#What the Shell is

A real command line inside Arachne — type a request or a command, watch the output stream back live, and let long jobs run safely in the background while you stay in control.

#Overview

The Shell is a real command line that lives inside Arachne. You type a request in plain language or an ordinary command you already know, and the output streams back to you line by line as it runs. It is the place for direct, hands-on work — running commands, building, testing, and operating tools — with Nourva's safety and control wrapped around all of it.

What sets the Shell apart from a bare terminal is that nothing is fragile. Long jobs keep running in the background, your work survives a closed window or a restarted machine, you can reconnect to a session that is still going, and stopping always works the instant you ask. You decide how much freedom each session has and where its work runs, so the Shell is as cautious or as autonomous as the task calls for.

#What you can do

  • Type requests or commands. Ask in plain language or run an ordinary command directly — both work in the same session, with output streaming back live.
  • Watch work happen in real time. Output streams in line by line as a command runs, so you see exactly what is happening, not just a result at the end.
  • Run long jobs in the background. A long-running task keeps going while you do other work, and you are told when it finishes.
  • Never lose a session. Every session keeps a durable receipt of what it did; if you close the window or your machine restarts, the history and result are still there.
  • Re-attach to a running session. Reconnect to a session that is still going and watch its live output again, even after you navigated away.
  • Stop instantly. Stopping always works immediately, at any permission level, whether you are halting one command or ending a whole session.
  • Choose how much freedom to give. Run a session at any of the five permission levels, and change the level whenever you like.
  • Choose where it runs. Work locally on your own machine, or in a secure, isolated environment kept separate from your system.
  • Stay inside a workspace. A session is confined to the project or folder you are working in, so its actions stay where you intend them.
  • Find anything fast. The command palette lets you find and run what the Shell can do without remembering exact names.

#How to use it

  1. Open the Shell inside Arachne and start a session. The session holds your history and running state from start to finish.
  2. Pick a permission level that fits the work. Start with Look only or Plan first when you are exploring; give more freedom — up to Act automatically — for long, well-understood tasks you trust.
  3. Choose where the work runs. Use the local option to work directly with your own machine and files, or the secure, isolated environment for work you want to keep sandboxed.
  4. Type a request or a command. Describe the outcome in plain language, or type an ordinary command you already know. Output streams back live.
  5. Let long jobs run. If a task takes a while, leave it running in the background and carry on with other work — you will be notified when it finishes.
  6. Come back any time. Re-attach to a session that is still running to watch its output again, or reopen a finished session's durable receipt to see exactly what happened.
  7. Manage the session as you go with the built-in session commands, and stop anything the moment you need to.
Tip

Begin a new kind of task at a lower permission level and watch the first run. Once you trust how it behaves, raise the level so the work can flow without pausing for each step.

#Examples

What you ask:

text
Set up the project and run the full test suite, and tell me when it's done.

What you see: A session starts, the setup and test output stream in live line by line, and the long run continues in the background. When it finishes, you get a notification, and the session's durable receipt holds the full record of what ran.

What you ask:

text
List what's in this folder and show me the largest files.

What you see: The command runs in your workspace and the results stream straight back into the Shell, contained to the folder you are working in.

What you ask: You step away while a long build is running, then come back later and re-attach to the session.

What you see: The session is still going, and its live output resumes streaming to you exactly where it is now — nothing was lost while you were away.

#Tips

  • Watch the live output on the first run of a new task — it is the fastest way to understand what a command is really doing and to steer before you hand over more freedom.
  • For anything long, let it run in the background and rely on the notification rather than waiting at the screen; the durable receipt will have the full story when you return.
  • Use the secure, isolated environment for work you want kept away from your own system, and the local option when you mean to work directly with your machine and files.
  • Stopping always works immediately at every level — never hesitate to halt a stuck command or end a session; the receipt of what already happened remains.