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Environment Variables

Nelson CLI uses environment variables for configuration.

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ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

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ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
string
required
Your Anthropic API key for Claude access
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."
Never commit your API key to version control. Use environment variables or a .env file.

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Shell Configuration

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Bash

Add to ~/.bashrc: 
# Nelson CLI Configuration
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."

# Optional: Create an alias
alias n="nelson"

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Zsh

Add to ~/.zshrc: 
# Nelson CLI Configuration
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."

# Optional: Create an alias
alias n="nelson"

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Fish

Add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish: 
# Nelson CLI Configuration
set -gx ANTHROPIC_API_KEY "sk-ant-api03-..."

# Optional: Create an alias
alias n="nelson"

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Working Directory

Nelson operates in your current working directory. All file operations are relative to where you launched Nelson. 
# Navigate to your project first
cd ~/projects/my-app

# Then launch Nelson
nelson
Nelson can read, write, and search files in your current directory and subdirectories.

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Tool Permissions

Nelson has access to powerful tools that can modify your filesystem. By default, Nelson will:
  • Read any file in your current directory tree
  • Write files when you ask
  • Execute bash commands
  • Search through your codebase
Nelson always shows you what tools are being used. You’ll see indicators like:🔧 Tool: write_file ✅ Tool: write_file

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Best Practices

Use Project Directories

Always run Nelson from your project root for best results

Git Integration

Nelson works great with git - he can commit, branch, and push

Set Iteration Limits

When using Nelson Loop, always set —max-iterations as a safety net

Review Changes

Nelson shows what he’s doing - review file changes before proceeding