Quick Start Guide

Get started with Rawi in just a few minutes! This guide will walk you through your first AI conversation and essential features.

📋 Table of Contents

Prerequisites
Your First Question
Understanding Profiles
Using Act Templates
Session Management
Shell Integration Basics
Next Steps

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

✅ Rawi installed — See Installation Guide
✅ At least one provider configured — Run rawi configure if needed
✅ Terminal open — Any modern terminal will work

Quick Check

Verify your setup:

# Check version
rawi --version

# Verify configuration
rawi info

Your First Question

Let’s start with a simple question to test your setup:

rawi ask "What is the difference between JavaScript and TypeScript?"

What You’ll See

$ rawi ask "What is the difference between JavaScript and TypeScript?"

🤖 JavaScript and TypeScript are both programming languages, but TypeScript
is essentially JavaScript with static type checking. Here are the key
differences:

**JavaScript:**
- Dynamic typing (variables can change types)
- Runtime error detection
- No compilation step required
- Runs directly in browsers and Node.js
- More flexible but potentially error-prone

**TypeScript:**
- Static typing (types are checked at compile time)
- Compile-time error detection
- Compiles to JavaScript
- Better IDE support and autocomplete
- More verbose but safer for large applications

TypeScript is particularly useful for larger projects where type safety
helps prevent common programming errors.

🎉 Congratulations! You’ve just had your first AI conversation with Rawi.

Understanding Profiles

Profiles allow you to use different AI providers for different tasks. Let’s explore your current setup:

Check Your Current Profile

# Show current configuration
rawi configure --show

# List all profiles
rawi configure --list

Using Different Profiles

If you have multiple profiles configured:

# Use a specific profile
rawi ask "Explain React hooks" --profile work

# Shorter version
rawi ask "Explain React hooks" -p work

Create Additional Profiles

# Create a profile for local AI
rawi configure --profile local --provider ollama --model llama3.2

# Create a profile for analysis work
rawi configure --profile analysis --provider anthropic --model claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

Using Act Templates

Act templates are pre-built prompts that make the AI behave like different experts. They’re one of Rawi’s most powerful features!

Browse Available Templates

# List all templates (interactive)
rawi act --list

# Show details of a specific template
rawi act --show code-reviewer

Use Templates in Questions

# Get a Linux terminal simulation
rawi ask --act linux-terminal "list files in home directory with details"

# Code review assistance
rawi ask --act code-reviewer "Review this Python function for improvements"

# Security expert analysis
rawi ask --act security-expert "What are common web vulnerabilities?"

# Ethereum developer guidance
rawi ask --act ethereum-developer "Explain smart contract security best practices"

Popular Templates for Developers

code-reviewer — Code analysis and optimization
linux-terminal — Terminal command simulation
security-expert — Security analysis and auditing
tech-writer — Technical documentation
database-admin — SQL optimization and database management
api-documenter — API documentation and examples

Session Management

Sessions allow you to have continuous conversations with context. Each question remembers previous ones in the same session.

Basic Session Usage

# Start a new session
rawi ask "I'm building a React app with TypeScript" --new-session

# Continue the conversation (automatically uses current session)
rawi ask "How should I structure my components?"

# Ask a follow-up
rawi ask "What about state management?"

Working with Specific Sessions

# Continue a specific session later
rawi ask "What about testing strategies?" --session abc123-def456

# Start a new session for a different topic
rawi ask "Now I want to learn Python" --new-session

View Your Sessions

# Show recent conversations
rawi history

# Show sessions only
rawi history sessions

# Show details of a specific session
rawi history show abc123-def456

Shell Integration Basics

Rawi integrates seamlessly with your shell, making it perfect for developer workflows.

Pipe Input to Rawi

# Pipe file content for analysis
cat server.js | rawi ask "Review this Express.js server for security issues"

# Analyze git changes
git diff | rawi ask "Review these changes and suggest improvements"

# Process command output
ls -la | rawi ask "Explain these file permissions"

# Analyze logs
tail -100 app.log | rawi ask "Summarize these log entries"

Save Output to Files

# Generate and save code
rawi ask "Create a TypeScript interface for a User" > user.ts

# Create documentation
rawi ask "Write README for a CLI tool" > README.md

# Generate configurations
rawi ask "Create ESLint config for React TypeScript" > .eslintrc.js

Combine with Other Tools

# Search and analyze
grep ERROR app.log | rawi ask "Categorize these errors by type"

# Process API responses
curl -s api.example.com/data | rawi ask "Explain this API structure"

# Database analysis
echo "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5" | rawi ask --act database-admin "Optimize this query"

File Processing

Rawi can directly process various file types including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations:

# Analyze PDF documents
rawi ask --file report.pdf "Summarize the key findings in this report"

# Process Word documents
rawi ask --file requirements.docx "Extract all functional requirements"

# Analyze Excel spreadsheets
rawi ask --file data.xlsx "What trends do you see in this data?"

# Review multiple files
rawi ask --files package.json README.md "Compare this project's setup with its documentation"

# Batch process source code
rawi ask --batch "src/**/*.js" --act code-reviewer "Review all JavaScript files for security issues"

# Process files in parallel for speed
rawi ask --batch "docs/**/*.md" --parallel "Create a documentation index"

Essential Commands Cheat Sheet

Basic Usage

# Simple question
rawi ask "Your question here"

# With specific profile
rawi ask "Your question" --profile work

# With expert template
rawi ask --act code-reviewer "Your code question"

# Start new session
rawi ask "Your question" --new-session

Configuration

# Interactive setup
rawi configure

# Show current config
rawi configure --show

# List all profiles
rawi configure --list

History & Sessions

# Show recent conversations
rawi history

# Search conversations
rawi history --search "docker"

# Show session details
rawi history show session-id

Information

# System info
rawi info

# Available providers
rawi provider --list

# Available templates
rawi act --list

Common Use Cases

Code Development

# Debug an error
rawi ask "Fix this Python error: NameError: name 'x' is not defined"

# Code review
git diff | rawi ask --act code-reviewer "Review these changes"

# Review source code files
rawi ask --file src/app.js --act code-reviewer "Review this code for best practices"

# Generate tests
cat utils.js | rawi ask "Generate unit tests for these functions"

# Create documentation
rawi ask --act tech-writer "Document this API endpoint" < api.js

# Batch process source files
rawi ask --batch "src/**/*.{js,ts}" --act code-reviewer "Find potential security issues"

Document Processing

# Analyze PDF reports
rawi ask --file quarterly-report.pdf "Extract key performance metrics"

# Process Word documents
rawi ask --file meeting-notes.docx "Create action items from these meeting notes"

# Analyze Excel data
rawi ask --file sales-data.xlsx "Identify top-performing products and regions"

# Compare multiple documents
rawi ask --files proposal-v1.docx proposal-v2.docx "What are the key differences?"

# Process presentations
rawi ask --file slides.pptx "Summarize the main points from this presentation"

Learning & Research

# Quick explanations
rawi ask "Explain async/await in JavaScript"

# Compare technologies
rawi ask "Compare React vs Vue.js for a small project"

# Best practices
rawi ask --act security-expert "Web security best practices for Node.js"

Data Analysis

# Analyze CSV data
cat data.csv | rawi ask "Analyze this sales data and identify trends"

# Process logs
grep ERROR app.log | rawi ask "What types of errors are most common?"

# Explain data structures
echo '{"users": [{"id": 1, "name": "John"}]}' | rawi ask "Explain this JSON structure"

Tips for Better Results

1. Be Specific

# ❌ Vague
rawi ask "Help with code"

# ✅ Specific
rawi ask "Review this React component for performance issues" < component.jsx

2. Use Templates for Expertise

# ❌ Generic
rawi ask "Check my database query"

# ✅ With expert template
rawi ask --act database-admin "Optimize this SQL query for performance" < query.sql

3. Provide Context

# ❌ No context
rawi ask "Fix this error"

# ✅ With context
rawi ask "Fix this Python Flask error in a REST API: AttributeError: 'NoneType'"

4. Use Sessions for Complex Topics

# Start a session for a project
rawi ask "I'm building a microservices architecture with Node.js" --new-session

# Continue building context
rawi ask "How should I handle authentication between services?"
rawi ask "What about database design for this architecture?"

Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with the basics, explore these advanced features:

Configuration Guide — Set up multiple providers and profiles
Act Templates — Master the 200+ expert templates
Shell Integration — Advanced terminal workflows
Session Management — Deep dive into conversations
Commands Reference — Complete command documentation

Explore Comprehensive Workflows

Ready to integrate Rawi into your daily work? Check out these comprehensive workflow guides:

🛠️ Development Workflows

Code Review Workflow — Automated code analysis and security auditing
Git Integration Workflow — Smart commit messages and repository insights
API Development Workflow — Design, implement, and document APIs
Testing Workflow — Comprehensive testing strategies and automation
Documentation Generation — Auto-generate project documentation

📊 Data & Analysis

Data Analysis Workflow — Statistical analysis, ML, and data visualization

✍️ Content & Research

Content Creation Workflow — Research, write, and optimize content
Research Workflow — Information gathering and analysis

Each workflow includes step-by-step instructions, automation scripts, and best practices for integrating AI assistance into your specific domain.

Need Help?

Stuck? Check the Troubleshooting Guide
Questions? Browse the FAQ
More Examples? See Workflow Guides
Community? Join GitHub Discussions