Interactive Mode

Interactive mode is the default when you run svantic with no subcommand. It starts a conversational REPL that connects to the Svantic mesh, registers as an A2A agent, and streams responses with full tool-call visibility.

Starting a Session

Run the CLI with credentials configured:

svantic

The terminal authenticates with the mesh, registers itself as an agent, initializes a session via the gateway, and presents a prompt. Override defaults at startup:

svantic --model gemini-2.5-pro --verbose

Connecting to the Mesh

The terminal authenticates automatically using SVANTIC_CLIENT_ID and SVANTIC_CLIENT_SECRET. These exchange for a JWT via the mesh auth endpoint. Using CLI flags instead of environment variables:

svantic --client-id my_id --client-secret my_secret

If credentials are missing, the terminal prints an error and exits. See Environment and Config for all auth options.

Sending Messages

Type at the prompt and press Enter. The terminal builds an A2A message, streams it to the backend, and renders the response as it arrives. Markdown is rendered inline. Multi-turn conversations are automatic — the session maintains full context across messages.

Tool Calls

When an agent invokes a tool, the terminal displays it in real time:

[tool] orchestrator -> zendesk_list_tickets({"status": "open"})
[result] orchestrator -> zendesk_list_tickets: [{...}]

Hidden internal tools are suppressed by default. Use --verbose or /verbose to see all tool call and result JSON.

Approvals

Some tools require user approval before execution. When requested, the terminal prompts with options:

Approve — allow this single invocation
Approve for session — allow all future calls to this tool in this session
Approve permanently — allow across all sessions
Deny — reject the invocation

Review active approvals with /approvals.

Session Management

Resume a session

svantic --session sess-abc123

Or during a session:

/load
/load sess-abc123

Reset a session

/reset

This creates a new session and clears conversation history.

Slash Commands

Command	Description
`/help`	Show all available commands
`/clear`	Clear conversation history
`/verbose`	Toggle verbose mode (show/hide tool JSON)
`/session`	Show current session ID
`/load`	Load a previous session
`/attach`	Attach file to next message
`/upload`	Upload a file as an artifact
`/upload-folder`	Upload all files in a folder
`/mcp`	Manage MCP servers
`/approvals`	List tool approvals
`/routes`	Show active instance routes
`/reset`	Start a new session
`/quit`	Exit the terminal

Type @ to open a file picker and attach a file to your next message.

Verbose Mode

Enable verbose mode to see full JSON for tool calls, results, and thinking:

svantic --verbose

Or toggle during a session:

/verbose

Output on stderr:

[thinking] Analyzing the ticket data...
[tool] orchestrator -> zendesk_list_tickets({"status": "open", "limit": 10})
[result] orchestrator -> zendesk_list_tickets: [{"id": 1, "subject": "..."}]

Terminal Agent Capabilities

The terminal registers as a first-class agent on the mesh. Other agents can invoke:

terminal_prompt_user — display a question and wait for text response
terminal_request_approval — ask user to approve or deny an action
terminal_display_message — show an informational message
forge_propose_tools — propose tools from a description
forge_generate_tools — generate tool specs via AI

File Attachments

Attach files with /attach or the @ shortcut:

/attach ./report.csv

Upload standalone artifacts:

/upload
/upload-folder ./data

MCP Servers

Connect to Model Context Protocol servers:

/mcp list              # show registered servers
/mcp add               # interactive add flow
/mcp remove <name>     # remove a server
/mcp sync              # re-sync tools with the mesh

Example Session

$ export SVANTIC_CLIENT_ID=default
$ export SVANTIC_CLIENT_SECRET=change-me-in-production
$ svantic --model gemini-2.5-pro

> List all open support tickets and summarize the top issues.

Searching for open tickets...
[tool] orchestrator -> zendesk_list_tickets({"status": "open"})
[result] orchestrator -> zendesk_list_tickets: [{"id": 1042, ...}, ...]

There are 23 open tickets. The top three issues are:
1. Login failures after password reset (8 tickets)
2. Slow dashboard loading (6 tickets)
3. Missing invoice downloads (4 tickets)

> Triage the login failures — assign them to the auth team.

[approval] Assign 8 tickets to auth-team? (approve/deny)
> approve

Done. 8 tickets assigned to auth-team with priority "high".

~ 4.2k tokens (1.8k prompt, 2.1k output, 312 thinking)

​Interactive Mode

​Starting a Session

​Connecting to the Mesh

​Sending Messages

​Tool Calls

​Approvals

​Session Management

​Resume a session

​Reset a session

​Slash Commands

​Verbose Mode

​Terminal Agent Capabilities

​File Attachments

​MCP Servers

​Example Session