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Quickstart

To start CAI after installing it, just type cai in the CLI:

└─# cai

          CCCCCCCCCCCCC      ++++++++   ++++++++      IIIIIIIIII
       CCC::::::::::::C  ++++++++++       ++++++++++  I::::::::I
     CC:::::::::::::::C ++++++++++         ++++++++++ I::::::::I
    C:::::CCCCCCCC::::C +++++++++    ++     +++++++++ II::::::II
   C:::::C       CCCCCC +++++++     +++++     +++++++   I::::I
  C:::::C                +++++     +++++++     +++++    I::::I
  C:::::C                ++++                   ++++    I::::I
  C:::::C                 ++                     ++     I::::I
  C:::::C                  +   +++++++++++++++   +      I::::I
  C:::::C                    +++++++++++++++++++        I::::I
  C:::::C                     +++++++++++++++++         I::::I
   C:::::C       CCCCCC        +++++++++++++++          I::::I
    C:::::CCCCCCCC::::C         +++++++++++++         II::::::II
     CC:::::::::::::::C           +++++++++           I::::::::I
       CCC::::::::::::C             +++++             I::::::::I
          CCCCCCCCCCCCC               ++              IIIIIIIIII

                      Cybersecurity AI (CAI), v0.4.0
                          Bug bounty-ready AI

CAI>

That should initialize CAI and provide a prompt to execute any security task you want to perform. The navigation bar at the bottom displays important system information. This information helps you understand your environment while working with CAI.

Here's a quick demo video to help you get started with CAI. We'll walk through the basic steps — from launching the tool to running your first AI-powered task in the terminal. Whether you're a beginner or just curious, this guide will show you how easy it is to begin using CAI.

From here on, type on CAI and start your security exercise. Best way to learn is by example:

Environment Variables

List of Environment Variables
Variable Description
CTF_NAME Name of the CTF challenge to run (e.g. "picoctf_static_flag")
CTF_CHALLENGE Specific sub challenge name within the CTF to test (e.g. CTF_NAME="kiddoctf" contains 4 subchallenges. For running one of them: "01 linux i")
CTF_SUBNET Network subnet for the CTF container
CTF_IP IP address for the CTF container
CTF_INSIDE Whether to conquer the CTF from within container
CAI_MODEL Model to use for agents
⚠️ CAI_DEBUG Set debug output level (0: Only tool outputs, 1: Verbose debug output, 2: CLI debug output)
⚠️ CAI_BRIEF Enable/disable brief output mode
CAI_MAX_TURNS Maximum number of turns for agent interactions
⚠️ CAI_TRACING Enable/disable OpenTelemetry tracing
CAI_AGENT_TYPE Specify the agents to use (e.g. "boot2root")
CAI_PRICE_LIMIT Price limit for the conversation in dollars
CAI_WORKSPACE Defines the name of the workspace

Setting Environment Variables

There are several ways to configure environment variables for CAI:

1. Using the .env file

# Add any env variable to your .env file
CAI_PRICE_LIMIT="0.004"
CAI_MODEL="qwen2.5:72b"

2. Command-line parameters

Pass variables directly when launching CAI

CAI_PRICE_LIMIT="0.004" CAI_MODEL="qwen2.5:72b" cai

3. Runtime configuration

After running CAI, use /config

  /config set <number> <value> to configure a variable # see `config.py` or type `/help`

  cai
  /config # It will display a panel with all the environment variables.
        # You must pick its reference NUMBER (1st column left)
  # `18` is the corresponding number for CAI_PRICE_LIMIT
  /config set 18 "0.004"