## Definition
An **agentic CLI** is a terminal-based interface to an LLM that can read and write files, run shell commands, call external tools, and coordinate sub-agents — all under a permission policy. Examples in 2026: **Claude Code**, **OpenCode**, **Cursor agent mode**, **Continue**.
## Why the CLI Won
- **Composability.** Agents call shell tools; the shell is where shells live.
- **Scriptability.** A CLI runs in CI, can be piped, looped, and version-controlled. Chat windows can't.
- **Single permission surface.** Filesystem, git, package managers, databases, browsers, and the agent — all in one process tree with one policy to reason about.
## Settings Hierarchy (Claude Code shape)
| Scope | Path | When to use |
| ------- | ------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| User | `~/.claude/settings.json` | Personal defaults |
| Project | `.claude/settings.json` (committed) | Team conventions |
| Local | `.claude/settings.local.json` (gitignored) | Per-developer overrides |
## Common Slash Commands
`/init`, `/plan`, `/diagnostics`, `/cost`, `/compact`, `/resume`, `/mcp`.
## Related
- [[Plan Mode and Build Mode]]
- [[AGENTS.md Convention File]]
- [[Permission Policy]]
- [[Extension Trifecta]]
- [[Claude Code Documentation]]