chore: import upstream snapshot with attribution
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# Automate tasks with headless mode
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Automate tasks with Gemini CLI. Learn how to use headless mode, pipe data into
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Gemini CLI, automate workflows with shell scripts, and generate structured JSON
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output for other applications.
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## Prerequisites
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- Gemini CLI installed and authenticated.
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- Familiarity with shell scripting (Bash/Zsh).
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## Why headless mode?
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Headless mode runs Gemini CLI once and exits. It's perfect for:
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- **CI/CD:** Analyzing pull requests automatically.
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- **Batch processing:** Summarizing a large number of log files.
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- **Tool building:** Creating your own "AI wrapper" scripts.
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## How to use headless mode
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Run Gemini CLI in headless mode by providing a prompt with the `-p` (or
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`--prompt`) flag. This bypasses the interactive chat interface and prints the
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response to standard output (stdout). Positional arguments without the flag
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default to interactive mode, unless the input or output is piped or redirected.
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Run a single command:
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```bash
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gemini -p "Write a poem about TypeScript"
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```
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## How to pipe input to Gemini CLI
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Feed data into Gemini using the standard Unix pipe `|`. Gemini reads the
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standard input (stdin) as context and answers your question using standard
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output.
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Pipe a file:
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**macOS/Linux**
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```bash
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cat error.log | gemini -p "Explain why this failed"
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```
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**Windows (PowerShell)**
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```powershell
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Get-Content error.log | gemini -p "Explain why this failed"
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```
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Pipe a command:
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```bash
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git diff | gemini -p "Write a commit message for these changes"
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```
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## Use Gemini CLI output in scripts
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Because Gemini prints to stdout, you can chain it with other tools or save the
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results to a file.
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### Scenario: Bulk documentation generator
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You have a folder of Python scripts and want to generate a `README.md` for each
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one.
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1. Save the following code as `generate_docs.sh` (or `generate_docs.ps1` for
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Windows):
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**macOS/Linux (`generate_docs.sh`)**
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```bash
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#!/bin/bash
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# Loop through all Python files
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for file in *.py; do
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echo "Generating docs for $file..."
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# Ask Gemini CLI to generate the documentation and print it to stdout
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gemini -p "Generate a Markdown documentation summary for @$file. Print the
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result to standard output." > "${file%.py}.md"
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done
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```
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**Windows PowerShell (`generate_docs.ps1`)**
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```powershell
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# Loop through all Python files
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Get-ChildItem -Filter *.py | ForEach-Object {
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Write-Host "Generating docs for $($_.Name)..."
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$newName = $_.Name -replace '\.py$', '.md'
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# Ask Gemini CLI to generate the documentation and print it to stdout
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gemini -p "Generate a Markdown documentation summary for @$($_.Name). Print the result to standard output." | Out-File -FilePath $newName -Encoding utf8
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}
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```
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2. Make the script executable and run it in your directory:
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**macOS/Linux**
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```bash
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chmod +x generate_docs.sh
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./generate_docs.sh
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```
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**Windows (PowerShell)**
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```powershell
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.\generate_docs.ps1
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```
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This creates a corresponding Markdown file for every Python file in the
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folder.
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## Extract structured JSON data
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When writing a script, you often need structured data (JSON) to pass to tools
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like `jq`. To get pure JSON data from the model, combine the
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`--output-format json` flag with `jq` to parse the response field.
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### Scenario: Extract and return structured data
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1. Save the following script as `generate_json.sh` (or `generate_json.ps1` for
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Windows):
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**macOS/Linux (`generate_json.sh`)**
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```bash
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#!/bin/bash
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# Ensure we are in a project root
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if [ ! -f "package.json" ]; then
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echo "Error: package.json not found."
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exit 1
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fi
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# Extract data
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gemini --output-format json "Return a raw JSON object with keys 'version' and 'deps' from @package.json" | jq -r '.response' > data.json
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```
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**Windows PowerShell (`generate_json.ps1`)**
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```powershell
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# Ensure we are in a project root
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if (-not (Test-Path "package.json")) {
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Write-Error "Error: package.json not found."
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exit 1
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}
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# Extract data (requires jq installed, or you can use ConvertFrom-Json)
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$output = gemini --output-format json "Return a raw JSON object with keys 'version' and 'deps' from @package.json" | ConvertFrom-Json
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$output.response | Out-File -FilePath data.json -Encoding utf8
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```
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2. Run the script:
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**macOS/Linux**
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```bash
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chmod +x generate_json.sh
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./generate_json.sh
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```
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**Windows (PowerShell)**
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```powershell
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.\generate_json.ps1
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```
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3. Check `data.json`. The file should look like this:
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```json
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{
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"version": "1.0.0",
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"deps": {
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"react": "^18.2.0"
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}
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}
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```
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## Build your own custom AI tools
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Use headless mode to perform custom, automated AI tasks.
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### Scenario: Create a "Smart Commit" alias
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You can add a function to your shell configuration to create a `git commit`
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wrapper that writes the message for you.
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**macOS/Linux (Bash/Zsh)**
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1. Open your `.zshrc` file (or `.bashrc` if you use Bash) in your preferred
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text editor.
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```bash
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nano ~/.zshrc
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```
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**Note**: If you use VS Code, you can run `code ~/.zshrc`.
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2. Scroll to the very bottom of the file and paste this code:
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```bash
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function gcommit() {
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# Get the diff of staged changes
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diff=$(git diff --staged)
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if [ -z "$diff" ]; then
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echo "No staged changes to commit."
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return 1
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fi
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# Ask Gemini to write the message
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echo "Generating commit message..."
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msg=$(echo "$diff" | gemini -p "Write a concise Conventional Commit message for this diff. Output ONLY the message.")
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# Commit with the generated message
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git commit -m "$msg"
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}
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```
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Save your file and exit.
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3. Run this command to make the function available immediately:
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```bash
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source ~/.zshrc
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```
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**Windows (PowerShell)**
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1. Open your PowerShell profile in your preferred text editor.
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```powershell
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notepad $PROFILE
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```
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2. Scroll to the very bottom of the file and paste this code:
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```powershell
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function gcommit {
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# Get the diff of staged changes
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$diff = git diff --staged
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if (-not $diff) {
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Write-Host "No staged changes to commit."
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return
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}
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# Ask Gemini to write the message
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Write-Host "Generating commit message..."
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$msg = $diff | gemini -p "Write a concise Conventional Commit message for this diff. Output ONLY the message."
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# Commit with the generated message
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git commit -m "$msg"
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}
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```
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Save your file and exit.
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3. Run this command to make the function available immediately:
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```powershell
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. $PROFILE
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```
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4. Use your new command:
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```bash
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gcommit
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```
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Gemini CLI will analyze your staged changes and commit them with a generated
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message.
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## Next steps
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- Explore the [Headless mode reference](../../cli/headless.md) for full JSON
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schema details.
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- Learn about [Shell commands](shell-commands.md) to let the agent run scripts
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instead of just writing them.
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