https://github.com/WilliamAGH/brief
ChatGPT in your terminal: slash commands, any OpenAI model, local tools, fast and beautiful TUI
https://github.com/WilliamAGH/brief
ai bubbletea chatgpt terminal-app tui-app
Last synced: 5 months ago
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ChatGPT in your terminal: slash commands, any OpenAI model, local tools, fast and beautiful TUI
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/WilliamAGH/brief
- Owner: WilliamAGH
- Created: 2025-12-18T21:20:31.000Z (6 months ago)
- Default Branch: dev
- Last Pushed: 2026-01-01T20:56:02.000Z (5 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-01-05T16:11:19.350Z (5 months ago)
- Topics: ai, bubbletea, chatgpt, terminal-app, tui-app
- Language: Java
- Homepage:
- Size: 474 KB
- Stars: 5
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 1
- Open Issues: 1
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Agents: AGENTS.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome-tuis - Brief - first OpenAI chat client with slash-command palette and local tool execution. (Table of Contents)
README
# Brief
Brief is a terminal OpenAI ChatGPT interface for fast, keyboard-first chat and tool use.
It includes a slash-command palette, local tool execution (e.g., live weather), and supports OpenAI-compatible providers.
Built with [tui4j](https://github.com/williamcallahan/tui4j).
Canonical repo: https://github.com/WilliamAGH/brief
Made by [William Callahan](https://williamcallahan.com).
## What it does
Brief is a terminal-first chat client with a slash-command palette, local tool execution (e.g., live weather API), and OpenAI chat completion integration. Persistence and broader provider support are not implemented yet.
## Inspiration
Brief is a showcase of what's possible in modern Java in 2026, and the interface library used (tui4j) is a Java port of the popular Go library called [BubbleTea](https://github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea) from [Charm](https://charm.land/).
## Installation
### Homebrew (macOS)
```bash
brew install williamagh/tap/brief
```
Or install nightly (latest from main):
```bash
brew install --head williamagh/tap/brief
```
Then run `brief` — the app will prompt you for your API key on first launch and save it to `~/.config/brief/config`.
```bash
brief
```
For alternative providers (OpenRouter, Ollama, LMStudio) or advanced configuration, see the [setup guide](docs/environment-variables-api-keys.md).
### GitHub Releases (macOS/Linux/Windows)
Download the latest release zip:
```bash
curl -L -o brief.zip https://github.com/WilliamAGH/brief/releases/latest/download/brief.zip
unzip brief.zip
cd brief-*/
./bin/brief
```
Windows (PowerShell):
```powershell
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://github.com/WilliamAGH/brief/releases/latest/download/brief.zip -OutFile brief.zip
Expand-Archive brief.zip -DestinationPath .
cd brief-*
.\bin\brief.bat
```
Requires Java 25. The app will prompt you for your API key on first launch.
## Development
### Requirements
- Java 25
- Gradle 9.x
- OpenAI API key (or compatible provider)
### Setup
```bash
git clone https://github.com/WilliamAGH/brief.git
cd brief
cp .env-example .env # edit with your API key (development only)
make run
```
> **Note:** The `.env` file is for local development with `make run`, and only for users who cloned this repository from GitHub. End users installing via Homebrew should use the in-app prompt or set `OPENAI_API_KEY` in their shell. See the [setup guide](docs/environment-variables-api-keys.md) for all options.
### Development Commands
```bash
make run # Build and run
make build # Build only
make clean # Clean build artifacts
```
## Persistence
Persistence is not implemented yet.
## Contributing
Found a bug or have a feature request? Please [open an issue](https://github.com/WilliamAGH/brief/issues/new) on GitHub. Contributions and feedback are welcome, and Pull Requests (PRs) are encouraged!
## Upcoming Plans / Use Cases
Currently building an implementation for [aVenture.vc](https://aventure.vc) — a research tool that makes it possible to research any private company in seconds and get full details, all from the command line.