🚀 AiFlow CLI

Intelligent AI Assistant with Smart Model Routing
Created by DavidFon (冯志伟)

AiFlow CLI Screenshot

👋 Meet the Creator

Hi! I'm DavidFon, a full-stack developer who got tired of expensive AI bills. AiFlow was born from my personal frustration with paying $300+/month for AI APIs when most tasks could be handled by cheaper models.

This repository contains the AiFlow CLI, an intelligent AI assistant that helps developers save 75-85% on AI costs through smart model routing while maintaining high-quality results.

Why AiFlow?

💰 Save 75-85% on AI costs through intelligent routing
🎯 Built by developers, for developers
🌟 Open source and community-driven
🚀 Production-ready with enterprise features
🔗 Restored MCP support for enhanced integrations and extensibility

With AiFlow CLI you can:

Query and edit large codebases with smart model selection for optimal cost-performance
Generate new apps from PDFs or sketches using multimodal capabilities
Automate operational tasks with intelligent cost optimization
Use tools and MCP servers to connect new capabilities
Leverage smart routing to use the right model for each specific task
Track and optimize AI costs in real-time with comprehensive cost management tools
Enhanced MCP (Model Context Protocol) support for extended functionality and integrations

Quickstart

Prerequisites: Ensure you have Node.js version 18 or higher installed.
Run the CLI: Execute the following command in your terminal:
```
npx aiflow-cli
```
Or install it with:
```
npm install -g aiflow-cli
aiflow
```
Proxy Settings (v1.2.181+): AiFlow now runs without proxy by default. If you need proxy support:
```
# Use built-in proxy
prox aiflow

# Use custom proxy
export AIFLOW_PROXY=http://your-proxy:8080
prox aiflow
```
Pick a color theme
Configure your AI providers: AiFlow supports multiple AI providers for smart routing. Configure your preferred models and API keys.

You are now ready to use AiFlow CLI with intelligent cost optimization!

🎯 Creator's Mission

"Every developer deserves access to powerful AI tools without breaking the bank" - DavidFon

For advanced configuration:

AiFlow supports multiple AI providers for optimal cost-performance routing:

Configure your preferred models in the settings
Set up API keys for your chosen providers
Let AiFlow automatically route to the most cost-effective model for each task

For detailed configuration, see the authentication guide.

Examples

Once AiFlow CLI is running, you can start leveraging intelligent AI routing from your shell.

You can start a project from a new directory:

cd new-project/
aiflow
> Write me a Discord bot that answers questions using a FAQ.md file I will provide

Or work with an existing project:

cd your-project
aiflow
> Give me a summary of all of the changes that went in yesterday

With proxy (if needed):

cd your-project
prox aiflow
> Help me analyze this codebase and suggest improvements

Next steps

Learn how to contribute to or build from the source.
Explore the available CLI Commands.
If you encounter any issues, review the Troubleshooting guide.
For more comprehensive documentation, see the full documentation.
Take a look at some popular tasks for more inspiration.

Troubleshooting

Head over to the troubleshooting guide if you're having issues.

💰 Cost Management Features

AiFlow CLI includes comprehensive cost tracking and optimization tools to help you manage AI expenses:

Real-time Cost Tracking

Monitor costs per request, session, and total usage
Track token usage (input/output) for all AI models
Visual cost indicators and budget warnings

Cost Management Commands

# View current cost status
aiflow cost status

# Compare costs between models
aiflow cost compare gemini-1.5-flash gpt-4o-mini deepseek-chat

# Get model recommendations for your use case
aiflow cost recommend --scenario coding

# Calculate costs for specific usage
aiflow cost calc gemini-1.5-flash

# Export cost data for analysis
aiflow cost export --format csv

Supported Models & Providers

Google: Gemini 2.0 Pro, Gemini 1.5 Pro/Flash
OpenAI: GPT-4o, GPT-4o Mini, GPT-3.5 Turbo
Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus/Haiku
DeepSeek: DeepSeek V3, DeepSeek Chat/Coder
Others: Qwen, ChatGLM, and more

Smart Cost Optimization

Automatic model selection based on cost-performance ratio
Budget alerts at 80% and 100% thresholds
Historical cost analysis and trends
Export data for expense reporting

🌐 Proxy Configuration

Important Change (v1.2.181+): AiFlow CLI has updated its proxy handling for better flexibility and performance.

Default Behavior

AiFlow now runs without proxy by default
This improves startup speed and reduces connection issues
Direct internet access is used for AI API calls

When You Need Proxy

If you're behind a corporate firewall or need proxy access:

# Method 1: Use built-in proxy command
prox aiflow

# Method 2: Set custom proxy and use prox command
export AIFLOW_PROXY=http://your-proxy-server:8080
prox aiflow

# Method 3: One-time custom proxy usage
AIFLOW_PROXY=http://corporate-proxy:3128 prox aiflow

Proxy Commands

Command	Description
`aiflow`	Run without proxy (default)
`prox aiflow`	Run with proxy support
`AIFLOW_PROXY=<url> prox aiflow`	Run with custom proxy

Migration from Previous Versions

If you were using AiFlow v1.2.180 or earlier:

Before: AiFlow automatically used proxy settings
Now: Use prox aiflow when proxy is needed
Benefit: Faster startup and more reliable connections when proxy isn't required

Session Management

AiFlow CLI automatically saves your conversation history to .aiflow/session.json in your project directory. This allows you to:

Continue conversations: When you restart AiFlow in the same directory, your previous conversation is automatically restored
Clear history: Use the /clear command to completely reset your session, including deleting saved conversation files
Privacy: Session files are stored locally in your project directory and are not shared

Note: The .aiflow directory should be added to your .gitignore to avoid committing conversation history to version control.

🔗 MCP (Model Context Protocol) Support

AiFlow CLI features fully restored MCP support, enabling powerful integrations with external tools and services through the Model Context Protocol. MCP allows AiFlow to extend its capabilities by connecting to various servers and tools.

MCP Configuration Management

AiFlow provides comprehensive MCP configuration management through built-in commands:

# Edit user-level MCP configuration (opens in external editor)
/mcp edit user

# Edit workspace-level MCP configuration
/mcp edit workspace

# Display current MCP configuration information
/mcp info

# View MCP configuration template and examples
/mcp template

# Validate MCP configuration files
/mcp validate

Configuration File Locations

MCP configuration files are stored in the following locations:

User-level config: ~/.aiflow/mcp-config.json - Global settings applied to all projects
Workspace-level config: ./.aiflow/mcp-config.json - Project-specific settings that override user-level config
Configuration templates: Available through /mcp template command

MCP Features

Server Integration: Connect to MCP-compatible servers for extended functionality
Tool Access: Access external tools and APIs through MCP protocol
Configuration Layering: User and workspace-level configuration with proper precedence
Validation: Built-in configuration validation to ensure proper setup
Template Support: Easy setup with configuration templates

Getting Started with MCP

View available templates: /mcp template
Create initial configuration: /mcp edit user or /mcp edit workspace
Validate your setup: /mcp validate
Check configuration status: /mcp info

MCP integration allows AiFlow to seamlessly work with external systems, databases, APIs, and tools, significantly expanding its capabilities beyond basic AI interactions.

🤖 AI Agent System

AiFlow CLI features a powerful Agent system with 13 specialized AI assistants:

Available Agents

🏗️ Architect - System architecture design and technical decisions
📱 Product Manager - Product requirements and user experience
🔐 Security Expert - Security analysis and vulnerability detection
🚀 DevOps Engineer - Deployment, CI/CD, and infrastructure
📚 Documentation Expert - Technical documentation and knowledge management
⚡ Performance Optimizer - Performance analysis and optimization
📘 TypeScript Expert - Type safety and code quality
🤖 AI Model Expert - Multi-AI provider integration and routing
💰 Cost Analyst - AI cost tracking and optimization
🎨 React Ink Expert - Terminal UI components and themes
🧪 Test Engineer - Testing strategies and quality assurance
👁️ Code Reviewer - Code quality and best practices
💚 Node.js Expert - CLI tools and Monorepo architecture

Using Agents

# List all available agents
/agents list

# Get agent details
/agents info architect-agent

# Search for agents
/agents search security

# Smart agent recommendation
/smart-agent Help me design a microservice architecture

Learn more in the Agent System Documentation.

Popular tasks

Explore a new codebase

Start by cding into an existing or newly-cloned repository and running aiflow.

> Describe the main pieces of this system's architecture.

> What security mechanisms are in place?

Work with your existing code

> Implement a first draft for GitHub issue #123.

> Help me migrate this codebase to the latest version of Java. Start with a plan.

Automate your workflows

With restored MCP (Model Context Protocol) support, use MCP servers to integrate your local system tools with your enterprise collaboration suite.

> Make me a slide deck showing the git history from the last 7 days, grouped by feature and team member.

> Make a full-screen web app for a wall display to show our most interacted-with GitHub issues.

Interact with your system

> Convert all the images in this directory to png, and rename them to use dates from the exif data.

> Organise my PDF invoices by month of expenditure.

📞 Connect with DavidFon

🌐 Website: davidfon.dev
🐦 Twitter: @DavidFon_AI
💼 LinkedIn: DavidFon
📧 Email: david@aiflow.dev
💻 CodeUp: AiFlow

Terms of Service and Privacy Notice

For details on the terms of service and privacy notice applicable to your use of AiFlow CLI, see the Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.

Package detail

aiflow-cli

readme