Shell-GPT

Summary

Shell-GPT is an Electron-based shell experiment that explores how an AI assistant can move from suggesting commands to helping run them inside a bounded environment. The point is not to blindly trust generated shell output; it is to make the boundary around that output clearer.

Problem

AI command suggestions are useful, but shell commands are high-impact. A wrong command can delete files, leak data, mutate state, or leave a system in a confusing condition. I wanted to prototype a workflow where AI-generated commands could be inspected and executed with a stronger separation from the host machine.

My Role

I built the application concept around an Electron shell, a TypeScript interface, OpenAI-backed command assistance, and Docker-based execution. The project let me explore the interaction design around human review, command generation, and sandboxed execution.

Stack

The project uses TypeScript, Electron, React, OpenAI APIs, Docker, CSS, and a small amount of JavaScript. The public repository is TypeScript-first and includes Dockerfile support for the execution side of the experiment.

Architecture

The desktop app provides the shell-like interface. The assistant layer produces command suggestions from user intent. Docker provides a container boundary for trying commands without treating the host machine as the default execution target.

Interesting Technical Decisions

• The execution boundary is part of the product idea, not an afterthought.
• The interface frames AI output as something to inspect and run deliberately rather than as an invisible automation step.
• Electron made sense for the prototype because the workflow needed a local desktop surface, process integration, and a controlled UI.

Status

Experimental prototype. The repository is public and useful as a record of the AI shell concept, but the README still needs to be replaced with project-specific documentation.

Links

Repository and related topic hub: AI-assisted development.

Install

# npm (global)
npm i -g shell-gpt

# pnpm (global)
pnpm add -g shell-gpt

# bun (global)
bun add -g shell-gpt

# from source
git clone https://github.com/Kalaghni/shell-gpt
cd shell-gpt && pnpm i && pnpm build && pnpm link --global

Configuration

# OpenAI
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...