rlm-cli

CLI wrapper for rlm with directory-as-context, JSON-first output, and self-documenting commands.

Upstream RLM: https://github.com/alexzhang13/rlm

Claude Code Plugin

This repo includes a Claude Code plugin with an rlm skill. The skill teaches Claude how to use the rlm CLI for code analysis, diff reviews, and codebase exploration.

Installation

Claude Code (Interactive)

/plugin marketplace add rawwerks/rlm-cli
/plugin install rlm@rlm-cli

Claude CLI

claude plugin marketplace add rawwerks/rlm-cli
claude plugin install rlm@rlm-cli

What the skill provides

The /rlm skill gives Claude knowledge of:

• All rlm commands (ask, complete, search, index, doctor)
• Input types (files, directories, URLs, stdin, literal text)
• Common workflows (diff review, codebase analysis, search + analyze)
• Configuration and environment variables
• Exit codes for error handling

Once installed, Claude can use rlm to analyze code, review diffs, and explore codebases when you ask it to.

Install

pip/uv

uv venv
uv pip install -e .

uvx (no checkout)

uvx --from git+https://github.com/rawwerks/rlm-cli.git rlm --help

Authentication

Authentication depends on the backend you choose:

• openrouter: OPENROUTER_API_KEY
• openai: OPENAI_API_KEY
• anthropic: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

Export the appropriate key in your shell environment, for example:

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...

Usage

Ask about a repo

rlm ask . -q "Summarize this repo" --json

Ask about a URL (auto-Markdown)

rlm ask https://www.anthropic.com/constitution -q "Summarize this page" --json

Same with uvx and OpenRouter:

uvx --from git+https://github.com/rawwerks/rlm-cli.git rlm ask https://www.anthropic.com/constitution -q "Summarize Claude's constitution" --backend openrouter --model google/gemini-3-flash-preview --json

Ask about a file

rlm ask src/rlm_cli/cli.py -q "Explain the CLI flow" --json

Use stdin as context

git diff | rlm ask - -q "Review this diff" --json

No context, just a completion

rlm complete "Write a commit message" --json

OpenRouter quickstart

rlm complete "Say hello" --backend openrouter --model z-ai/glm-4.7:turbo --json

Options

• --json outputs JSON only on stdout.
• --output-format text|json sets output format.
• --backend, --model, --environment control the RLM backend.
• --backend-arg/--env-arg/--rlm-arg KEY=VALUE pass extra kwargs.
• --backend-json/--env-json/--rlm-json @file.json merge JSON kwargs.
• --literal treats inputs as literal text; --path forces filesystem paths.
• --markitdown/--no-markitdown toggles URL and non-text conversion to Markdown.
• --verbose or --debug enables verbose backend logging.

Search (optional)

Full-text search via Tantivy and ripgrep for the LLM to explore codebases efficiently.

Install search support

pip install 'rlm-cli[search]'

This installs both Tantivy (ranked document search) and python-ripgrep (fast pattern matching).

LLM Search Tools

When you run rlm ask on a directory, the LLM automatically gets access to two search tools in its REPL:

rg.search() - Fast pattern matching (ripgrep)

# Find exact patterns or regex matches
hits = rg.search(pattern="class.*Error", paths=["src/"], regex=True)
for h in hits:
    print(f"{h['path']}:{h['line']}: {h['text']}")

tv.search() - Ranked document search (Tantivy)

# Find relevant files by topic (BM25 ranking)
results = tv.search(query="error handling", limit=10)
for r in results:
    print(f"{r['path']} (score: {r['score']:.2f})")

When to use which:

• rg.search() for: exact strings, function names, class definitions, imports
• tv.search() for: concepts, topics, finding related files

The tools are pre-loaded - the LLM can use them directly without importing.

CLI Search Commands

Index a directory:

rlm index ./src

Search indexed documents:

rlm search "error handling" --path ./src

Options:

• --no-index - Skip auto-indexing directories
• --force - Force full reindex (with rlm index)

Directory loading

Defaults for rlm ask:

• respects .gitignore
• skips common dirs like .git, node_modules, .venv
• limits file and total bytes

Adjust with:

• --extensions (repeat or comma-separated)
• --include / --exclude
• --max-file-bytes / --max-total-bytes
• --hidden, --follow-symlinks

Config

Config files (YAML): ./rlm.yaml, ./.rlm.yaml, ~/.config/rlm/config.yaml. Precedence: CLI flags > env vars > config > defaults.

Exit codes

• 0 success
• 2 CLI usage error
• 10 input error
• 11 config error
• 20 backend error
• 30 runtime error
• 40 index error (search)

Security

Install the pre-commit hook to run gitleaks on staged changes:

pre-commit install