Quickstart¶
Your first NurCLI session in 60 seconds.
1. Install¶
Prebuilt binary, no Rust toolchain, no build. Keep it on PATH with npm i -g nur-cli.
That’s the full stack (binary + PATH + prereqs + ecosystem).
Windows without building: download nur-windows-x86_64.exe from Releases and double-click. It runs the same full install, then opens NurCLI. macOS / Linux prebuilt: use npx nur-cli above. Other paths: Setup.
2. Authenticate¶
Recommended: open the TUI and run /login. Pick any of 70 providers
(OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, xAI, Groq, OpenRouter, local Ollama/LM Studio, Meta Model API, and more), then paste a key or use browser sign-in where available. That path also sets endpoint + default model.
CLI path (stores a key in ~/.nur/auth.json; never printed):
Multi-provider is the point
/login is the real multi-provider path. Prefer it over assuming any single vendor.
/logout clears the stored key. Details: Authentication.
3. Open the TUI¶
This opens the interactive Nur-gold TUI in your current directory.
4. Start working¶
Type your request and press Enter:
The agent will read files, run tools, and stream its response in real time.
Sharper decisions, no key
On this machine the TypeSafe (Jev) layer runs on a local engine with no
key: nur jev start, then nur jev use (docs). It reaches
the harness as the typesafe tool and /typesafe · /jev, tightening which
tool calls still earn their tokens, whether a result worked, and what
compaction can drop. With no engine and no key, every policy returns "no
judgment" and behavior is unchanged (docs).
Common first commands¶
nur # interactive TUI
nur "fix the bug" # start with a prompt
nur -c # continue last session in this directory
nur --mode plan "explain this" # plan mode (read-only, no writes)
nur run "add tests" -y # headless + auto-approve
Permission modes¶
NurCLI has three permission modes. Shift+Tab cycles between them in the TUI.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| manual (default) | Reads are free; writes, shell, and extract_frames require approval (y / a / n) |
| plan | Explore freely: reads, look, knowledge queries, and shell for read/parse/tests/scratch; blocks code writes + repo/VCS mutation |
| auto | Auto-approve all tools (-y or --mode auto) |
What just happened?¶
When you installed and ran nur, it:
- Installed the full stack (one-liner or EXE): binary · PATH · prereqs · ecosystem · browser stage before the TUI
- Loaded your config from
~/.nur/config.toml - Created (or resumed) a session under
~/.nur/sessions/ - Opened the streaming gold TUI
- Used your stored key / env key, or opened
/loginso you can pick a provider
Later opens only run light background repair if ecosystem_auto_ensure is on. All state lives under ~/.nur/. No keys, sessions, or usage data are written to your project or git repo.
Update later¶
Keep NurCLI current with one command:
Pulls latest main (when a Laboratory checkout exists), rebuilds, reinstalls the binary, and re-provisions the ecosystem. Alternatives (re-run one-liner, re-download Windows EXE): Setup → Update.
Plugins (optional)¶
Or from the shell: nur plugins install superpowers. Skills land under ~/.nur/plugins and mirror into ~/.nur/skills. Details: Ecosystem → Plugin marketplace.
Default skills (auto-installed)¶
On install / ecosystem ensure, Nur pulls:
- superpowers · fable · mattpocock · addyosmani · builderio
- plus design / clone-website / cybersecurity / infinite-headcount /
Text-to-CAD / mobile-harness / DarkNavy web3-skills / Cyfrin solskill packs
when the skills CLI is available, and the bundled
/sc-researchwhitehat DeFi pack (protocol + tool playbooks,/hunting-x-linked-bounties, historical vuln library, investigator-ops)
They land under ~/.nur/plugins/ and mirror into ~/.nur/skills/ so /grill-me, /fable-method, /context-engineering, etc. work immediately.
Invoke skills with slash commands¶
Every installed skill is also a slash command:
/adhd # sticky ADHD-friendly output (toggle)
/fable-method fix the auth flake # one-shot: skill + prompt this turn
/site-cli build a CLI from app.har
/design-eng polish the settings modal
Type /fab in the TUI to filter the palette to matching skills. /skills lists them. Details: Ecosystem → Slash skill invocation.
Talk to skills in plain language¶
After nur plugins install fable (or Superpowers, etc.), you do not need /fable-method:
think like fable and fix the flaky auth test
TDD the rate limiter
debug systematically — find the root cause
polish the UI on this settings page
pick up claude's session and finish the install
Nur matches the wording, injects the skill for that turn, and shows e.g. fable-method · activated from your wording…. Full phrase table: Ecosystem → Natural-language skill activation.
Next steps¶
- Setup - Install paths, how to update, uninstall
- Commands - Full CLI reference (
nur update,nur doctor,nur plugins, …) - TUI - Keyboard shortcuts, slash commands
- Tools - What the agent can do
- TypeSafe / Jev - Keyless local judgments for the harness
- Vision - Send images and video to the model
- Ecosystem - Graphify, PLUR, plugins marketplace
- Configuration - Customise model, effort, context window