> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.profclaw.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# profclaw chat

> Start an interactive AI chat session or send a single message from the terminal.

## Synopsis

```bash theme={null}
profclaw chat [message] [flags]
profclaw chat <subcommand> [flags]
```

## Description

`chat` connects to the profClaw API and starts a conversation with the AI. When called without a message it enters an interactive REPL with session persistence. When called with a message it runs in single-shot mode and exits.

Two execution modes are available:

* **Chat mode** (default) - conversational, no tools
* **Agentic mode** (`--agentic`) - full tool access, multi-step execution

## Flags

<ParamField query="message" type="string">
  Message to send. When provided, runs in single-shot mode and exits after the response. Omit to start an interactive session.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="-m, --model" type="string">
  AI model to use (e.g., `sonnet`, `opus`, `gpt-4o`, `gemini-2-flash`). Defaults to the server's configured default model.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="-t, --tools" type="boolean">
  Enable tool calling for this session. The AI can use configured tools but will ask for approval on sensitive operations.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="-a, --agentic" type="boolean">
  Enable agentic mode with all tools and full execution permissions. Implies `--tools`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="-s, --session" type="string">
  Resume an existing conversation by session ID. Use `profclaw chat sessions` to list recent sessions.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="--json" type="boolean">
  Output the response as JSON (single-shot mode only).
</ParamField>

## Subcommands

| Subcommand        | Alias | Description                                            |
| ----------------- | ----- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `quick <message>` | -     | Quick single-shot chat without creating a conversation |
| `agent <message>` | `run` | Run in agentic mode with all tools                     |
| `sessions`        | `ls`  | List recent chat sessions                              |

## REPL Commands

When in interactive mode, type `/` commands to control the session:

| Command                | Description                             |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `/exit`, `/quit`, `/q` | Exit the chat                           |
| `/clear`               | Clear the terminal screen               |
| `/help`, `/?`          | Show available commands                 |
| `/session`             | Show the current session ID             |
| `/model <name>`        | Switch to a different model mid-session |
| `/tools`               | Toggle tool calling on/off              |
| `/agentic`             | Toggle agentic mode on/off              |

## Examples

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Interactive chat session theme={null}
  profclaw chat
  ```

  ```bash Single-shot message theme={null}
  profclaw chat "What is the capital of France?"
  ```

  ```bash Use a specific model theme={null}
  profclaw chat -m opus "Explain quantum entanglement"
  ```

  ```bash Agentic mode (tools enabled) theme={null}
  profclaw chat -a "List all running Docker containers and show their memory usage"
  ```

  ```bash Run a single agentic task theme={null}
  profclaw chat agent "Find all TODO comments in the src/ directory"
  # or
  profclaw chat run "Find all TODO comments in the src/ directory"
  ```

  ```bash Quick single-shot (no session created) theme={null}
  profclaw chat quick "Current time?"
  ```

  ```bash Resume a previous session theme={null}
  profclaw chat sessions                     # list sessions
  profclaw chat -s abc12345                  # resume by session ID
  ```

  ```bash JSON output for scripting theme={null}
  profclaw chat --json "List the top 5 planets by size"
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Related

* [`profclaw agent`](/cli/agent) - Manage AI agents
* [`profclaw task`](/cli/task) - Create and track agentic tasks
* [`profclaw tui`](/cli/tui) - Terminal dashboard
* [`profclaw summary`](/cli/summary) - Browse completed work summaries