cai/docs/queue_file_feature.md

CAI Queue File Feature

Overview

CAI now supports automatically loading and executing a queue of prompts from a text file on startup. This is useful for batch processing, automated workflows, or pre-loading common tasks. The prompts will be executed automatically one by one without requiring user interaction.

Usage

1. Set the Environment Variable

export CAI_QUEUE_FILE="/path/to/your/prompts.txt"

2. Create a Queue File

Create a text file with one prompt per line:

# Comments start with # and are ignored
/help
What are your cybersecurity capabilities?
/agent list
Scan the network 192.168.1.0/24
Check for vulnerabilities in https://example.com
$ nmap -sV localhost
/history
Generate a security report

3. Start CAI

The prompts will be automatically loaded and executed when you start CAI:

# Regular mode - prompts run automatically
CAI_QUEUE_FILE=~/my_prompts.txt cai

# TUI mode - prompts run automatically
CAI_QUEUE_FILE=~/my_prompts.txt cai --tui

CAI will:

1. Load all prompts from the file
2. Display a message showing how many prompts were loaded
3. Automatically start processing each prompt in order
4. Return to normal interactive mode when the queue is empty

4. Manual Loading

You can also load a queue file manually using the queue command:

CAI> /queue load ~/another_prompts.txt

Features

• Auto-loading: Queue file is loaded automatically on startup if CAI_QUEUE_FILE is set
• Auto-execution: Prompts are executed automatically in sequence without user interaction
• Comments: Lines starting with # are ignored
• Empty lines: Blank lines are skipped
• Any prompt type: Supports commands (/help), shell commands ($ ls), bare ? (CLI headless input shortcuts), and regular prompts
• Works in both modes: Compatible with regular CLI and TUI modes
• Seamless transition: Returns to interactive mode after queue is processed

Example Queue File

# Security Assessment Workflow
# First, check the environment
/agent list
/model

# Network reconnaissance
Scan the network 192.168.1.0/24 for open ports
$ nmap -sV -p- 192.168.1.1

# Web application testing
Check https://example.com for common vulnerabilities
Test for SQL injection on the login form
Analyze the SSL/TLS configuration

# Reporting
Generate a comprehensive security report
/history

Tips

• Use queue files to standardize workflows across team members
• Create different queue files for different types of assessments
• Combine with parallel mode for concurrent execution
• Queue items are processed in order, one at a time
• Add /exit at the end to quit CAI after processing
• You can interrupt processing at any time with Ctrl+C
• The queue continues from where it left off if you resume