Mesh CLI

Commands & permission modes

The slash commands you'll use daily, the four permission modes, and how to stay up to date.
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Permission modes

The colored bar at the bottom of the screen always shows the current permission mode. Press Shift+Tab to cycle through the four modes:

ModeColorBehavior
defaultgreenAsks before every file write, command, or search. Safest — start here.
accept edits oncyanFile writes in your current folder happen automatically; commands still ask.
autoyellowFile writes, commands, and web searches all run automatically.
bypass permissions onredEverything runs automatically.

Even in bypass permissions mode, genuinely dangerous actions — rm -rf, sudo, or writing to ~/.ssh — still stop and ask for confirmation.

Commands you’ll actually use

Slash commands work from the prompt inside the CLI:

CommandWhat it does
/helpLists every command, explained.
/model <name>Switch model, with fuzzy suggestions as you type.
/modelsBrowse the full model catalog with prices.
/route autoLet Mesh pick the best model for each prompt automatically.
/memoryShows what the CLI remembers about this project — it learns your repo as it works.
/costTotal spend for the current session.
/updateCheck for a newer version (the CLI also offers upgrades on its own).
/loginRe-enter your API key (use this if you pasted a wrong key).
/exitLeave the CLI. Next time, just run meshapi again.

Staying up to date

New versions add models, fix bugs, and expand what the CLI can do. You don’t reinstall — you update.

Easiest: the CLI checks for new versions itself. When it offers one, press y. To check any time while it’s running, type /update.

Manual: quit the CLI with /exit, then run this (same on Mac and Windows):

$pipx upgrade meshapi-code

Confirm it worked:

$meshapi --version

Check that the number went up. If it still shows the old version, close the window, open a new one, and check again.

Running into errors? See Mesh CLI debugging.