How to set up and use ChatGPT in Linux terminal command line, and how to set up and use ChatGPT in Linux terminal Centos? These are common questions I have seen most people ask on ChatGPT Reddit groups.
The brutal truth is that most people who want to install ChatGPT in Linux find it difficult to do so because of some level of technicalities required and common possible glitches one might encounter during the installation processes.
Obviously, ChatGPT is a powerful artificial intelligence chatbot that can generate natural language responses based on any text input. It can converse on various topics, write stories, code, instructions, and more. It is based on OpenAI’s GPT-3 model, which is one of the most advanced language models in the world.
ShellGPT is a command line tool that allows you to access ChatGPT from your linux terminal. It sends your text prompts and your ChatGPT API key to ChatGPT and displays the response in your terminal. It also lets you control the chatbot’s behavior and settings using special commands.
You will need some basic knowledge of linux commands and Python to follow this guide. By the end of this article, you will be able to install and use ChatGPT in Linux terminal with the help of Shell GPT.
Prerequisites to install ChatGPT on Linux
Before you can install and use ChatGPT in Linux terminal, you will need to have the following prerequisites:
- Python: You will need Python 3.6 or higher to run ShellGPT. You can check if you have Python installed by typing `python –version` in your terminal. If you don’t have Python installed, you can follow this guide to install it on your Linux system.
- Pip: You will need pip, the Python package manager, to install ShellGPT and its dependencies. You can check if you have pip installed by typing `pip –version` in your terminal. If you don’t have pip installed, you can follow this guide to install it on your Linux system.
- Virtual environment: You will need a virtual environment to isolate ShellGPT from your system python files and libraries. This will prevent any potential conflicts or errors. You can create a virtual environment using the Python module `venv`. You can check if you have `venv` installed by typing `python -m venv –help` in your terminal. If you don’t have `venv` installed, you can install it by typing `sudo apt install python3-venv` in your terminal.
- ChatGPT API key: You will need a ChatGPT API key to access the chatbot service from OpenAI. You can get a free API key by signing up on the OpenAI website. You will need to provide some basic information and agree to the terms of service. Once you have your API key, you will need to export it as an environment variable so that ShellGPT can use it.
How to install shell GPT in Linux to run ChatGPT
Once you have all the prerequisites ready, you can proceed with the installation of ShellGPT. Follow these steps:
1. Create a virtual environment for ShellGPT in your preferred directory.
For example, you can create a directory called `shellgpt` and then create a virtual environment inside it by typing `python -m venv shellgpt` in your terminal.
2. Activate the virtual environment by typing `source shellgpt/bin/activate` in your terminal. You should see `(shellgpt)` at the beginning of your prompt, indicating that you are in the virtual environment.
3. Install ShellGPT using pip by typing `pip install shellgpt` in your terminal. This will download and install ShellGPT and its dependencies in your virtual environment.
4. Export your ChatGPT API key as an environment variable by typing `export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx` in your terminal, replacing `sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx` with your actual API key. You can also add this line to your `.bashrc` file so that you don’t have to type it every time you open a new terminal.
How to use ChatGPT in Linux Terminal
Now that you have installed ShellGPT, you can start using ChatGPT in your linux terminal. Follow these steps:
- Launch ShellGPT by typing `shellgpt` in your terminal. You should see a welcome message and a prompt that looks like this: `>>>`
- Enter any text prompt that you want to send to ChatGPT and press enter. For example, you can type `Hello, how are you?` and press enter. You should see a response from ChatGPT that looks like this: `Hello, I’m fine, thank you. How are you?`
- You can continue the conversation by entering more text prompts and getting more responses from ChatGPT. You can also use special commands to control the chatbot behavior and settings. To see a list of available commands, type `!help` and press enter. You should see a message that looks like this:
Available commands to play around with ChatGPT in Lunix Terminal:
- !new: Start a new conversation with ChatGPT
- !quit: Quit the program
- !engine [engine]: Set the engine to use (default: davinci)
- !temp [value]: Set the temperature to use (default: 0.5)
- !penalty [value]: Set the frequency penalty to use (default: 0.0)
- !mode [mode]: Set the mode to use (default: chat)
- !save [filename]: Save the current conversation to a file
- !load [filename]: Load a conversation from a file
- !help: Show this help message
How to get the most out of ChatGPT in Linux Terminal
Here are some tips and tricks to make the most out of ChatGPT in Linux terminal using ShellGPT:
You can customize the prompt, engine, temperature, and frequency penalty parameters to change how ChatGPT generates responses. The prompt is the text that appears before your input, such as `>>>`. The engine is the model that ChatGPT uses to generate responses, such as `davinci`, `curie`, or `ada`. The temperature is a value between 0 and 1 that controls how creative or random ChatGPT is, with higher values being more creative and lower values being more conservative. The frequency penalty is a value between 0 and 1 that controls how much ChatGPT avoids repeating itself or using common words, with higher values being more diverse and lower values being more repetitive. You can use the `!engine`, `!temp`, and `!penalty` commands to set these parameters, or you can pass them as arguments when launching ShellGPT, such as `shellgpt –prompt “>>>” –engine curie –temp 0.7 –penalty 0.2`.
You can use different modes to change how ChatGPT interprets your input and generates responses. The default mode is `chat`, which is suitable for general conversations on various topics. You can also use other modes such as `story`, which lets you write a collaborative story with ChatGPT; `code`, which lets you write code snippets with ChatGPT; and `instruct`, which lets you ask ChatGPT to perform tasks or provide instructions. You can use the `!mode` command to set the mode, or you can pass it as an argument when launching ShellGPT, such as `shellgpt –mode story`.
You can save and load conversations with ChatGPT using the `!save` and `!load` commands. This can be useful if you want to resume a conversation later or share it with others. The conversations are saved as plain text files in your current directory, with each line starting with either `[User]` or `[ChatGPT]` to indicate who said what.
FAQs
How do I exit ShellGPT?
You can exit ShellGPT by typing `!quit` or pressing Ctrl+C in your terminal.
How do I get more information about a command or parameter in ShellGPT?
You can get more information about a command or parameter in ShellGPT by typing `!help [command]` or `!help [parameter]` in your terminal. For example, you can type `!help !engine` or `!help temp` to get more information about the engine and temperature parameters.
How do I change the language of ChatGPT?
You can change the language of ChatGPT by using the `–language` argument when launching ShellGPT, such as `shellgpt –language fr`. This will set the language of ChatGPT to French. You can also use other languages such as `es` for Spanish, `de` for German, `zh` for Chinese, and more. You can see the full list of supported languages by typing `shellgpt –help`.
How do I chat with ChatGPT on other platforms or devices?
You can chat with ChatGPT on other platforms or devices by using the ChatGPT Playground, which is a web-based interface that lets you try out ChatGPT without installing anything. You can also use other applications or integrations that use the ChatGPT API, such as Telegram, Discord, Slack, and more. You can find some examples of these applications and integrations on the OpenAI website.
Conclusion
In this article, I have shown you how to install and use ChatGPT in Linux terminal using ShellGPT. I have covered the prerequisites, installation, usage, and tips and tricks of this amazing tool that lets you chat with one of the most advanced AI chatbots in the world. I hope that you find this guide helpful for a