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Qalam CLI Documentation

🖋️ The intelligent command-line memory for developers

The Problem We Solve

Every developer faces the same daily frustrations:

  • "What was that command?" - Searching through history for that complex kubectl command you ran last week
  • "How did I do this before?" - Re-googling the same solutions over and over
  • "Time to start work..." - Running the same 10 commands every morning to get your environment ready
  • "Too many tasks..." - Losing track of what needs to be done across multiple projects

What is Qalam?

Qalam is your command-line companion that remembers everything so you don't have to.

Think of it as:

  • 🧠 A searchable brain for all your commands
  • 🤖 An intelligent assistant that understands what you're trying to do
  • ⚡ An automation engine that turns repetitive tasks into single commands
  • 📋 A task manager that lives in your terminal

Why Qalam Exists

We built Qalam because developers spend too much time on repetitive command-line tasks:

  1. Memory Fatigue - The average developer uses hundreds of different commands across dozens of tools
  2. Repetitive Workflows - Running the same sequence of commands multiple times per day
  3. Context Switching - Jumping between terminal and other tools for task management
  4. Knowledge Loss - Valuable command knowledge gets lost when developers leave or forget

Qalam solves these problems by becoming your permanent command-line memory and automation layer.

Essential Capabilities

1. 🧠 Command Memory

Never lose a command again. Save, search, and instantly recall any command with context.

# Save a complex command once
qalam memory save deploy "npm run build && rsync -avz dist/ server:/var/www/"

# Recall it instantly whenever needed
qalam memory get deploy

# Search through all your commands
qalam memory search rsync

2. 🔄 Workflow Automation

Turn multi-step processes into single commands. No more copy-pasting from README files.

# Create a morning startup workflow
qalam workflow create morning
# Interactively add commands: git pull, npm install, npm run dev

# Run your entire setup with one command
qalam workflow run morning

# Use variables for flexible workflows
qalam workflow run deploy --vars env=staging

3. 📋 Task Management

Keep track of what needs to be done, right in your terminal where you work.

# Add tasks with priority
qalam tasks add "Fix memory leak in API" p1
qalam tasks add "Update documentation" p3

# Get your next priority task
qalam tasks next

# Mark tasks complete
qalam tasks done

4. 🤖 AI Assistant

Get instant solutions without leaving your terminal. No more context switching to Google.

# Ask in plain English
qalam ask "how to find which process is using port 3000"

# Get working commands immediately
qalam ask "create a git pre-commit hook"

# Debug errors
qalam ask "fix: npm ERR! ENOENT: no such file or directory"

5. 🌐 HTTP Client with Postman Import

Import and run Postman collections directly from your terminal.

# Import your Postman collection
qalam http import api-collection.json

# Set variables and run requests
qalam http set baseUrl http://localhost:3000
qalam http "Create User"
qalam http "Get User Profile"

6. 🎯 Interactive Mode

A powerful REPL interface for managing everything in one place.

qalam  # Enter interactive mode

> memory save test "npm test"
> workflow create deploy
> tasks list
> help

7. ☸️ Smart Shell Access (For K8s Users)

Safe, audited access to Kubernetes pods with automatic cleanup.

# Debug with safety checks
qalam shell api-service --reason "Debug issue #123" --duration 30m

# Switch clusters safely
qalam cluster staging
qalam cluster prod  # Requires confirmation

Who Should Use Qalam?

✅ Perfect For:

  • Any Developer who uses the command line daily
  • Team Leads who want to share tribal knowledge and best practices
  • DevOps Engineers managing complex command sequences
  • New Team Members who need to get up to speed quickly

💡 Core Use Cases:

  • Daily Development - Start your entire dev environment with one command
  • Knowledge Sharing - Export and share commands with your team
  • Task Tracking - Keep your to-dos in the terminal where you work
  • Learning - Get instant help without leaving your workflow

Quick Start Example

Here's how Qalam transforms your daily workflow:

Before Qalam (Many commands, context switching)

# Every morning you do this...
cd ~/projects/myapp
git pull origin main
npm install
npm run dev
# Wait, what was that test command?
history | grep test
# What tasks did I need to do today?
# *switches to another app*

After Qalam (Simple and organized)

# Everything in one place
qalam workflow run morning  # Runs all your startup commands
qalam tasks next           # Shows your next priority task
qalam memory get test      # Instantly recalls your test command

Key Differentiators

What makes Qalam different from aliases or shell scripts?

Feature Aliases/Scripts Qalam
Searchable ❌ Hidden in dotfiles ✅ Full-text search
Shareable ❌ Manual copying ✅ Import/export
Interactive ❌ Static ✅ Prompts and menus
Task Tracking ❌ Not available ✅ Built-in task manager
AI Help ❌ Not available ✅ Instant assistance
Extensible ❌ Limited ✅ Custom skills

Installation

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/qalam.git
cd qalam
npm install && npm link

# Start using immediately
qalam

Documentation

📚 Getting Started

🛠️ Core Features

🏗️ Understanding & Extending

❓ Help

Start Now

Ready to never forget a command again?

  1. Install Qalam - 2 minutes
  2. Save your first command - qalam memory save hello "echo 'Hello, Qalam!'"
  3. Create your first workflow - qalam workflow create morning
  4. Track your tasks - qalam tasks add "Learn Qalam" p1

Qalam - Write once, run forever
Because your brain is for solving problems, not memorizing commands