u7 - Universal 7 CLI

A unified command-line interface with 7 intuitive verbs for humans and AI agents.

The Universal 7 Verbs

Verb	Purpose	Example
sh	Observe/Search	u7 sh ip external
mk	Create/Clone	u7 mk password length 16
dr	Delete/Kill	u7 dr file temp.txt
cv	Transform/Extract	u7 cv archive backup.tar.gz to files
mv	Relocate/Rename	u7 mv file old.txt to new.txt
st	Modify/Config	u7 st text "old" to "new" in file.txt
rn	Execute/Control	u7 rn job "echo done" in 5s

Installation

Requires Nix with flakes enabled.

git clone https://github.com/vitali87/u7.git
cd u7
nix develop

You're now in a reproducible shell with all dependencies and u7 ready to use.

Usage

# Get help
u7 --help
u7 sh --help

# Network
u7 sh ip external
u7 sh ip internal
u7 sh ssl of google.com

# Files
u7 sh files match "TODO" in ./src
u7 sh files by modified
u7 sh csv first 10 from data.csv

# System
u7 sh cpu
u7 sh disk
u7 sh processes by cpu

# Create
u7 mk dir myproject
u7 mk password length 32
u7 mk archive backup.tar.gz from ./src

# Transform
u7 cv archive backup.tar.gz to files
u7 cv image photo.png to jpg yield photo.jpg
u7 cv json config.json to yaml

# Modify
u7 st text "foo" to "bar" in file.txt
u7 st perms to 755 on script.sh

# Execute
u7 rn job "echo done" in 10s
u7 rn ./long-task.sh in background
u7 rn ./script.sh with priority 10
u7 rn check syntax in files "*.sh"

The Grammar

Every command follows a strict formula:

u7 <VERB> <ENTITY> [MODIFIER] [OPERATOR ARG]...

Component	Role	Question to Ask
Verb	The action (1 of 7)	What am I doing?
Entity	The noun being acted on	What thing am I manipulating?
Modifier	Variant or filter	Which subset or type?
Operator Arg	Relationship + value	From where? To what? How?

Operators

Operator	Relationship	Example
from	Source	mk archive backup.tar.gz from files
to	Target state	st owner to root, cv image x.png to jpg
yield	File output	cv image x.png to jpg yield out.jpg
in	Container/location	st text ... in file, rn job ... in 5s
on	Target	st perms to 755 on script.sh
by	Criteria	sh files by size
with	Options	rn ./script.sh with priority 10
match	Filter	sh files match "TODO"
but	Exclusion	dr files but "*.txt"
limit	Count	sh csv data.csv limit 10
length	Size	mk password length 16
of	Possession	sh ssl of google.com
if	Condition	dr dirs if empty

Modifiers (not operators — they filter the entity):

Modifier	Type	Example
first N	Position	sh lines first 10 from file
last N	Position	sh lines last 5 from file
external/internal	Property	sh ip external
empty	Condition	dr dirs if empty
blank	Condition	dr lines if blank from file

The English Litmus Test

Read the command aloud. It must sound like (slightly robotic) English:

• u7 sh lines first 10 from file → "Show lines, first 10, from file" ✓
• u7 st perms to 755 on script.sh → "Set perms to 755 on script" ✓
• u7 cv image a.png to jpg yield b.jpg → "Convert image a.png to jpg, yield b.jpg" ✓

Entity Reference

sh (show) - Observe/Search

Entity	Usage
ip	sh ip <external|internal|connected>
csv	sh csv <file> [limit N]
json	sh json <file> [limit N]
line	sh line <number> from <file>
ssl	sh ssl of <domain>
files	sh files <match|by> [pattern|sort_type] [in <path>]
diff	sh diff <file1> to <file2>
cpu	sh cpu
memory	sh memory
disk	sh disk
processes	sh processes <running|by> [cpu|memory]
port	sh port <number>
usage	sh usage <disk|directories> [path|depth]
network	sh network
git	sh git <authors|branches>
definition	sh definition of <word>
functions	sh functions

mk (make) - Create/Clone

Entity	Usage
dir	mk dir <path>
file	mk file <path>
password	mk password length <N>
user	mk user <username>
copy	mk copy <src> to <dst>
link	mk link <src> to <dst>
archive	mk archive <output> from <files...>
sequence	mk sequence with prefix <prefix> limit <N>

dr (drop) - Delete/Kill

Entity	Usage
file	dr file <path>
dir	dr dir <path>
dirs	dr dirs if empty
files	dr files but <pattern>
line	dr line <number> from <file>
lines	dr lines if blank from <in> yield <out>
column	dr column <number> from <file.csv>
duplicates	dr duplicates in|from <file>
process	dr process <pid>
user	dr user <username>

cv (convert) - Transform/Extract

Entity	Usage
archive	cv archive <archive> to files [yield <dest>]
files	cv files <files...> to archive yield <output>
image	cv image <input> to <format> [yield <output>]
video	cv video <input> to <format> [yield <output>]
json	cv json <input> to yaml [yield <output>]
case	cv case <upper|lower> to <lower|upper> on <files...>
spaces	cv spaces to underscores on <file>

mv (move) - Relocate/Rename

Entity	Usage
file	mv file <source> to <destination>
sync	mv sync <source> to <destination>

st (set) - Modify/Config

Entity	Usage
text	st text <old> to <new> in <file>
slashes	st slashes to <back|forward> in <file>
tabs	st tabs to spaces in <directory>
perms	st perms to <mode> on <file>
owner	st owner to <user> on <file>

rn (run) - Execute/Control

Entity	Usage
job	rn job <cmd> in <time>
script	rn script <path>
<command>	rn <command> in background
<command>	rn <command> with priority <nice>
check	rn check syntax in file <path>
check	rn check syntax in files <pattern>
terminal	rn terminal [limit <N>]

Why u7?

• Minimal vocabulary: 7 verbs cover all Unix operations
• Strict grammar: u7 <VERB> <ENTITY> [MODIFIER] [OPERATOR ARG]
• Aliases: Full verbs (show, make, drop, convert, move, set, run) also supported
• AI-friendly: Predictable structure for humans and AI agents
• Reproducible: Nix ensures identical environments everywhere
• Cross-platform: Works on Linux and macOS

Author

Vitali Avagyan: @vitali87

License

Support

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