# LexAI CLI — Prompt Builder

Part of the [LexAI monorepo](../../README.md) (`packages/cli`). Complements the [Chrome](../chrome/README.md) and [VS Code](../vscode/README.md) packages.

Improve a rough idea into a **paste-ready engineered prompt** before you fire it at Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent.

BYO-LLM only — no LexAI servers. Uses the same Prompt Builder core as the Chrome and VS Code extensions.

## Install (from this repo)

```bash
# from repo root
npm run cli:install
npm run cli:build

# make `lexai` available on your PATH
cd packages/cli && npm link
```

Or run without linking:

```bash
node packages/cli/out/cli.js prompt "your rough idea"
```

## Setup

```powershell
# PowerShell
$env:LEXAI_API_KEY = "sk-..."
$env:LEXAI_PROVIDER = "openai"   # optional: openai | anthropic | groq | openrouter
$env:LEXAI_MODEL = "gpt-4o"      # optional
```

Optional defaults file (no API key allowed here): `~/.lexai/config.json`

```json
{
  "provider": "openai",
  "model": "gpt-4o",
  "pattern": "role",
  "persona": "Expert Developer",
  "format": "Markdown",
  "style": "Concise"
}
```

Precedence: **flags > config file > env > defaults**. Key is always from `LEXAI_API_KEY`.

## Usage

```bash
lexai prompt "add rate limiting to the express auth routes"

echo "debug flaky playwright on CI" | lexai prompt --pattern role --persona "Expert Developer"

lexai prompt -f draft.txt --format Markdown --model gpt-4o

lexai prompt --list
lexai prompt --help
```

The engineered prompt is written to **stdout** (pipe-safe). Progress and errors go to **stderr**.

```powershell
# Windows: copy to clipboard
lexai prompt "write a unit test for parseConfig" | Set-Clipboard
```

### Flags

| Flag | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `-f, --file <path>` | Read input from file |
| `--pattern <id>` | Pattern id (`auto`, `role`, `cot`, …) — see `--list` |
| `--persona <name\|text>` | Persona preset or free text |
| `--format <name>` | Output format hint |
| `--style <name>` | Style the engineered prompt should request |
| `--provider` / `--model` | Provider overrides |
| `-l, --list` | List patterns, personas, formats, styles |
| `-h, --help` | Help |

Exit codes: `0` success · `1` user/config error · `2` provider/network error

## Scope

**In:** Make Prompt / Prompt Builder only.  
**Out:** Fix/Rephrase/Code Assist, reading VS Code/Chrome keys, auto-running shell commands.