REFERENCE

The details, in reach.

Commands, configuration, local storage, and the boundaries worth knowing.

Command reference

chelus --help
chelus chat --new
chelus chat --session 3
chelus ask "your question"
chelus sessions
chelus show 3
chelus usage
chelus memory
chelus notes
chelus notes --check
chelus notes NAME
chelus skills --help
chelus approvals --help
chelus cron --help
chelus telegram

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 model/API error, 2 configuration error, 130 interrupted.

Configuration

Optional settings live in ~/.config/chelus/config.toml. Unknown keys and incorrect types are errors. Start small:

toml

model = "deepseek-flash"
thinking = false
reasoning_effort = "high"
history_chars = 40000
max_iterations = 8
compaction = true
skill_approval = "ask"

To use another OpenAI-compatible API, set provider = "openai" with base_url, model, and api_key_env or api_key_file. See Get started.

reasoning_effort accepts low, high, or max and is sent only when thinking is enabled. skill_approval defaults to ask; off applies skill writes directly.

workdir is the starting folder for file tools and shell commands, and the guest file-access boundary. It defaults to your home directory; set an absolute path in config.toml to choose another folder.

Defaults from the source

This table is generated from the checked-in Settings class when the site builds.

Setting	Default
`provider`	`deepseek`
`base_url`	`https://api.deepseek.com`
`model`	`deepseek-flash`
`api_key_env`	`DEEPSEEK_API_KEY`
`api_key_file`	`deepseek.key`
`thinking`	`false`
`reasoning_effort`	`high`
`max_tokens`	`2048`
`request_timeout`	`60.0`
`request_deadline`	`300.0`
`api_max_retries`	`3`
`max_tokens_limit`	`32768`
`autorecover_cycles`	`5`
`compaction`	`true`
`max_iterations`	`8`
`tool_output_chars`	`6000`
`shell_timeout`	`120.0`
`read_file_bytes`	`65536`
`web`	`true`
`web_chars`	`8000`
`history_chars`	`40000`
`skill_approval`	`ask`
`review_interval`	`10`
`curator`	`true`
`memory`	`true`
`memory_char_limit`	`2200`
`user_char_limit`	`1375`
`memory_review_interval`	`10`
`session_search`	`true`
`notes`	`true`
`notes_dir`
`workdir`	`~ (your home directory)`

Where things live

Location	Contents
`~/.config/chelus/`	Credentials, optional config.toml, and persona.md.
`~/.local/share/chelus/`	Conversation storage, memory, skills, and job state.
`~/.local/share/chelus/notes/`	The notes folder, unless `notes_dir` points elsewhere.
`~/.cache/chelus/`	Temporary cached output, spill files and the notes search index. Safe to delete.

CHELUS_CONFIG_DIR, CHELUS_DATA_DIR, and CHELUS_CACHE_DIR override those locations. DEEPSEEK_API_KEY overrides the key file. The old CHELYS_CONFIG_DIR and CHELYS_DATA_DIR variables remain supported during migration from the previous name.

A custom persona.md changes the agent’s personality. These are private runtime paths; they belong outside the Git checkout.

Platform & inference

Python 3.11 or newer is required. Chelus’s core has no pip dependencies or native Python extensions. The demonstrated environment is a Galaxy A10e with Android 11 and 32-bit Termux; other hardware and operating systems have not been established as supported.

Model inference is remote: DeepSeek by default, or another OpenAI-compatible API. The local agent sends prompts, relevant conversation context, and tool results to the provider. Telegram is also an external service. This is not an offline or on-device-inference product.

Current limits & release status

The checked-in project is pre-1.0. Restart after a reboot works with Termux:Boot, but Android can still terminate Termux, and days of unattended operation are not guaranteed. Search availability depends on the upstream service. A notes folder in shared storage has not been verified on a phone.

The owner’s configured installation has demonstrated additional integrations, including email and deployment tools. Those are not all provided or documented by a fresh clone of the core.

Read project status for the current distinction between automated tests, tests executed on the phone, and live model/device use.

License & acknowledgments

Chelus is MIT licensed and adapts ideas from Hermes Agent. It is independent of Nous Research. See the repository’s NOTICE for attribution.

Found a gap? Open an issue or consult the source documentation.