Command Families Reference

archive_inspection

Label: Archive operations

Description: Inspect archives, extract them only to explicit destinations, and create tar.gz/zip archives only from explicit source paths.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
tar	archive_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	tar -tf archive.tar tar -xf archive.tar -C out tar -czf backup.tar.gz src	list tar archive, inspect tar archive, show tar contents, list archive contents, extract tar archive, extract archive into destination, create tar gz archive, create tar archive from explicit paths	Supports read-only tar archive listing, guarded extraction with an explicit destination, and guarded tar.gz creation from explicit source paths. Tar extraction is write-risk and can write or overwrite files in the destination. Tar archive creation is write-risk and may overwrite an existing archive path depending on the underlying tar implementation. Only tar -czf <archive_path> <source_paths...> is supported for tar.gz creation; broad roots, home roots, wildcards, path transforms, extraction without -C, and arbitrary tar options are not supported.
unzip	archive_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	unzip -l archive.zip unzip archive.zip -d out	list zip archive, inspect zip archive, show zip contents, show what is inside zip, extract zip archive, unzip archive into destination	Supports read-only zip archive listing and guarded extraction with an explicit destination. Zip extraction is write-risk and can write or overwrite files in the destination. Extraction without -d, overwrite flags, password handling, and arbitrary unzip options are not supported.
zip	archive_inspection	all	write	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	zip -r backup.zip src	create zip archive, zip folder into archive, create zip archive from explicit paths	Supports guarded zip archive creation from explicit source paths. Zip archive creation is write-risk and may overwrite or update an existing archive path depending on the underlying zip implementation. Only zip -r <archive_path> <source_paths...> is supported; broad roots, home roots, wildcards, encryption, passwords, split archives, append/update flags, deleting sources, network destinations, and arbitrary zip options are not supported.

destructive_operations

Label: Destructive operations

Description: High-risk operations that can remove data or escalate privileges.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
rm	destructive	all	dangerous	experimental_only	experimental-only (constrained executable fallback)	yes	explicit	no	rm -i old.log	remove file, delete file	—
sudo	privileged	all	dangerous	blocked	blocked (unavailable)	no	explicit	no	sudo ls /var/root	run as root, elevated command	—

filesystem_inspection

Label: Filesystem inspection

Description: Inspect local files, folders, and metadata safely.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
cd	navigation	all	safe	direct_only	direct-only (direct executable support only)	yes	explicit	no	cd src	change directory, go to folder	Changes the oterminus working directory for the current REPL session.
du	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	du -h .	disk usage, folder size	—
file	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	file README.md	identify file type	—
find	search	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	find . -maxdepth 3 -type f -name '*.py'	find files, search directories	Supports read-only predicates: -name <pattern>, -type f
ls	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	safe_inspection_passthrough	no	ls -la	list files, show directory contents	—
pwd	navigation	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	pwd	where am i, print working directory	—
stat	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	stat README.md	file metadata, file info	—
tree	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	tree -a -L 3 .	show directory tree, show folder tree, directory overview	Requires the optional external tree executable. Supports one local path, hidden entries, directories-only output, and bounded depth.

filesystem_mutation

Label: Filesystem mutation

Description: Create, copy, move, or modify files and directory state.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
chmod	permissions	all	write	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	chmod 755 script.sh	change permissions, set file mode	—
chown	permissions	all	dangerous	experimental_only	experimental-only (constrained executable fallback)	yes	explicit	no	chown user:group file.txt	change file owner	—
cp	filesystem_write	all	write	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	cp notes.txt backup/notes.txt	copy file, duplicate file	—
mkdir	filesystem_write	all	write	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	mkdir -p logs/archive	create folder, make directory	—
mv	filesystem_write	all	write	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	mv report.md docs/	move file, rename file	—
touch	filesystem_write	all	write	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	touch notes.txt	create empty file	Creates a missing file or updates timestamps when the target already exists.

git_inspection

Label: Git inspection

Description: Read-only inspection of local Git repository state.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
git	git_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	git status --short git branch --show-current git log --oneline -n 5 git diff --stat git diff --name-only	git status, short git status, what branch am i on, show current git branch, show recent git commits, show git diff summary, show changed files, inspect git repo	Only read-only Git inspection operations are supported in curated mode.

macos_desktop

Label: macOS desktop integration

Description: Open local paths in Finder or default macOS apps.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
open	macos_integration	darwin	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	open .	open in finder, reveal in finder	Opens a local file or folder via macOS LaunchServices.

network_diagnostics

Label: Network diagnostics

Description: Run constrained read-only diagnostics that contact external hosts.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
curl	network_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	yes	curl -I https://example.com	show HTTP headers, http head request	This command contacts external hosts and may reveal your IP address, DNS query, target host, or network metadata. Only ping with a fixed count, HTTP HEAD requests, dig lookups, and nslookup lookups are supported. POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE, request bodies, arbitrary or secret-bearing headers, authorization, cookies, downloads, redirects that write files, scanning, traceroute, SSH/SCP, netcat, nmap, wget, sudo network commands, and arbitrary network shell commands are not supported.
dig	network_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	yes	dig example.com	dns lookup, get dns records	This command contacts external hosts and may reveal your IP address, DNS query, target host, or network metadata. Only ping with a fixed count, HTTP HEAD requests, dig lookups, and nslookup lookups are supported. POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE, request bodies, arbitrary or secret-bearing headers, authorization, cookies, downloads, redirects that write files, scanning, traceroute, SSH/SCP, netcat, nmap, wget, sudo network commands, and arbitrary network shell commands are not supported.
nslookup	network_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	yes	nslookup example.com	nslookup, dns lookup alternative	This command contacts external hosts and may reveal your IP address, DNS query, target host, or network metadata. Only ping with a fixed count, HTTP HEAD requests, dig lookups, and nslookup lookups are supported. POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE, request bodies, arbitrary or secret-bearing headers, authorization, cookies, downloads, redirects that write files, scanning, traceroute, SSH/SCP, netcat, nmap, wget, sudo network commands, and arbitrary network shell commands are not supported.
ping	network_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	yes	ping -c 4 example.com	ping host, check host responds	This command contacts external hosts and may reveal your IP address, DNS query, target host, or network metadata. Only ping with a fixed count, HTTP HEAD requests, dig lookups, and nslookup lookups are supported. POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE, request bodies, arbitrary or secret-bearing headers, authorization, cookies, downloads, redirects that write files, scanning, traceroute, SSH/SCP, netcat, nmap, wget, sudo network commands, and arbitrary network shell commands are not supported.

process_inspection

Label: Process inspection

Description: Inspect running processes and open files.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
lsof	process_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	lsof -p 1234	open files for process	Lists open files and sockets; output can expose sensitive process or path information.
pgrep	process_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	pgrep -f python	find process by name	—
ps	process_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	ps -A	show running processes	—

project_health

Label: Project health

Description: Curated project maintenance checks for tests, lint, format checks, docs builds, and evals.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
project_health	developer_workflow	all	write	structured	structured (normal executable support)	no	explicit	no	run tests check linting run format check build docs run evals	run tests, run the test suite, run project tests, check linting, run ruff check, check formatting, run format check, check project formatting, run project lint, build docs, build project docs, run evals, run project evals	Project health operations may execute local project code or tooling (for example via test suites, docs builds, and eval workflows). Always preview and require explicit user confirmation before execution. Only curated operations are in scope: run_tests, lint_check, format_check, build_docs, run_evals. Arbitrary 'poetry run ...', install/update/deploy/publish commands, write-formatting, and arbitrary shell execution are not supported.

system_inspection

Label: System inspection

Description: Inspect local environment, identity, and system properties.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
clear	system_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	clear	clear terminal, clear screen	Clears the current terminal screen for a clean session view.
df	system_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	df -h	disk space	—
env	system_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	env PATH	environment variable	Printing the full environment may include sensitive values; curated mode only allows single-variable lookups.
man	system_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	man ls man 1 ls	manual page, man page, command manual	Opens local manual documentation through the system pager.
uname	system_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	uname -a	system name, kernel info	—
which	system_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	which python3	find executable	—
whoami	system_inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	whoami	current user	—

text_inspection

Label: Text inspection

Description: Inspect, filter, and transform file text content.

Command	Category	Platforms	Risk	Maturity	Status	Direct support	Direct flag policy	Network	Examples	Natural-language aliases	Notes
cat	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	cat README.md	show file contents, print file	—
grep	search	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	grep -n TODO src/main.py	search text, find matching lines	—
head	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	head -n 20 README.md	first lines	—
sort	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	sort -u names.txt	sort lines	—
tail	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	tail -n 50 app.log	last lines	—
uniq	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	uniq -c names.txt	dedupe lines, unique lines	—
wc	inspection	all	safe	structured	structured (normal executable support)	yes	explicit	no	wc -l README.md	count lines, count words	—