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 data.csv limit 10

# 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

If you find this project helpful:

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Specs

README