AI Tools: Bringing Local AI to Your Command Line

The Promise of Local AI

In an era where AI is transforming every industry, the promise of local AI—powerful machine learning running right on your own machine—is particularly enticing. No data leaving your computer, no subscription fees, and no internet requirement. Just you and an intelligent assistant, ready to help.

Today I want to introduce you to AI Tools, an open-source project that makes this promise a reality by bringing local AI power directly to your command line.

What is AI Tools?

AI Tools is a powerful command-line assistant that harnesses Ollama's local large language models to provide real-time assistance, generate and execute terminal commands, analyze errors, and even integrate with games like Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Unlike cloud-based AI solutions that send your data to remote servers, AI Tools operates completely locally using Ollama's efficient models, ensuring privacy and eliminating the need for constant internet connectivity.

Key Features That Make AI Tools Shine

🔍 Natural Language Command Generation

Tired of Googling for the exact command syntax? AI Tools lets you describe what you want to do in plain English:

aitools run "list all text files modified in the past week"

The tool will generate the appropriate command (in this case, likely a find command with date filters) and execute it for you. It's like having a command-line expert at your fingertips.

💡 Automatic Error Analysis

We've all been there: you run a command, get a cryptic error message, and then spend the next 20 minutes searching forums for answers. AI Tools solves this by automatically analyzing terminal errors:

aitools error "npm install" "Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, open 'package.json'"

But it gets better—install the shell integration, and it will automatically intercept and explain any command errors as they happen. No more cryptic error messages!

🔊 Text-to-Speech Integration

Need information while your hands are busy? Use the speak command:

aitools speak "Explain how Docker containers differ from virtual machines"

The AI will generate a response and read it aloud using Google's Text-to-Speech—perfect for multitasking.

📚 Enhanced Context with Document Loading

AI Tools becomes even more powerful when you feed it your specific knowledge:

aitools load "/path/to/your/documentation"

This vectorizes your documents, allowing the AI to reference your specific data when answering questions or generating commands—making it a truly personalized assistant that understands your projects and environment.

✈️ Game Simulation Integration

For flight simulator enthusiasts, AI Tools offers a voice-activated co-pilot that can provide real-time assistance during gameplay:

aitools sim msfs start

This connects to Microsoft Flight Simulator, allowing you to ask questions about your aircraft's status, get navigation assistance, or even receive automated warnings about critical situations—all through natural voice interaction.

Getting Started: Installation and Setup

Getting started with AI Tools is straightforward:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/garrigueta/ai-tools.git
cd ai-tools

# Install with Poetry (recommended)
poetry install
poetry shell

# Or use pip
pip install -e .

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

Python 3.10+ installed on your system
Ollama installed locally (ollama.ai)
A working audio playback system for the speak command

Quick Configuration

Configure AI Tools by setting a few environment variables:

export OLLAMA_HOST=localhost
export OLLAMA_PORT=11434
export OLLAMA_MODEL=gemma3:27b  # or your preferred model

For the best experience, install the shell integration:

aitools install-shell

This enables automatic error analysis directly in your terminal sessions.

Practical Use Cases

The Developer's Assistant

As a developer, I've found AI Tools invaluable for:

Quick command generation: Instead of remembering complex Git commands or regex patterns, I just describe what I need in plain English.
Error resolution: When I hit an error with a build or dependency, the automatic error analysis often provides the solution immediately.
Documentation searching: Loading project documentation into the knowledge base means I can get specific answers about my codebase without opening a browser.

The System Administrator's Helper

For sysadmin tasks, AI Tools excels at:

Log analysis: Ask about patterns in logs or get commands to filter specific events.
Configuration templates: Generate configuration snippets for services like Nginx, Apache, or Docker.
Security scanning: Get commands for security audits or vulnerability checks tailored to your system.

The Flight Simulator Co-pilot

The simulation integration offers:

Voice-activated assistance: Ask about aircraft systems, fuel status, or navigation.
Automated warnings: Get proactive alerts about stalls, low fuel, or system failures.
Historical data analysis: Track performance trends during your flight.

Advanced Features for Power Users

Database Integration

For power users, AI Tools supports external database integration:

export OLLAMA_DB_ENABLED=true
export OLLAMA_DB_HOST=localhost
export OLLAMA_DB_PORT=5432
export OLLAMA_DB_NAME=ai_tools_db

This allows for persistent storage of chat history and vector embeddings across sessions.

Custom Knowledge Bases

Create specialized knowledge bases for different projects:

aitools load "/path/to/python-docs" --db-name "python-reference"
aitools load "/path/to/kubernetes-docs" --db-name "k8s-reference"

Then query specific knowledge bases:

aitools query "How do I deploy a StatefulSet?" --db-name "k8s-reference"

Privacy and Security Considerations

One of the most compelling aspects of AI Tools is its privacy-first approach:

All AI processing runs locally on your machine via Ollama
No data is sent to external servers (except when using the optional speech feature)
Your command history and loaded documents remain under your control
Open-source code means transparency about what's happening with your data

The Future of AI Tools

The project is actively evolving, with plans for:

Additional game integrations beyond Microsoft Flight Simulator
Expanded shell integrations for PowerShell and other environments
Visual interfaces for document management and knowledge bases
More sophisticated context management for long-running conversations

Conclusion: Local AI for Everyone

AI Tools represents an exciting step toward making local AI practical and useful for everyday tasks. By bringing the power of large language models directly to your terminal, it eliminates many barriers to using AI while preserving privacy and control.

Whether you're a developer, system administrator, or flight simulator enthusiast, AI Tools offers a glimpse into a future where AI assistants are local, private, and deeply integrated with your workflow.

Ready to try it? Head over to the GitHub repository to get started, and join the community of users leveraging AI in their daily command line work.

Resources and Further Reading

What local AI applications are you excited about? Let us know in the comments below!

Buscar este blog

garrigueta projects