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Starting Devin for Terminal

By default, sessions happen in a REPL, a graphical terminal interface where you can chat back and forth and observe Devin’s actions.
devin                           # Start interactive REPL (no prompt)
devin -- your prompt here        # Start REPL with initial prompt
devin -p -- "prompt"            # Single-turn, no REPL: print response to stdout and exits
Use -- before your prompt so it is interpreted as a prompt and not a subcommand.
Single-turn mode (-p) is great for scripts and automations.
Type @ in the prompt input to open autocomplete for local files/directories. Selecting one adds it as context for your message.
You can paste images from your clipboard with Ctrl+V. Attached images appear in the input area and can be managed with Left/Right to navigate and Backspace to remove.

Modes

Devin for Terminal supports 3 built-in modes: Normal, Plan, and Bypass.

Normal

Auto-approves read-only tools, asks for permission for write/execute operations.
/normal
# or
/mode normal
This is the default mode.
Planning-only mode. The agent excels at creating detailed, code-grounded implementation plans. It has access to all tools but doesn’t make changes.
/plan
# or
/mode plan
Auto-approves all tool calls, including writes and shell commands.
/bypass
# or
/mode bypass
You can also start in bypass mode:
devin --permission-mode bypass
Aliases: /yolo, /dangerous
Bypass mode does not override organization-level permissions configured by your admin via Team Settings. Admin-enforced deny and ask rules remain active even in bypass mode.

Session History

Your conversation history is saved so you can resume a session later.
devin -c              # Continue the most recent session in the current directory
devin --continue

devin -r              # Pick from recent sessions
devin --resume

Slash Commands

You can use these commands while in an active session.
CommandDescription
/helpSee all available commands
/exit or /quitExit the application
/clearClear conversation history (start fresh)
You can also type exit or quit as plain text (without the / prefix) to exit.

Mode Switching

CommandDescription
/modeShow current mode
/mode <name>Switch mode (normal, plan, bypass)
/normalSwitch to Normal mode (default)
/planSwitch to Plan mode
/bypassSwitch to Bypass mode (aliases: /yolo, /dangerous)

Model Switching

CommandDescription
/modelShow model selector
/model <name>Switch model (swe, opus, sonnet, gpt)

Session Management

CommandDescription
/lsList recent sessions in current directory (alias: /list-sessions)
/ls --allList all sessions across all directories
/continueResume most recent session
/continue <id>Resume session by ID

Workspace

CommandDescription
/workspaceList workspace directories (alias: /workspaces)
/add-dir <path>Add additional workspace directory

Automation

CommandDescription
/loop <prompt>Run a prompt then auto-review the diff in a loop (requires clean git state to start)

Extensibility

CommandDescription
/hooksList all loaded hooks with their IDs, event types, and source paths

Account & System

CommandDescription
/loginAuthenticate with your account
/logoutClear stored credentials
/updateCheck for and install updates
/upgradeUpgrade your subscription plan
/bugSubmit a bug report
/compactForce conversation compaction

Key Shortcuts

Here are the most important keyboard shortcuts. See Keyboard Shortcuts for the full reference.
ShortcutDescription
Shift+TabCycle between modes (Normal, Plan, Bypass)
Ctrl+CClear input text, or cancel the running agent
EscCancel the running agent
Shift+EnterInsert a newline (multi-line input)
Ctrl+VPaste image from clipboard
Ctrl+GOpen external editor
Ctrl+OOpen full-screen thinking trace viewer
@Mention files to add as context

Agent Question Shortcuts

When the agent asks a multi-choice question, these shortcuts are available:
ShortcutDescription
Up / DownMove between options
SpaceToggle selection (multi-select questions)
e or Shift+EnterType a custom answer for the selected option
Tab / Shift+TabNavigate between questions (multi-question panels)
?Ask the agent to help you decide
EnterSubmit your answer
EscCancel typing / exit text editing