Home › Tutorials › Input Modes
Input Modes

Prompt Mode AI

#036 0:16 Part of the Rysh video series

Prompt mode turns your pane into an AI agent that sees your terminal.

Prompt Mode AI — 0:16 walkthrough

What you'll see

  1. Run a command for context, then double-Escape to prompt mode (<).
  2. Note the LLM provider: Claude API or the claude CLI.
  3. Ask "explain what this directory contains"; response renders as markdown.
  4. Follow up naturally; press Escape to return to shell.

Commands shown

rysh
ls -la
explain what this directory contains
which file is the entry point?

Keys used

EnterEscape

Transcript

0:00Prompt mode turns your pane into an AI agent that sees your terminal.

0:03Start rysh and run a command so the agent has some context to work with.

0:09Double-press Escape. The prompt becomes a less-than sign -- input now goes to the configured LLM provider, Claude over the API or the claude CLI.

0:16Ask it anything. The agent sees your terminal context and answers with rendered markdown -- and it has thirty-five-plus tools for files, git, and the web.

0:32Follow up naturally -- the conversation carries forward within the pane's own AI output stream.

0:44Press Escape to return to shell mode. Your agent is always one double-Escape away.

Key takeaway
Prompt mode sends input to the LLM provider with terminal context and 35+ tools, rendering markdown responses in the pane's AI stream.