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Grok CLI Architecture

title: Grok CLI Architecture ---# Grok CLI Architecture

Project Type​

CLI Application - Conversational AI tool with terminal interface

Technology Stack​

- Language: TypeScript (ES Modules) - Runtime: Node.js (Bun recommended) - UI: Ink (React for terminal) - Build: TypeScript compiler + tsup for dual builds - Package Manager: Bun/NPM

Core Architecture​

Agent System (src/agent/)​

- GrokAgent: Central orchestration with streaming, tool execution - Conversation Management: Chat history and context handling - Model Integration: X.AI Grok models via OpenAI-compatible API

Tool System (src/tools/)​

- Modular Design: Independent tools for specific operations - Core Tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob, LS - Advanced Tools: MultiEdit, WebFetch, WebSearch, Task, TodoWrite - Documentation Tools: NEW - Agent system generation and maintenance

UI Components (src/ui/)​

- Chat Interface: Streaming responses with tool execution display - Input Handling: Enhanced terminal input with history and shortcuts - Component Library: Reusable Ink components for consistent UX - Visual Feedback System: Claude Code-style UX with contextual spinners and progress indicators - Color System: Unified palette for consistent visual hierarchy - Background Activity: Non-intrusive workspace awareness monitoring

MCP Integration (src/mcp/)​

- Model Context Protocol: Extensible server integration - Supported Servers: Linear, GitHub, custom servers - Transport Types: stdio, HTTP, SSE

Configuration (src/utils/)​

- Settings Management: User and project-level config - Model Configuration: Support for multiple AI models - File Locations: ~/.grok/ for user, .grok/ for project

Services (src/services/)​

- UI State Management: Central event bus for coordinating visual feedback - Paste Detection: Claude Code-style paste summarization system - Context Management: Session memory and workspace indexing coordination

Build & Distribution​

- Development: bun run dev for live reload - Production: npm run build → dist/ directory - Installation: NPM global package

Extension Points​

- Tool System: Add new tools in src/tools/ - MCP Servers: Configure external service integration - UI Components: Extend terminal interface capabilities - Commands: Add slash commands in input handler

Current Capabilities​

Core file operations (Read, Write, Edit, MultiEdit) Shell integration (Bash, BashOutput, KillBash) Search and discovery (Grep, Glob, LS) Web capabilities (WebFetch, WebSearch) Task management (Task, TodoWrite) IDE integration (NotebookEdit, mcp__ide__) MCP server ecosystem Project-specific configuration Claude Code-style UX (Enhanced visual feedback system) Professional UI (ASCII art banner, contextual spinners, progress bars) Real-time feedback (Background activity monitoring, state coordination) Consistent design (Unified color system, motion design principles) Context awareness (Ctrl+I tooltip, workspace intelligence, memory pressure monitoring) Dynamic status (Real-time project stats, git branch detection, session tracking) Keyboard workflow (Global shortcuts for enhanced productivity)

Implemented Features (P1-P3 Complete)​

Documentation generation system - Full .agent docs with 15+ commands Subagent framework - Token-optimized processing Self-healing guardrails - /heal command and incident tracking Advanced code intelligence - CodeAwareEditor with syntax understanding CI/CD integration - Automated NPM publishing workflow Multi-file operations - Atomic editing with transaction support Operation history - Comprehensive undo/redo system Advanced search - Regex patterns with file filtering File tree operations - Directory management and organization

Automation Infrastructure​

GitHub Actions - Combined release + publish workflow Version Management - Auto-bump with README synchronization Protection System - Safeguards against workflow breakage Error Recovery - Self-healing with guardrails Documentation - Comprehensive troubleshooting guides

Future Roadmap (2025)​

Git Integration - Advanced operations, PR management Testing Framework - Jest/Pytest integration IDE Integration - VS Code extension, Vim plugin Database Tools - SQL/NoSQL operation assistance Cloud Integration - AWS, Docker, Kubernetes support

Updated: 2025-10-18