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Quick Start Guide

Get started with Rawi in just a few minutes! This guide will walk you through your first AI conversation and essential features.

📋 Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

✅ Rawi installed — See Installation Guide
✅ At least one provider configured — Run rawi configure if needed
✅ Terminal open — Any modern terminal will work

Quick Check

Verify your setup:

# Check version
rawi --version

# Verify configuration
rawi info

Your First Question

Let's start with a simple question to test your setup:

rawi ask "What is the difference between JavaScript and TypeScript?"

What You'll See

$ rawi ask "What is the difference between JavaScript and TypeScript?"

🤖 JavaScript and TypeScript are both programming languages, but TypeScript
is essentially JavaScript with static type checking. Here are the key
differences:

**JavaScript:**
- Dynamic typing (variables can change types)
- Runtime error detection
- No compilation step required
- Runs directly in browsers and Node.js
- More flexible but potentially error-prone

**TypeScript:**
- Static typing (types are checked at compile time)
- Compile-time error detection
- Compiles to JavaScript
- Better IDE support and autocomplete
- More verbose but safer for large applications

TypeScript is particularly useful for larger projects where type safety
helps prevent common programming errors.

🎉 Congratulations! You've just had your first AI conversation with Rawi.

Understanding Profiles

Profiles allow you to use different AI providers for different tasks. Let's explore your current setup:

Check Your Current Profile

# Show current configuration
rawi configure --show

# List all profiles
rawi configure --list

Using Different Profiles

If you have multiple profiles configured:

# Use a specific profile
rawi ask "Explain React hooks" --profile work

# Shorter version
rawi ask "Explain React hooks" -p work

Create Additional Profiles

# Create a profile for local AI
rawi configure --profile local --provider ollama --model llama3.2

# Create a profile for analysis work
rawi configure --profile analysis --provider anthropic --model claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

Using Act Templates

Act templates are pre-built prompts that make the AI behave like different experts. They're one of Rawi's most powerful features!

Browse Available Templates

# List all templates (interactive)
rawi act --list

# Show details of a specific template
rawi act --show code-reviewer

Use Templates in Questions

# Get a Linux terminal simulation
rawi ask --act linux-terminal "list files in home directory with details"

# Code review assistance
rawi ask --act code-reviewer "Review this Python function for improvements"

# Security expert analysis
rawi ask --act security-expert "What are common web vulnerabilities?"

# Ethereum developer guidance
rawi ask --act ethereum-developer "Explain smart contract security best practices"

Popular Templates for Developers

  • code-reviewer — Code analysis and optimization
  • linux-terminal — Terminal command simulation
  • security-expert — Security analysis and auditing
  • tech-writer — Technical documentation
  • database-admin — SQL optimization and database management
  • api-documenter — API documentation and examples

Session Management

Sessions allow you to have continuous conversations with context. Each question remembers previous ones in the same session.

Basic Session Usage

# Start a new session
rawi ask "I'm building a React app with TypeScript" --new-session

# Continue the conversation (automatically uses current session)
rawi ask "How should I structure my components?"

# Ask a follow-up
rawi ask "What about state management?"

Working with Specific Sessions

# Continue a specific session later
rawi ask "What about testing strategies?" --session abc123-def456

# Start a new session for a different topic
rawi ask "Now I want to learn Python" --new-session

View Your Sessions

# Show recent conversations
rawi history

# Show sessions only
rawi history sessions

# Show details of a specific session
rawi history show abc123-def456

Shell Integration Basics

Rawi integrates seamlessly with your shell, making it perfect for developer workflows.

Pipe Input to Rawi

# Pipe file content for analysis
cat server.js | rawi ask "Review this Express.js server for security issues"

# Analyze git changes
git diff | rawi ask "Review these changes and suggest improvements"

# Process command output
ls -la | rawi ask "Explain these file permissions"

# Analyze logs
tail -100 app.log | rawi ask "Summarize these log entries"

Save Output to Files

# Generate and save code
rawi ask "Create a TypeScript interface for a User" > user.ts

# Create documentation
rawi ask "Write README for a CLI tool" > README.md

# Generate configurations
rawi ask "Create ESLint config for React TypeScript" > .eslintrc.js

Combine with Other Tools

# Search and analyze
grep ERROR app.log | rawi ask "Categorize these errors by type"

# Process API responses
curl -s api.example.com/data | rawi ask "Explain this API structure"

# Database analysis
echo "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5" | rawi ask --act database-admin "Optimize this query"

Essential Commands Cheat Sheet

Basic Usage

# Simple question
rawi ask "Your question here"

# With specific profile
rawi ask "Your question" --profile work

# With expert template
rawi ask --act code-reviewer "Your code question"

# Start new session
rawi ask "Your question" --new-session

Configuration

# Interactive setup
rawi configure

# Show current config
rawi configure --show

# List all profiles
rawi configure --list

History & Sessions

# Show recent conversations
rawi history

# Search conversations
rawi history --search "docker"

# Show session details
rawi history show session-id

Information

# System info
rawi info

# Available providers
rawi provider --list

# Available templates
rawi act --list

Common Use Cases

Code Development

# Debug an error
rawi ask "Fix this Python error: NameError: name 'x' is not defined"

# Code review
git diff | rawi ask --act code-reviewer "Review these changes"

# Generate tests
cat utils.js | rawi ask "Generate unit tests for these functions"

# Create documentation
rawi ask --act tech-writer "Document this API endpoint" < api.js

Learning & Research

# Quick explanations
rawi ask "Explain async/await in JavaScript"

# Compare technologies
rawi ask "Compare React vs Vue.js for a small project"

# Best practices
rawi ask --act security-expert "Web security best practices for Node.js"

Data Analysis

# Analyze CSV data
cat data.csv | rawi ask "Analyze this sales data and identify trends"

# Process logs
grep ERROR app.log | rawi ask "What types of errors are most common?"

# Explain data structures
echo '{"users": [{"id": 1, "name": "John"}]}' | rawi ask "Explain this JSON structure"

Tips for Better Results

1. Be Specific

# ❌ Vague
rawi ask "Help with code"

# ✅ Specific
rawi ask "Review this React component for performance issues" < component.jsx

2. Use Templates for Expertise

# ❌ Generic
rawi ask "Check my database query"

# ✅ With expert template
rawi ask --act database-admin "Optimize this SQL query for performance" < query.sql

3. Provide Context

# ❌ No context
rawi ask "Fix this error"

# ✅ With context
rawi ask "Fix this Python Flask error in a REST API: AttributeError: 'NoneType'"

4. Use Sessions for Complex Topics

# Start a session for a project
rawi ask "I'm building a microservices architecture with Node.js" --new-session

# Continue building context
rawi ask "How should I handle authentication between services?"
rawi ask "What about database design for this architecture?"

Next Steps

Now that you're familiar with the basics, explore these advanced features:

  1. Configuration Guide — Set up multiple providers and profiles
  2. Act Templates — Master the 200+ expert templates
  3. Shell Integration — Advanced terminal workflows
  4. Session Management — Deep dive into conversations
  5. Commands Reference — Complete command documentation

Need Help?

Navigation

Related Pages: