Amazon Q CLI

What is Amazon Q CLI about?

Amazon Q CLI delivers a conversational interface directly in your terminal, allowing developers to interact with large language models and generate code, scripts, or other artifacts through natural language prompts.

How to use Amazon Q CLI?

1. Install
   • macOS: download the DMG from the provided link.
   • Linux: follow the Ubuntu/Debian, AppImage, or alternative Linux installation guides.
2. Run the CLI

   q <subcommand>
   

   Common subcommands include login, chat, and other task‑specific commands.
3. Develop locally (if contributing)

   cargo run --bin chat_cli          # compile and start
   cargo test                         # run tests
   cargo clippy                       # lint
   cargo +nightly fmt                 # format
   

Key Features of Amazon Q CLI

• Agentic chat experience directly in the terminal.
• Seamless integration with Amazon Q Developer services.
• Cross‑platform support (macOS, Linux).
• Built with Rust for performance and safety.
• Extensible via subcommands for login, chat, code generation, and more.
• Open‑source and dual‑licensed (MIT & Apache‑2.0).

Use Cases of Amazon Q CLI

• Rapid prototyping of code snippets without leaving the terminal.
• Automating repetitive scripting tasks via natural language.
• Learning and experimenting with LLM capabilities on‑the‑fly.
• Integrating AI‑driven assistance into CI/CD pipelines or developer workflows.
• Contributing to the CLI itself by building and testing Rust crates.

FAQ from the Amazon Q CLI

Q: Which operating systems are supported? A: macOS (via DMG) and various Linux distributions (Ubuntu/Debian, AppImage, or other builds).

Q: Do I need an AWS account? A: Yes, you must authenticate with your AWS credentials using the login subcommand.

Q: Can I contribute to the project? A: Absolutely. Fork the repo, set up the Rust toolchain, and follow the contribution guidelines in CONTRIBUTING.md.

Q: What programming languages can the CLI generate code for? A: It can produce snippets in many languages supported by the underlying LLM, including TypeScript, Rust, Python, etc.

Q: How is the project licensed? A: Dual‑licensed under MIT and Apache 2.0.

Amazon Q CLI

Installation

• macOS:
  • DMG: Download now
• Linux:
  • Ubuntu/Debian
  • AppImage
  • Alternative Linux builds

Contributing

Thank you so much for considering to contribute to Amazon Q.

Before getting started, see our contributing docs.

Prerequisites

• MacOS
  • Xcode 13 or later
  • Brew

1. Clone repo

git clone https://github.com/aws/amazon-q-developer-cli.git

2. Install the Rust toolchain using Rustup:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
rustup default stable
rustup toolchain install nightly
cargo install typos-cli

3. Develop locally

• To compile and run: cargo run --bin chat_cli.
• To run tests: cargo test.
• To run lints: cargo clippy.
• To format rust files: cargo +nightly fmt.
• To run subcommands: cargo run --bin chat_cli -- {subcommand}.
  • Login would then be: cargo run --bin chat_cli -- login

Project Layout

• chat_cli - the q CLI, allows users to interface with Amazon Q Developer from the command line
• scripts/ - Contains ops and build related scripts
• crates/ - Contains all rust crates
• docs/ - Contains technical documentation

Security

For security related concerns, see here.

Licensing

This repo is dual licensed under MIT and Apache 2.0 licenses.

Those licenses can be found here and here.

“Amazon Web Services” and all related marks, including logos, graphic designs, and service names, are trademarks or trade dress of AWS in the U.S. and other countries. AWS’s trademarks and trade dress may not be used in connection with any product or service that is not AWS’s, in any manner that is likely to cause confusion among customers, or in any manner that disparages or discredits AWS.