Interactive sessions
The Cluster Build TUI — what the assistant can do, how approvals and plan mode work, keybindings, and the full slash-command reference.
Interactive sessions
Run cluster with no arguments to open an interactive session in your current
directory:
clusterYou type a request, the assistant works — reading files, running commands, and
proposing edits — and you stay in the loop, approving changes as they come. The
interactive UI needs a real terminal (TTY); for scripts and pipelines use
cluster exec instead.
What the assistant can do
The model has a built-in toolset scoped to your current directory:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
shell | Run shell commands, including long-running background processes |
read_file | Read a file by line range, byte range, or surrounding code block |
list_dir / find | List directories and find files (gitignore-aware) |
grep | Search file contents with ripgrep |
web_search / web_fetch | Search the web and fetch page content through Cluster's search service (read-only, auto-approved) |
apply_patch | Apply edits to files |
request_user_input | Ask you 1–3 short multiple-choice questions when a decision can't be settled from the repo (available in plan mode; enable in default mode with request_user_input_default_mode) |
grep requires ripgrep (rg) on your
PATH. Background commands started with shell are polled and stopped by the
assistant automatically.
This is the core set. Run /tools in a session to see the complete, live list —
it also includes background-shell helpers and any tools added by your skills, MCP
servers, or cloud commands.
Approvals
Before any action that changes your files or system, the assistant pauses and asks for approval. Read-only actions — reading files, listing directories, searching — run without prompting.
Two flags change this behavior at startup (both are global, so they also apply to
cluster exec):
cluster --plan— plan mode (see below).cluster --dangerously-skip-approvals(aliascluster --yolo) — auto-approve every tool call.
--dangerously-skip-approvals / --yolo lets the assistant edit files and run
commands with no confirmation. Use it only in throwaway or sandboxed
environments.
Plan mode
Plan mode blocks mutating tools for the session — the model can still read and
search, but any edit or command is denied instead of run, so you get a plan before
anything touches your project. Turn it on at startup with cluster --plan, toggle
it mid-session with /plan or Shift+Tab, and note that it cannot be
overridden by --dangerously-skip-approvals.
In plan mode the assistant can also call request_user_input to ask you a few
structured multiple-choice questions when a choice materially changes the plan.
Keybindings
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Enter | Send your message |
Ctrl-C | Stop the current turn |
Ctrl-D | Quit (when the input is empty) |
Ctrl-T | Open the transcript pager |
Shift+Tab | Toggle plan mode |
Slash commands
Inside a session, type / to see available commands. The full set:
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
/help (/h) | List all commands |
/model <id> | Switch model |
/effort <level> | Set reasoning effort (minimal–max) |
/plan | Toggle read-only plan mode |
/tools | List the assistant's available tools |
/diff | Show the working-tree git diff |
/status | Session summary — model and token usage |
/compact | Summarize older context to free up room |
/resume | Browse and switch sessions |
/clear (/reset) | Start a fresh conversation |
/stop | Stop background shell processes |
/theme <light|dark> | Switch the color theme |
/skills | Browse your custom skills |
/mcp | Inspect and manage MCP servers — reconnect, enable/disable, and authenticate without restarting |
/goal <text> | Set a persistent goal the assistant works toward |
/loop <prompt> | Schedule a recurring run |
/ultraplan <request> | Plan against your repos on a cloud VM |
/ultrareview | Launch a cloud multi-agent code review |
/quit (/q) | Exit |
Next steps
- Exec & sessions — run prompts non-interactively and resume saved sessions.
- Models & configuration — switch models, set reasoning effort, and configure MCP servers and skills.
- Cloud features —
/ultraplanand/ultrareviewin depth.