TALOS / Local CLI trust harness

The local CLI that verifies before it claims success.

Inspects before acting. Asks before mutation. Checks supported actions against tool evidence.

Runs locally against the selected workspace. Approved writes only. Interactive turns leave local trace evidence. Read-only explanations may remain unverified; incomplete or unsupported checks stay explicit.

public beta

i Installs from GitHub Release assets. Windows 0.10.8 is unsigned and uses -AllowUnsigned. Linux starts the setup wizard after install. To upgrade, rerun the installer with -Force on Windows or --force on Linux and the pinned version.
iwr https://github.com/ai21z/talos-assistant/releases/download/v0.10.8/install-talos.ps1 -OutFile install-talos.ps1
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install-talos.ps1 -Version 0.10.8 -Force -AllowUnsigned
talos --version

The CLI and Java runtime are installed by this command. Engine and model setup is still required. The platform guide covers setup and the readiness check.

Workspace-bounded. Local engine. No hosted workspace handoff.

talos session live

                  
v0.10.8 · llama_cpp/gpt-oss-20b

Illustrative Talos terminal turn, with example timings. Prompt: what does this workspace do? Route ask, read-only, workspace bounded. Inspect README.md, src/, docs/. Read 4 files in 38 ms. Answer: Local-first CLI workspace operator. Java 21 sources under src/, notes under docs/. Turn 1, 1.2 s, /last trace available. Running TALOS v0.10.8 with engine llama.cpp (managed), model llama_cpp/gpt-oss-20b, index ready (5 chunks), policy ask before mutation.

The Execution Cycle

A governed cycle for local work.

Talos narrows the request, inspects evidence, gates mutation when needed, checks outcomes, and keeps the result inspectable. These stations summarize the cycle. Bounded repair may repeat inspection, approval, mutation and verification without bypassing the required gates.

01 Classify
Resolve the request into a bounded task contract and expected target.

talos.list_dir talos.read_file talos.write_file talos.run_command /last trace

01 02 03 04 05 06 Classify Inspect Approve Mutate Verify Trace

Turn UI

One ordered flow for local workspace work.

Talos shows progress, approvals, answers, and evidence in consistent terminal sections. The runtime owns that structure; the model does not write the interface.

/tools /models /workspace /last trace

  • talos prompt
  • • progress
  • ! trust / approval
  • │ answer pane
  • ✓ evidence
  • x failure
talos session local

                

Inspect turn selected.

Local boundaries

Runtime policy controls the boundary.

Runtime policy controls approvals, tool access, result checks, protected reads, and unsupported-file handling. The model's wording is not the boundary.

Reads

allow Workspace files inside the selected workspace.

ask Defined protected paths require explicit approval.

refuse Unsupported documents are reported honestly.

Mutations

ask File writes and workspace operations need approval.

ask Command execution is bounded by configured profiles.

deny Workspace escape and protected mutation fail closed.

Evidence

local Interactive turns leave trace records.

show Use /last trace to inspect the previous turn.

scope Private-mode handoff must be explicit.

default posture: bounded workspace · local engine · approved mutation · checked outcome · local trace

Good Fits

What Talos handles now, what is coming on next beta, and what is planned for v1.

A practical map of current support and planned work. Select or focus a node for details. Open a group for capabilities and availability.

local operator

Talos

A local workspace assistant. It reads before acting, asks before writing, and keeps model turns on localhost unless you allow remote endpoints.

localhost gated, workspace bounded, approved writes, local trace

PDFs, Word, and Excel text are read on your machine today. LaTeX, private-doc workflow, and more accepted profiles are coming on next beta. Images, OCR, PowerPoint, mobile profiles, Gemma-family mobile profiles, and evidence receipt export are coming on v1.