CLI Configuration

The llmist CLI is configured through TOML files and environment variables.

Configuration File

The CLI loads configuration from ~/.llmist/cli.toml:

bun

# Initialize with default config
bunx @llmist/cli init

npm

# Initialize with default config
npx @llmist/cli init

Basic Structure

~/.llmist/cli.toml

[complete]
model = "anthropic:claude-sonnet-4-5"
temperature = 0.7

[agent]
model = "anthropic:claude-sonnet-4-5"
max-iterations = 15
gadget = ["~/gadgets/common-tools.ts"]

Inheritance

Sections can inherit settings from parent sections:

[agent]
model = "anthropic:claude-sonnet-4-5"
max-iterations = 15

[code-review]
inherits = "agent"
temperature = 0.3
system = "You are a code reviewer."

Custom Commands

Create custom commands with a type field:

[code-review]
type = "agent"
description = "Review code for bugs and best practices."
system = "You are a senior code reviewer."
max-iterations = 5
gadget = ["~/gadgets/code-tools.ts"]

Run with:

bun

bunx @llmist/cli code-review "Review my PR"

npm

npx @llmist/cli code-review "Review my PR"

Prompt Templates

Define reusable prompts with Eta templating:

[prompts]
base-assistant = "You are a helpful AI assistant."
expert = """
<%~ include("@base-assistant") %>
You are also an expert in <%= it.field %>.
"""

[my-expert]
system = '<%~ include("@expert", {field: "TypeScript"}) %>'

Gadget Approval

The gadget approval system provides a safety layer for potentially dangerous gadget executions.

Approval Modes

Mode	Behavior
allowed	Gadget executes immediately
denied	Gadget is rejected, LLM receives denial message
approval-required	User is prompted before execution

Default Behavior

By default, these gadgets require approval:

• RunCommand - Executes shell commands
• WriteFile - Creates or modifies files
• EditFile - Edits existing files

All other gadgets default to allowed.

Configuration

[agent]
gadget-approval = { WriteFile = "allowed", Shell = "denied", ReadFile = "allowed" }

Wildcard Default

Set default mode for all unconfigured gadgets:

[agent]
gadget-approval = { "*" = "denied", ReadFile = "allowed", FloppyDisk = "allowed" }

Example Configurations

High-Security Mode:

[agent]
gadget-approval = {
  WriteFile = "denied",
  EditFile = "denied",
  RunCommand = "denied",
  ReadFile = "allowed"
}

Trust All Mode:

[agent]
gadget-approval = { "*" = "allowed" }

Selective Approval:

[agent]
gadget-approval = {
  RunCommand = "approval-required",
  WriteFile = "allowed",
  DeleteFile = "denied"
}

Approval Prompts

For file operations, a colored diff is shown:

🔒 Approval required: Modify src/index.ts

--- src/index.ts (original)
+++ src/index.ts (modified)
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 import { foo } from './foo';
+import { bar } from './bar';

   ⏎ approve, or type to reject:

• Press Enter or type y to approve
• Type any other text to reject (sent to LLM as feedback)

Non-Interactive Mode

When running non-interactively (e.g., in scripts or CI), approval-required gadgets are automatically denied.

Environment Variables

API Keys

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
export GEMINI_API_KEY="..."

Logging

export LLMIST_LOG_LEVEL="debug"   # silly, trace, debug, info, warn, error, fatal
export LLMIST_LOG_FILE="./app.log"
export LLMIST_LOG_RESET="true"    # Clear log file on start

Global CLI Flags

These flags work with any command:

Flag	Description
--log-level <level>	Set log level
--log-file <path>	Path to log file
--version	Show version number
--help	Show help

See Also

• CLI Reference - All CLI commands
• CLI Gadgets - Writing gadgets for CLI
• Logging - Detailed logging configuration