blackbox

SKILL.md preview

---
name: blackbox
description: Delegate coding tasks to Blackbox AI CLI agent. Multi-model agent with built-in judge that runs tasks through multiple LLMs and picks the best result. Requires the blackbox CLI and a Blackbox AI API key.
version: 1.0.0
author: Hermes Agent (Nous Research)
license: MIT
platforms: [linux, macos, windows]
metadata:
  hermes:
    tags: [Coding-Agent, Blackbox, Multi-Agent, Judge, Multi-Model]
    related_skills: [claude-code, codex, hermes-agent]
---

# Blackbox CLI

Delegate coding tasks to [Blackbox AI](https://www.blackbox.ai/) via the Hermes terminal. Blackbox is a multi-model coding agent CLI that dispatches tasks to multiple LLMs (Claude, Codex, Gemini, Blackbox Pro) and uses a judge to select the best implementation.

The CLI is [open-source](https://github.com/blackboxaicode/cli) (GPL-3.0, TypeScript, forked from Gemini CLI) and supports interactive sessions, non-interactive one-shots, checkpointing, MCP, and vision model switching.

## Prerequisites

- Node.js 20+ installed
- Blackbox CLI installed: `npm install -g @blackboxai/cli`
- Or install from source:
  ```
  git clone https://github.com/blackboxaicode/cli.git
  cd cli && npm install && npm install -g .
  ```
- API key from [app.blackbox.ai/dashboard](https://app.blackbox.ai/dashboard)
- Configured: run `blackbox configure` and enter your API key
- Use `pty=true` in terminal calls — Blackbox CLI is an interactive terminal app

## One-Shot Tasks

```
terminal(command="blackbox --prompt 'Add JWT authentication with refresh tokens to the Express API'", workdir="/path/to/project", pty=true)
```

For quick scratch work:
```
terminal(command="cd $(mktemp -d) && git init && blackbox --prompt 'Build a REST API for todos with SQLite'", pty=true)
```

## Background Mode (Long Tasks)

For tasks that take minutes, use background mode so you can monitor progress:

```
# Start in background with PTY
terminal(command="blackbox --prompt 'Refactor the auth module to use OAuth 2.0'", workdir="~/project", background=true, pty=true)
# Returns session_id

# Monitor progress
process(action="poll", session_id="<id>")
process(action="log", session_id="<id>")

# Send input if Blackbox asks a question
process(action="submit", session_id="<id>", data="yes")

# Kill if needed
process(action="kill", session_id="<id>")
```

## Checkpoints & Resume

Blackbox CLI has built-in checkpoint support for pausing and resuming tasks:

```
# After a task completes, Blackbox shows a checkpoint tag
# Resume with a follow-up task:
terminal(command="blackbox --resume-checkpoint 'task-abc123-2026-03-06' --prompt 'Now add rate limiting to the endpoints'", workdir="~/project", pty=true)
```

## Session Commands

During an interactive session, use these commands:

| Command | Effect |
|---------|--------|
| `/compress` | Shrink conversation history to save tokens |
| `/clear` | Wipe history and start fresh |
| `/stats` | View current token usage |
| `Ctrl+C` | Cancel current operation |

## PR Reviews

Clone to a temp directory to avoid modifying the working tree:

```
terminal(command="REVIEW=$(mktemp -d) && git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW && cd $REVIEW && gh pr checkout 42 && blackbox --prompt 'Review this PR against main. Check for bugs, security issues, and code quality.'", pty=true)
```

## Parallel Work

Spawn multiple Blackbox instances for independent tasks:

```
terminal(command="blackbox --prompt 'Fix the login bug'", workdir="/tmp/issue-1", background=true, pty=true)
terminal(command="blackbox --prompt 'Add unit tests for auth'", workdir="/tmp/issue-2", background=true, pty=true)

# Monitor all
process(action="list")
```

## Multi-Model Mode

Blackbox's unique feature is running the same task through multiple models and judging the results. Configure which models to use via `blackbox configure` — select multiple providers to enable the Chairman/judge workflow where the CLI evaluates outputs from different models and picks the best one.

## Key Flags

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