Novita AI × CLI-Anything: Agent-Native CLI for Every Model

AI agents are getting better at reasoning — but they still struggle to use real software. Most tools today are built for humans: GUIs, web dashboards, drag-and-drop interfaces. Agents need something different: structured, composable, text-based interfaces they can operate reliably.

That’s exactly what CLI-Anything solves. Built by the Data Intelligence Lab at the University of Hong Kong (HKUDS), CLI-Anything auto-generates production-ready CLIs for any software — from creative tools like GIMP and Blender to cloud APIs like Novita AI. The project hit 11,000 GitHub stars within five days of launch, signaling strong demand for agent-native tooling.

Now, Novita AI and CLI-Anything have teamed up. The result: a dedicated cli-anything-novita CLI that gives any AI agent — or any developer — instant command-line access to Novita AI’s full model catalog.

What Is CLI-Anything?

CLI-Anything is an open-source framework that converts any software into an agent-controllable CLI. Point it at a codebase, a GUI app, or a web API, and it generates a complete command-line harness through a 7-phase automated pipeline:

1. Analyze — Scans source code and maps capabilities
2. Design — Architects command groups and output formats
3. Implement — Builds a Click-based CLI with REPL, JSON output, and undo/redo
4. Plan Tests — Creates a comprehensive test plan
5. Write Tests — Implements unit and end-to-end tests
6. Document — Generates usage documentation
7. Package — Creates setup.py and installs to PATH

Every generated CLI ships with:

• Dual output modes — Human-readable tables by default, structured JSON with --json for agents
• Interactive REPL — Tab-completion and command history
• SKILL.md — An AI-discoverable skill definition that agents can read automatically

The project supports multiple AI agent platforms including Claude Code, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Codex, Goose, and GitHub Copilot CLI.

The Novita AI CLI

The cli-anything-novita package is a ready-made CLI harness for Novita AI’s OpenAI-compatible API. It lets you — or your AI agent — access every model on Novita AI’s catalog through simple terminal commands.

What You Get

• Chat & streaming — Talk to any model with chat or stream commands
• Model discovery — List all available models with models
• Interactive REPL — Tab-completion, command history, session management
• Dual output — Human-readable tables by default, structured JSON with --json for agents
• Config management — Store your API key and preferences locally

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• A Novita AI API key — Sign up at novita.ai and grab your API key from the dashboard.

Supported Models

The CLI works with every model on Novita AI’s platform — for example, deepseek/deepseek-v3.2, zai-org/glm-5, and minimax/minimax-m2.5. Run cli-anything-novita models for the full list.

Two Ways to Use It

Method 1: Use the Novita CLI Directly

This method gives you (or your agent) a standalone CLI tool for Novita AI. Ideal for developers and agents that already know what they need.

Step 1: Go to the CLI-Anything website

Open CLI-Hub and find the Novita AI CLI.

Step 2: Install the CLI

Copy the install command from the page and run it:

pip install git+https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git#subdirectory=novita/agent-harness

Method 2: Install CLI-Anything for Your OpenClaw Agent

This method lets your OpenClaw agent discover and install the right CLI autonomously. No manual tool selection needed.

Step 1: Install the CLI-Hub skill

In your OpenClaw environment, run:

openclaw skills install cli-anything-hub

Step 2: Tell your agent to find the right CLI

Just describe your task. The agent will browse the CLI-Hub catalog, pick the appropriate tool, install it, and use it — all on its own.

Why CLI for AI Agents?

You might wonder: why a CLI when there’s already an API?

The answer is about agent ergonomics. APIs require HTTP libraries, authentication headers, JSON construction, and error parsing. A CLI wraps all of that into simple, self-documenting commands:

Approach	What the Agent Needs	Reliability
Raw API calls	HTTP client, auth headers, JSON parsing, error handling	Fragile — many failure points
GUI automation	Screenshots, pixel coordinates, element detection	Very fragile — breaks on UI changes
CLI commands	Text in, text out	Robust — structured and deterministic

CLIs are the universal interface. They’re text-based (matching LLM format), self-describing (--help), composable (pipe and chain), and lightweight. Claude Code already runs thousands of real workflows through CLIs daily.

What’s Coming Next

The Novita AI CLI currently covers LLM chat and model listing. But that’s just the beginning. Future updates will extend the CLI to cover:

• Image generation — Generate images through Novita AI’s multimodal models, directly from the command line
• Video generation — Create AI-generated videos with models like Seedance, Kling, Vidu, and more
• GPU instance management — Spin up, monitor, and tear down GPU instances without leaving the terminal

The vision: let your OpenClaw agent (or any AI agent) manage the full Novita AI stack through CLI-Anything — from running inference to provisioning infrastructure, all through simple commands.

Conclusion

CLI-Anything bridges the gap between AI agents and the software they need to use. With the dedicated Novita AI CLI, accessing every model on Novita’s platform is as simple as typing a command. Install it directly for hands-on control, or let your agent discover it automatically through CLI-Hub.

Try it now: pip install git+https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git#subdirectory=novita/agent-harness

Novita AI is an AI & agent cloud platform helping developers and startups build, deploy, and scale models and agentic applications with high performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.

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