Launch Options

When running applications from a terminal they might provide options, they are used to parse extra context to the app making possible integrations, automizations and other cool stuff. Alpaca also provides options!

How To Use Options

Depending on how you installed Alpaca, the command might be exposed in a different way.

Flatpak

flatpak run com.jeffser.Alpaca --help

Snap

jeffser-alpaca.alpaca --help

System Package (Arch Linux AUR, Nixpkgs)

alpaca --help

---

Available Options

-h --help

Outputs the launch options and their descriptions.

• Doesn't open Alpaca
• Works whilst Alpaca is open

$ alpaca --help
usage: alpaca [-h] [--version] [--new-chat "CHAT"] [--list-chats] [--select-chat "CHAT"] [--ask "MESSAGE"]

Alpaca

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --version             Display the application version and exit.
  --new-chat "CHAT"     Start a new chat with the specified title.
  --list-chats          Display all the current chats
  --select-chat "CHAT"  Select a chat on launch
  --ask "MESSAGE"       Open quick ask with message

--version

Outputs the version of Alpaca installed.

• Doesn't open Alpaca
• Works whilst Alpaca is open

$ alpaca --version
Alpaca version 2.9.0

--new-chat "NAME"

Creates a new chat with the specified title, if it already exists a number will be added at the end.

• Opens Alpaca
• Works whilst Alpaca is open

$ alpaca --new-chat "Example"

--list-chats

Lists all the chats, separated by a line jump or \n.

• Doesn't open Alpaca
• Works whilst Alpaca is open
• Used by Gnome search

$ alpaca --list-chats
Gnu-Linux.
Hello World In Python, Java, C++
My Abilities
Hatsune Miku
Song Analysis Request
Arch Terminal

--select-chat "NAME"

Opens the specified chat.

• Opens Alpaca
• Works whilst Alpaca is open
• Used by Gnome search

$ alpaca --select-chat "Hatsune Miku"

--ask "MESSAGE"

Opens ephemeral window to ask a quick question, doesn't save results automatically but there's a button in the GUI for that, it uses the default model set in the preferences dialog inside Alpaca.

• Doesn't open Alpaca
• Opens quick ask ephemeral window
• Works whilst Alpaca is open
• Used by Gnome search

$ alpaca --ask "Hi, what can you do?"