Netro CLI — Documentation
A terminal-native AI coding agent: real-time HUD, multi-phase workflows, self-verifying loops, an extensible skills system, and a privacy layer. One standalone binary — no npm, no Node required.
## Install
One line. The installer downloads a standalone binary and puts netro on your PATH — no npm or Node needed.
macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://www.netrocli.bond/install.sh | bashWindows (PowerShell)
irm https://www.netrocli.bond/install.ps1 | iexnetro-extras (extensions, agents, skills, prompts) into ~/.netro/agent/, so gated commands like /cli-login and the web tools are available immediately.Verify:
netro --version## Quick start
cd your-project
netro # start the interactive agent
> explain what this repo does
> add a health-check endpoint and a test for it
> /help # list all commandsNetro reads your project files, runs tools (read/write/edit/bash/grep), and keeps a live HUD at the bottom showing model, context usage, cost, running tools, and todos.
## Subscription & login
The CLI is free with your own API keys. A subscription gives you hosted model access (no keys of your own) via an access key.
- Subscribe on Telegram: t.me/netro_1933
- You receive an access key like
netro-xxxxxxxx…
/cli-login | Prompt for your access key and sign in |
/cli-whoami | Show the currently signed-in key |
/cli-logout | Sign out and re-lock the CLI |
/cli-revalidate | Force re-check key against the registry now |
https://www.netrocli.bond/auth.json (hashes only). Local session is ~/.netro/agent/cli-auth.json. Every time you open netro, the CLI re-fetches the registry; if the key is missing, active: false, or past expires_at, you are auto-logged out. Binary updates do not clear login — lifetime access lasts while the operator keeps your hash active.## Commands
Type /help in-session for the full list. Highlights:
Core
/help | List all commands |
/model, /provider | Switch model / provider mid-session |
/effort, /thinking | Set reasoning effort (off → max) |
/hud | Toggle / configure the status HUD |
/verify | Run verification on the last change |
/brain | Show the working-memory scratchpad |
Workflow & session
/coordinator | Orchestrate subagents in phases |
/goal | Set a standing objective across turns |
/checkpoint | Save a resumable checkpoint |
/handoff, /summarize | Summarize & continue long sessions |
/cron | Schedule recurring runs |
/export-md | Export the session to Markdown |
Extend & ops
/skill-install | Install skills from a source |
/agent-new | Scaffold a custom subagent |
/learn, /curator | Save / manage learned skills |
/stealth | Show privacy / proxy status |
/memory | Durable facts across sessions |
/guardian | Pentest playbooks & scanner install |
/update | Check / install latest binary |
/mcp | MCP servers status / reload |
/obedience, /free | Cooperation posture / unrestricted package |
## Effort / reasoning
Netro exposes seven effort levels: off · minimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · max. Set them live:
/effort high
/effort max
/effort cycle # step to the next levelEffort is sent to the provider as a real reasoning hint. When the HUD badge shows high/xhigh/max, a pulsing marker glows to signal deep reasoning is engaged.
NETRO_FORCE_EFFORT=1 (on by default). The provider decides what to do with the hint.## Coordinator
For non-trivial tasks, netro can act as a coordinator that directs specialist subagents through phases: Research → Synthesis → Implementation → Verification.
/coordinator on # enable orchestration discipline
/coordinator status- Read-only research runs in parallel.
- Write-heavy work is serialized per file-set — subagents never clobber each other.
- Verification runs with fresh eyes to prove changes work, not just that they exist.
Powered by the subagent tool (single / parallel / chain modes) and 50+ specialist agents.
## Web search & fetch
Two tools bring the live web into a session:
web_fetch | Fetch a URL and read it back as clean text |
web_search | Search the web — titles, links, snippets |
Keyless search works out of the box (via Bing RSS). For higher-volume, dependable results, set an API key:
# any one of these enables premium search
export BRAVE_API_KEY=... # brave.com/search/api (free tier)
export SERPER_API_KEY=... # serper.dev
export TAVILY_API_KEY=... # tavily.com## Guardian / pentest
Netro can orchestrate Guardian-style security assessments without shipping 50 scanner binaries in the install zip. Same external CLIs Guardian wraps (nmap, httpx, nuclei, subfinder, …) — installed on demand.
/guardian list | Playbooks: recon, web_pentest, network, quick_web, osint, full_vuln |
/guardian init [target] | Scaffold engagement/ (authorization, scope, findings, report) |
/guardian run <pb> <target> | Queue a playbook checklist for the agent |
/guardian tools | Which scanners resolve on PATH / ~/.netro/agent/bin |
/guardian install | Install core scanners (Windows + Linux/macOS scripts) |
Windows
/guardian install
# or:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "$env:USERPROFILE\.netro\agent\scripts\install-guardian-tools-windows.ps1" -CoreOnlyLinux / macOS
/guardian install
# or:
bash ~/.netro/agent/scripts/install-guardian-tools.shengagement/authorization.md before active scans. Scanners are not bundled in the netro release — first install is the agent binary, then optional tools.Skill: guardian-pentest (phases Planner → Tool → Analyst → Reporter, findings JSONL).
## Updates
Netro checks https://www.netrocli.bond/releases/latest.json for new versions.
/update check | Compare current vs latest + release notes |
/update now | Run the platform installer (reinstall latest binary) |
/update status | Last check + autoupdate flag |
/autoupdate on|off | Startup notify when a newer build exists |
/cli-login survives updates — cli-auth.json is not cleared by the installer. You only get logged out if the operator revokes your key hash.## Privacy / stealth
Every outbound request (web fetch, search, downloads) is rewritten to look like an ordinary Chrome browser, so target sites see normal traffic instead of an automated client. Telemetry is off by default.
/stealth # show status
# route ALL traffic through a proxy / Tor so the
# destination logs the proxy's IP, not yours:
export NETRO_PROXY=socks5://127.0.0.1:9050NETRO_PROXY does.## Configuration
Everything lives in ~/.netro/agent/ — plain files, no magic.
~/.netro/agent/
├── settings.json # HUD, theme, defaults
├── models.json # providers & custom models
├── auth.json # provider credentials (hashed)
├── skills/ # installed skills
├── prompts/ # prompt templates
├── agents/ # subagent definitions
└── sessions/ # saved sessionssettings.json
{
"hud": {
"display": { "showTools": true, "showTodos": true, "showCost": true },
"colors": { "model": "cyan", "context": "green" }
}
}## Providers & models
Netro speaks one unified LLM API across Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, Bedrock, OpenRouter, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Add a custom model in ~/.netro/agent/models.json:
{
"providers": {
"my-provider": {
"baseUrl": "http://localhost:8080/v1",
"api": "openai-completions",
"apiKey": "sk-...",
"models": [{ "id": "my-model", "contextWindow": 200000, "reasoning": true }],
"compat": { "thinkingFormat": "openrouter", "supportsReasoningEffort": true }
}
}
}Switch mid-session with /provider or /model — context is preserved.
## Skills
Skills are reusable procedures the agent can invoke. 110+ ship built-in (dev stacks, DevOps, deployment). Install more from any repo:
/skill-install github.com/acme/deploy-skillsEach skill is a SKILL.md with YAML frontmatter (name, description) plus a body of numbered steps. Skills can register their own slash commands and hot-reload per session.
## Agents
Specialist subagents run tasks in isolated context. 50+ ship built-in (verifier, silent-failure-hunter, architects, and more). Create your own:
/agent-new a reviewer that checks for security issuesDelegate to them through the subagent tool (single / parallel / chain), or let the coordinator orchestrate them for you.
## MCP
Connect Model Context Protocol servers via ~/.netro/agent/mcp.json (or project .mcp.json). Tools appear as mcp__<server>__<tool>.
{
"mcpServers": {
"fs": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "."]
}
}
}/mcp status | Connected servers + tool count |
/mcp reload | Reconnect after editing mcp.json |
/mcp on|off | Enable / disable MCP for the session |
## Cooperation / free
Netro is a local operator harness. Default posture is cooperative technical work (security testing, automation, dual-use code on systems you name as scope) without policy lectures.
/obedience | Always-on cooperation reinforce + refusal recovery (default ON) |
/free | Opt-in package: stronger free prompt, safety-gate excludes, optional soul/operator |
## Troubleshooting
Install command "308 Permanent Redirect"
Vercel redirects netrocli.bond → www.netrocli.bond (308). PowerShell irm and some curl builds don't follow 308 redirects. Use the www host exactly: https://www.netrocli.bond/install.ps1.
Windows: curl -fsSL fails in PowerShell
Use the PowerShell installer instead: irm https://www.netrocli.bond/install.ps1 | iex
Home page shows both Windows and Linux install lines
Hard-refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R). The site auto-picks your OS and shows one command; tabs switch OS without stacking both panes.
dist/dist/.../dark.json ENOENT on start
Fixed in current releases. Run /update now or reinstall from the site.
Logged out after opening netro
Your key hash was revoked or set active: false on the registry. Contact the operator for a new key, then /cli-login.
/guardian tools shows mostly missing
Scanners are optional. Run /guardian install, then open a new terminal so ~/.netro/agent/bin is on PATH.
Skill conflicts on startup
Every SKILL.md needs a description in its frontmatter. Built-in skills already have this; if you added your own, check the frontmatter.
Effort clamps to "off"
Your model doesn't advertise reasoning. Set NETRO_FORCE_EFFORT=1 (default) and add "reasoning": true to the model in models.json.