference.

Next: The workspace.

Your first task