The latest articles on DEV Community by Krishnendu Ghosh (@krishnendu_ghosh_426a850c). https://dev.to/krishnendu_ghosh_426a850c https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3966817%2F6403b757-e286-4c01-a1b9-1f847fa8efad.jpg https://dev.to/krishnendu_ghosh_426a850c en Krishnendu Ghosh Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:39:44 +0000 https://dev.to/krishnendu_ghosh_426a850c/-how-i-built-slek-ai-cli-at-15-years-old-4k14 https://dev.to/krishnendu_ghosh_426a850c/-how-i-built-slek-ai-cli-at-15-years-old-4k14 <p>Building software is hard. Building an AI CLI as a student with limited resources is even harder.</p> <p>Over the last few months, I've been working on <strong>SLEK AI CLI</strong>, a command-line AI assistant designed to make AI more accessible from the terminal.</p> <h2> Why I Started </h2> <p>Most AI tools today focus on web interfaces. As someone who spends a lot of time in the terminal, I wanted an AI assistant that could be used directly from the command line.</p> <p>My goals were simple:</p> <ul> <li>Fast responses</li> <li>Multiple AI model support</li> <li>Easy installation</li> <li>Beginner-friendly experience</li> </ul> <h2> Challenges I Faced </h2> <p>Creating an AI CLI wasn't as straightforward as I expected.</p> <p>Some of the biggest challenges included:</p> <ul> <li>Managing API requests efficiently</li> <li>Handling authentication securely</li> <li>Supporting multiple AI models</li> <li>Publishing and maintaining npm packages</li> <li>Keeping the project free for users</li> </ul> <p>Every bug taught me something new.</p> <h2> What SLEK AI CLI Can Do </h2> <ul> <li>Chat with AI directly from the terminal</li> <li>Support multiple models</li> <li>Easy npm installation</li> <li>Lightweight and fast experience</li> </ul> <h2> Lessons Learned </h2> <p>The biggest lesson wasn't technical.</p> <p>It was learning how to keep building even when things break.</p> <p>Many times I thought about giving up after deployment failures, API issues, and package publishing problems. But solving those problems helped me improve as a developer.</p> <h2> What's Next? </h2> <p>I'm currently working on:</p> <ul> <li>Better model routing</li> <li>Improved CLI experience</li> <li>More developer-focused features</li> <li>Future agent capabilities</li> </ul> <h2> I'd Love Your Feedback </h2> <p>If you've built a CLI tool before:</p> <ul> <li>What helped your project grow?</li> <li>How did you get your first users?</li> <li>What features do developers value most in AI CLIs?</li> </ul> <p>I'd love to hear your thoughts.</p> ai webdev programming