Docs / Getting started

Installation

Install the ask command on Windows, Ubuntu or macOS with one line. No admin rights needed.

Requirements

A username and PIN from your administrator. See Accounts and PINs.
Windows 10 (1803) or later, in Command Prompt or PowerShell, or any Linux or macOS shell with curl.
No admin rights, no Node, no Python.

Install

Run the line for your system. The commands below already use this site's address.

Windows (Command Prompt or PowerShell):

cmd

powershell -c "irm https://your-domain/i|iex"

Ubuntu, macOS or WSL:

bash

curl -fsSL https://your-domain/i | sh

Both commands use the same short address, /i. The server sends the right installer for the tool that asks, so there is only one thing to remember. The installer asks for your username and PIN once, then you are signed in.

Choosing the command name

The command is ask by default. On a first install the installer shows Command name [ask] (press Enter to keep), so you can type a different word right there.

Nothing is overwritten. If a command, alias or program with that name already exists on the machine, the installer leaves it alone and suggests tchat. Press Enter to accept it, or type another word.
No keyboard, no problem. When the installer cannot ask (for example in an automated setup), it picks the first free name from ask, tchat, tchat-cli, tchat-ai by itself and tells you which one it used.
Skip the question. Set ASK_NAME before installing, for example ASK_NAME=go on Linux and macOS or $env:ASK_NAME='go' in PowerShell.
It is remembered. The choice is saved on that machine, so reinstalling keeps it. Names are 1 to 16 letters, numbers, - or _, starting with a letter.

Everywhere in these docs, read ask as the word you chose. After the first successful sign-in you will see a short welcome. It appears only once per machine.

What the installer does

	Windows	Ubuntu / macOS
Script	`%USERPROFILE%\.ask\ask.ps1`	`~/.ask/ask`
Command	`ask.cmd` in `.ask\bin`, added to your user PATH	Symlink `~/.local/bin/ask`, PATH line added to `~/.bashrc` if needed
Login token	`%USERPROFILE%\.ask\token`	`~/.ask/token`

Everything stays inside your home folder. Nothing is installed system-wide.

The installer also adds a small ask function to your PowerShell profile (only when your policy lets profiles load) or to ~/.bashrc. It does one thing: after ask logout it clears the history of the window you typed it in, so the up arrow no longer shows your questions.

Verify

bash

ask usage

This prints your username and limits. Then try ask "reverse a string in python". See Commands for everything else.

Without installing

If scripts are blocked on a managed machine, call the API directly. You need a token from POST /api/login; see the API reference.

powershell

curl.exe -sN https://your-domain/api/chat -H "x-key: YOUR_TOKEN" -d "your question"

Uninstall

bash

# Ubuntu / macOS
rm -rf ~/.ask ~/.local/bin/ask

# Windows Command Prompt
rmdir /s /q %USERPROFILE%\.ask

# Windows PowerShell
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $HOME\.ask

On Windows the folder stays listed in your user PATH. It is harmless, and you can remove it under Environment Variables if you like. Also delete the block that starts with # t-chat: clear history on ask logout from your PowerShell profile or ~/.bashrc.