The Interactive : Command Palette

:mode — Choose Operational Mode

Interactively switch between the three core agent modes:

• Build — Full mutation mode. Nio creates files, applies targeted diffs, and runs validation commands.
• Ask — Read-only consultation mode. Explains codebases, traces call graphs, reviews PRs without editing files.
• Plan — Structured architectural decomposition. Generates actionable checklists before executing code.

:mode

:approval — Toggle Autonomous Approval

Toggles automatic confirmation for file writes and shell execution. When enabled, Nio executes tool steps autonomously without waiting for individual [y/n] keystrokes.

:approval

:undo — Revert Last File Edit

Instantly rolls back the latest file change made by Nio using the transaction journal. Nio keeps an atomic backup of modified files so you can step backward at any time.

:undo
# Output: ⏪ Reverted src/lib.rs (2 remaining)

:diff — Review Git Modifications

Inspects the active git diff (or git diff --cached) of all changes introduced across your project during the session.

:diff

:details — Toggle File Edit Details

Expands or collapses line-by-line diff views for the most recent file modification. You can also press d as a single-key shortcut.

:details

:continue — Resume Unfinished Task

Directs Nio to inspect recent progress, review modified files, and complete any remaining work left open from a prior turn.

:continue

:bash — Direct Terminal Shell

Temporarily switches your prompt into a direct shell terminal. Run commands like cargo test, npm run build, or git status. Type :ai to seamlessly return to Nio.

:bash
# Running in direct shell prompt:
$ git status
$ :ai
# Returned to the Nio prompt.

:stop — Halt Active Execution

Immediately interrupts generation or tool execution without clearing your queued messages or conversational context.

:stop

:model — Switch Active Model

Opens a fuzzy-searchable interactive model picker. Select from bundled NioCuda (nioxs::nio-cuda), Claude 3.7 Sonnet, GPT-4o, Gemini 2.0 Flash, DeepSeek R1, Groq, or local Ollama models.

:model

:provider — Configure AI Gateways

Add, test, and update upstream AI provider keys, custom base URLs, and endpoint routing. Supports NioXS, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Groq, Ollama, OpenRouter, and custom OpenAI-compatible proxies.

:provider

:reasoning — Set Thinking Effort

Configures reasoning effort budgets for reasoning-capable models (NioAtom, o1, o3-mini, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking, DeepSeek R1). Options include off, low, medium, and high.

:reasoning

:queue — Message Queue Pipeline

While Nio is processing or executing long tool calls, you can queue subsequent tasks. Subcommands include:

• :queue — Open interactive visual queue manager
• :queue list — Print queued items with status
• :queue pause / :queue resume — Pause or resume automated dispatch
• :queue remove <N> — Remove item #N from queue
• :queue edit <N> <text> — Edit text of item #N
• :queue clear — Discard all pending items

:queue list
:queue pause
:queue resume
:queue clear

:sessions / :history — Switch Conversation Session

Browse saved conversation histories with turn counts and timestamps. Resume an earlier task or branch into an alternative implementation.

:sessions
:history <session-id>

:clear — Clear Session Context

Resets conversation history and purges terminal output while preserving project files and session backups.

:clear

:quit — Safe Exit

Safely saves conversation checkpoints, releases filesystem session locks, and exits back to your shell.

:quit
# Aliases: :q, :exit

:persona — Assistant Persona & Tone

Configure role directives, name, and style rules:

:persona menu             # Interactive persona selector
:persona set "Rust Guru"  # Set active persona
:persona list             # List configured personas
:persona show             # Display active persona prompt
:persona reset            # Reset to default persona

:skills — GitHub Skills Management

Install and manage modular skills that supply specialized capabilities, domain rules, and workflows.

:skills                   # Interactive skills browser
:skills list              # List installed skills
:skills add <repo>        # Install skill from GitHub
:skills enable <name>     # Enable skill
:skills disable <name>    # Disable skill

:snippets — Custom Prompts & Snippets

Manage reusable workflows and prompt templates stored in .nio/snippets/ or ~/.config/nio/snippets/.

:snippets list
:snippets run <name>
:snippets add <name>

:plugins — OCR & Format Readers

Manage file readers and language packs for PDF OCR and non-text extraction.

:plugins list
:plugins install <plugin>
:plugins languages pdf

:ide — NioDE Server Daemon

Controls the local NioDE background companion server for IDE and browser extensions.

:ide status               # Check running status & PID
:ide start [--port 7460]  # Launch background daemon
:ide stop                 # Stop background daemon
:ide restart              # Restart server

:setting — Unified Configuration Panel

Opens a complete interactive settings panel to adjust agent modes, reasoning budgets, auto-approval flags, sound alerts, and editor integrations.

:setting
# Alias: :settings

:path — Working Directory Info

Displays the current project root directory, trust state, and git branch.

:path
# Alias: :workingpath

:help — Interactive Help Menu

Renders an inline interactive navigation menu listing every available command with description.

:help