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Usage

Learn different ways to use janito.

Topics

  • Interactive Mode - Chat with AI in an interactive terminal shell
  • Single Prompt - Run a single prompt and exit
  • Web UI - Browser-based chat with janito --web
  • CLI vs Web UI - Which features are available in each interface
  • Logging - Enable debug logging and troubleshooting
  • Accounting - Track overall token/cost usage in a local SQLite log

Two Interfaces

janito has two interfaces that share the same engine, tools, and configuration:

Interface How to start Best for
Terminal CLI/shell janito "question", janito, echo "text" \| janito Quick questions, scripting, configuration & secrets, terminal-first workflows
Web UI janito --web Browser-based chat with sessions, tool-call cards, dashboards

Most features (tools, privileges, providers, plugins, skills, MCP) are available in both; some conveniences exist on only one interface. See CLI vs Web UI for the full feature-by-feature comparison.

Input Methods

In the terminal, janito supports multiple ways to provide input:

Method Command Use Case
Single prompt janito "question" Quick questions
Interactive chat janito Multi-turn conversations
Pipe input echo "text" \| janito Scripting, integration

Next Steps