aict

Unix-style tools with structured XML/JSON output for AI agents

TLDR

List a directory as XML (default)

$ aict ls [path]

List a directory as JSON

$ aict ls [path] --json

List with classic plain coreutils-style text

$ aict ls [path] --plain

Search recursively with structured hits

$ aict grep "[pattern]" [path] -r

Show file contents with metadata

$ aict cat [file]

Diff two files with typed changes

$ aict diff [old] [new]

Run the built-in MCP server (stdio)

$ aict mcp

Show help for all tools

$ aict --help

SYNOPSIS

aict tool [args] [--xml|--json|--plain]

aict reimplements a suite of common Unix utilities so AI agents can consume labeled structured output instead of parsing human-oriented plaintext. By default tools emit XML; --json and --plain switch format. Fields use consistent conventions: absolute paths, Unix epoch timestamps (often with companion age fields), sizes in bytes plus human form, and structured error elements rather than free-form stderr for many failure cases.Tools span file inspection (cat, head, tail, file, stat, wc), search and compare (ls, find, grep, diff), path helpers (realpath, basename, dirname, pwd), text processing (sort, uniq, cut, tr, sed, awk), data/archives (jq, tar), checksums, and system/environment queries (env, system, ps, df, du). Additional subcommands include git helpers, completions, doctor, and mcp for Model Context Protocol exposure over stdio.aict is intentionally read-only (no network for MIME/language enrichment beyond local detection) and is written in Go. Structured output is denser in tokens than terse GNU tools but aims to reduce multi-step agent parse-and-retry loops. --plain skips enrichment when only raw content is needed.

PARAMETERS

tool

One of the built-in tools (e.g. ls, grep, cat, diff, find, stat). See aict --help for the full list.

--xml

Emit XML (default for agent-oriented use).

--json

Emit JSON with the same structure as the XML form.

--plain

Emit classic plaintext similar to the original Unix tool, without structured enrichment.

-r

Recursive (where supported, e.g. grep).

mcp

Start the MCP server over stdio so agents can call tools as native functions.

doctor

Self-diagnostic for the install and environment.

completions

Shell completion helpers (bash/zsh/fish).

--help

List tools and options.

ENVIRONMENT

AICT_XML

When set to 1, prefer XML-oriented behavior globally for aict invocations (as documented by the project for agent environments).

CAVEATS

Not a drop-in performance replacement for GNU coreutils or ripgrep: enrichment (language/MIME detection, absolute paths) adds latency, especially on large trees or big grep/cat jobs. Some tools are platform-limited (ps is Linux-oriented; system is Linux/macOS). Prefer real rg/eza for human interactive speed; use aict when structured agent consumption is the goal.

RESOURCES

Source code · Homepage