First Session

Now that the CLI is installed and connected to LMX, it is time to run your first AI session. This page covers interactive chat, autonomous task execution, permission handling, and session management.

Start a Chat

The simplest way to interact with your local AI is the opta chat command. This opens an interactive chat session in your terminal.

> Explain the difference between let and const in TypeScript.

In TypeScript (and JavaScript), `let` and `const` are both block-scoped
variable declarations, but they differ in mutability:

- **const** declares a variable that cannot be reassigned after initialization.
  The binding is immutable, though object properties can still be modified.

- **let** declares a variable that can be reassigned. Use it when the value
  needs to change during execution.

Best practice: default to `const` and only use `let` when reassignment
is genuinely needed.

> Give me an example of when let is necessary.

A common case is loop counters:

for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
  // 'i' must be reassigned each iteration
  process(items[i]);
}

You cannot use `const` here because the value of `i` changes on each loop.

Understanding Streaming

Responses stream token-by-token as the model generates them. You will see text appearing incrementally in your terminal rather than waiting for the complete response.

During streaming, the CLI shows:

• Token output -- the response text, rendered as it arrives
• Thinking indicators -- for reasoning models, a spinner or thinking block shows the model's internal reasoning before the final response
• Turn statistics -- after each response, the CLI displays token count, generation speed (tokens/sec), and elapsed time

--- Turn complete ---
Tokens: 147 (prompt: 52, completion: 95)
Speed:  41.2 tok/s
Time:   2.3s

Do Mode

While opta chat is conversational, opta do is action-oriented. It tells the AI to complete a specific task using available tools -- file operations, shell commands, code analysis, and more.

In do mode, the AI will:

1. Analyze the task and plan the approach
2. Use tools to read existing files, create new files, and run commands
3. Ask for permission before potentially destructive operations
4. Report the results when the task is complete

Permission Prompts

When the AI wants to perform an action in do mode, the CLI prompts you for approval. This is the permission system -- it ensures no tool runs without your explicit consent.

Tool: write_file
Path: src/utils/validate-email.ts
Content: [142 lines]

Allow this action? [y]es / [n]o / [a]lways for this tool: 

Your options at each permission prompt:

• y (yes) -- approve this single invocation
• n (no) -- deny this invocation; the AI will try an alternative approach
• a (always) -- approve all future invocations of this tool for the current session

Managing Sessions

Every chat and do interaction creates a session. Sessions store the full conversation history, tool invocations, and metadata. You can list, resume, and manage sessions after they end.

ID          Mode   Created              Turns  Title
a1b2c3d4    chat   2026-03-01 10:15:00  8      TypeScript let vs const
e5f6g7h8    do     2026-03-01 10:22:00  3      Email validation function
i9j0k1l2    chat   2026-02-28 16:40:00  12     React hook patterns

Session: a1b2c3d4
Mode:    chat
Created: 2026-03-01 10:15:00
Turns:   8
Tokens:  1,247 (prompt) + 892 (completion)
Tools:   0 invocations
Title:   TypeScript let vs const

Exporting Sessions

Sessions can be exported in multiple formats for sharing, archiving, or processing:

Supported export formats:

• markdown -- human-readable Markdown document
• json -- full session data including metadata and tool calls
• text -- plain text transcript

Tips

You are now ready to use the full Opta Local stack. The next section covers the CLI reference in detail, including all available commands, configuration options, and slash commands.