AI CLI Manager - User Guide

📖 Overview

AI CLI Manager (v1.1.11) is your central hub for installing, launching, and integrating AI coding assistants into Windows.

📚 Project Documentation

• Technical Documentation: Architecture, core methods, and data flow.
• Design Philosophy: The rationale, principles, and target users.
• Contributing Guide: How to report bugs and submit code.
• Linux & macOS Guide: Specific instructions for non-Windows platforms.

🚀 Getting Started (Windows)

1. Run the Manager: Double-click AI_CLI_Manager.bat
   • ✅ Auto-elevation: Automatically requests Administrator privileges
   • ✅ Windows Terminal detection: Falls back to CMD if WT not available
2. Main Menu: Type the number of the option you want and press Enter

⚙️ Main Menu Options

--- CLI Management ---

I Check and Install All CLIs

• What it does: Checks if each CLI is installed
• Action: Only installs missing tools (skips already installed)
• Output: [ALREADY INSTALLED] or [INSTALLED] for each tool
• Prerequisites: Requires Node.js (and Python for Mistral Vibe)
• Launch Pad: Instantly launch Gemini, Jules, Vibe, iFlow, OpenCode, Qwen, KiloCode, Copilot, NanoCode, Claude, OpenAI Codex, or Cline.
• Smart Install: Automatically checks for Node.js, Python, and Git. Installs missing CLIs via npm, pip, or git clone into the /Tools directory followed by npm link.

V Show Installed CLI Versions

• Version Check: Quickly see which versions of Gemini, Jules, Vibe, etc., are installed.
• Shows: Package name with version, or [NOT INSTALLED]

--- Launch CLIs ---

1-9 Launch Specific CLIs

Option	Tool
1	Gemini CLI
2	Jules CLI
3	Mistral Vibe CLI
4	iFlow CLI
5	OpenCode CLI
6	Qwen Code CLI
7	KiloCode CLI
8	GitHub Copilot CLI
9	NanoCode CLI
10	Claude CLI
11	OpenAI Codex CLI
12	Cline CLI

• Behavior: Opens in Windows Terminal (or CMD fallback)
• Directory: Uses passed path or defaults to User Profile folder

--- Context Menu ---

A Add to Windows Context Menu 🔥

• What it does: Adds "Open with AI CLI" cascading menu to right-click
• Technical: Uses MUIVerb for proper cascading submenu support
• How to use after adding:
  1. Go to any folder in Windows Explorer
  2. Right-click on empty space (or the folder itself)
  3. Hover over "Open with AI CLI"
  4. Select the AI agent you want
  5. Terminal opens exactly in that folder

B Remove from Windows Context Menu

• What it does: Completely removes the right-click menu entries
• Confirmation: Asks Y/N before proceeding

C Export Registry Backup

• What it does: Saves a backup of registry settings to Log Files folder
• Recommendation: Run this before using Option A for the first time

--- Utilities ---

D Restart File Explorer

• What it does: Restarts Windows Explorer to apply menu changes.
• Technical: Uses taskkill /f /im explorer.exe then start explorer.exe.

E Deep Refresh Icons (Clear Cache) 🔥

• What it does: Force-clears the Windows Icon Cache to resolve issues where old or broken icons persist.
• Recommended: Use this after modifying or updating icon files.
• Technical: Deletes IconCache.db and Explorer's iconcache*.db then restarts File Explorer.

0 Exit

• What it does: Closes the manager and ends session

📦 Supported Tools

Tool	Package	Type	Command
Gemini	@google/gemini-cli	NPM	gemini
Jules	@google/jules	NPM	jules
Mistral Vibe	mistral-vibe	PIP	vibe
iFlow	@iflow-ai/iflow-cli	NPM	iflow
OpenCode	opencode-ai	NPM	opencode
Qwen Code	@qwen-code/qwen-code	NPM	qwen
KiloCode	@kilocode/cli	NPM	kilocode
GitHub Copilot	@github/copilot	NPM	copilot
NanoCode	nanocode-agent	Git + NPM Link	nanocode
Claude	@anthropic-ai/claude-code	NPM	claude
OpenAI Codex	@openai/codex	NPM	codex
Cline	cline	NPM	cline

📝 Logging

All actions are logged to timestamped files in the Log Files folder:

• Log files: AI_CLI_MG_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS_mmm.log
• Registry backups: AI_CLI_Backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.reg

Logged items: User inputs, operations, errors, timestamps

⚠️ Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"Access Denied"	Right-click > "Run as Administrator"
Tool not found after install	Restart terminal or computer to refresh PATH
Menu not appearing	Use Option D to restart Explorer, or reboot
Old icons still show	Use Option E (Deep Refresh) to clear the system icon cache
Submenu not showing	Run Option B then Option A to re-add menu

---

🍎 Getting Started (Linux / macOS)

1. Make Executable: chmod +x AI_CLI_Manager.sh
2. Run: ./AI_CLI_Manager.sh
3. See LINUX_MAC_README.md for full details.

🐧 Testing & Using Linux/Mac Script on Windows

You can run the AI_CLI_Manager.sh script on Windows to test its functionality or use it in a Linux-like environment.

Option 1: Using Git Bash (Easiest)

If you have Git installed, you likely have Git Bash.

1. Right-click inside the ai_cli_manager folder.
2. Select "Open Git Bash Here".
3. Make the script executable:

   chmod +x AI_CLI_Manager.sh

4. Run the script:

   ./AI_CLI_Manager.sh

   • Note: sudo commands may fail, but menu navigation and standard installs should work.

Option 2: Using WSL (Recommended for Full Testing)

For a complete Linux experience, use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

1. Install WSL (if not already installed):
   • Open PowerShell as Administrator and run: wsl --install
   • Restart your computer if prompted.
2. Open WSL Terminal:
   • Open "Ubuntu" (or your distro) from the Start Menu.
3. Navigate to Project:
   • WSL mounts your C: drive at /mnt/c.

   cd /mnt/c/Users/krishnakanthb13/Documents/GitHub/ai_cli_manager

4. Run the Script:

   chmod +x AI_CLI_Manager.sh
   ./AI_CLI_Manager.sh

⚖️ License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3. See the LICENSE file for the full text.

Copyright (C) 2026 Krishna Kanth B