Help & Manual

Everything you need to run CAT.

Install it, point it at a model, and see what it can actually do. This is CAT's own manual — separate from connecting it to your Fomoji identity, which happens in Settings.

C.A.T — coding agent terminal

1Install CAT

CAT is a Python + Textual terminal app. Exact packaging can change as the project evolves, so treat this as the working template rather than a fixed command:

# 1. get the project folder (however you distribute it — clone, download, etc.)
cd cat-project

# 2. create a virtual environment (recommended)
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate   # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

# 3. install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# 4. run it
python -m calc_terminal

One real gotcha from CAT's own history: syntax highlighting depends on the textual[syntax] extra, not plain textual. If code looks unhighlighted after install, that's almost always why — check requirements.txt pins the syntax extra.

2Use another model

CAT already talks to providers through its own model.py architecture — 109 of them at last count — plus local and cloud Ollama:

Switch providers — pick a different provider/model from CAT's own provider settings; this is separate from Fomoji and doesn't need a Fomoji connection to work.
Run local models — point CAT at a local Ollama install for fully offline model access.
Use Ollama Cloud — same Ollama integration, cloud-hosted, for when local hardware isn't enough.
Grant real tool access — set permission mode to Full Access so any AI mode (not just Agent) can actually read/write files and run tools, not just chat.

Fomoji's own "AI connection modes" picker (API / Ollama / Free AI, with privacy warnings) is a separate, not-yet-built piece — see the About page. Switching models inside CAT itself already works today; that part isn't blocked on Fomoji.

3Features

Four AI modes

Notebook, Agent, Build, and Plan — each themed, each with its own system prompt.

Permission system

Full Access, Ask Every Time, or Custom — a clear badge always shows which mode is active.

File explorer & projects

Open real folders, browse, and switch between recent projects.

Code editor

Tree-sitter syntax highlighting, including CUDA, GLSL, WGSL, and QASM.

Agent tools

fix_bug, explain_algorithm, generate_unit_tests, generate_benchmark, and more.

Quantum simulator

A from-scratch statevector simulator with OpenQASM support — no Qiskit dependency.

MCP server

Exposes CAT's own tools to other MCP clients like VS Code via cat --mcp-server.

Right-click context menus

Copy, retry, fork, and rewrite actions on both AI and your own messages.

4Full manual

Permission modes — Full Access lets any mode use real tools; Ask Every Time confirms each file/project action before it runs; Custom lets you set the eight individual capability toggles yourself.

Workspace & projects — Open Folder starts a real project session; Recent Projects keeps a pinnable, searchable list so you're not re-browsing every time.

Terminal / REPL — commands prefixed with /@#!$%*+_ route to different subsystems (chat, code, calc, sim, export each keep separate history).

Editor — dirty-tab indicator (●), safe close/reopen, per-tab word wrap, and a one-time banner if syntax highlighting isn't installed correctly.

5Keyboard shortcuts

`Ctrl`+`P`	Command palette
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`W`	Close tab (plain Ctrl+W is claimed by delete-word in the editor)
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`T`	Reopen last closed tab
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Z`	Toggle word wrap for the current tab

6Connect CAT to Fomoji

This is the one Fomoji-specific step: authorizing CAT to sign in using your Fomoji identity, so you're not managing separate accounts.

Go to Connected apps