Bash Helper Skill

Understand natural language descriptions and generate bash commands for macOS/Linux.

Usage

Invoke with:

/bash-helper <description>

Example:

/bash-helper find all python files larger than 1MB

Instructions

When this skill is invoked:

1. Parse the user's description

   • Understand what the user wants to accomplish
   • Identify the platform (macOS or Linux) from the environment

2. Generate the command

   • Create the appropriate bash command
   • Consider platform-specific differences (e.g.,

     sed -i

     on Linux vs

     sed -i ''

     on macOS)
   • Use modern alternatives when available (e.g.,

     fd

     instead of

     find

     ,

     rg

     instead of

     grep

     )

3. Explain the command

   • Break down each part of the command
   • Explain flags and options used
   • Note any potential side effects or risks

4. Ask for confirmation

   • Display the command clearly
   • Wait for user to confirm before execution
   • Allow user to modify the command if needed

5. Execute and show results

   • Run the command after confirmation
   • Display the output
   • Handle errors gracefully

Common Command Categories

File Operations

• Find files by name, size, date, type
• Copy, move, rename files
• Change permissions
• Create/delete directories

Text Processing

• Search text in files (grep/rg)
• Replace text (sed)
• Extract columns (awk/cut)
• Sort and filter

System Information

• Disk usage (df, du)
• Process management (ps, kill, top)
• Network info (netstat, lsof)
• System resources (free, uptime)

Archive Operations

• Create/extract tar, zip, gz
• Compress/decompress files

Network Operations

• Download files (curl, wget)
• Check connectivity (ping, traceroute)
• Port scanning (netcat)

Example Interaction

User: /bash-helper find all files modified in the last 24 hours

Assistant: I will find files modified in the last 24 hours.

**Command:**
```bash
find . -type f -mtime -1

Explanation:

• find .

  - search in current directory

• -type f

  - only files (not directories)

• -mtime -1

  - modified within last 1 day (24 hours)

Alternative using fd (if installed):

fd --type f --changed-within 24h

Proceed with execution? [Y/n]

## Platform Differences

| Command | macOS | Linux |
|---------|-------|-------|
| `sed -i` | `sed -i ''` | `sed -i` |
| `date` | BSD date | GNU date |
| `xargs` | May need `-I{}` | `-i` or `-I{}` |
| `stat` | Different flags | Different flags |

## Safety Notes

- Commands with destructive potential (rm, mv, chmod -R) require explicit confirmation
- Always show what will be affected before executing
- For recursive operations, show a preview first
- Suggest using `-n` or `--dry-run` flags when available