elia

Elia is a terminal user interface for chatting with large language models directly from the command line. It provides a keyboard-focused interface for interacting with both cloud-based models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) and local models running through Ollama or LocalAI. The application stores conversations in a local SQLite database for persistence across sessions.

The tool supports multiple interaction modes including inline chat that appears under your current prompt and full-screen mode for extended conversations. Users can specify models via command-line flags and configure API keys through environment variables. Elia includes extensive model configuration options through a TOML config file, allowing users to add custom models, set temperature parameters, configure retry behavior, and create multiple instances of the same model for different contexts.

The interface offers customizable themes with several built-in options and support for custom YAML theme files. Users can import existing ChatGPT conversation history and manage their local database through reset commands. The tool is designed for developers and users who prefer terminal-based workflows and want quick access to LLM conversations without switching to web interfaces.

Installation

# via pipx
pipx install --python 3.11 elia-chat