--- name: blackbox-6cd96ccabb85 description: Delegate coding tasks to the Blackbox AI multi-model CLI. version: 1.0.1 author: Hermes Agent (Nous Research) license: MIT platforms: [linux, macos, windows] metadata: hermes: tags: [Coding-Agent, Blackbox, Multi-Agent, Judge, Multi-Model] related_skills: [claude-code, codex, hermes-agent] --- # Blackbox CLI Delegate coding tasks to [Blackbox AI](https://www.blackbox.ai/) via the Hermes terminal. Blackbox is a multi-model coding agent CLI that dispatches tasks to multiple LLMs (Claude, Codex, Gemini, Blackbox Pro) and uses a judge to select the best implementation. The CLI (npm `@blackbox_ai/blackbox-cli`, binary `blackbox`) is a TypeScript coding agent (forked from Gemini CLI) and supports interactive sessions, non-interactive one-shots, checkpointing, MCP, and vision model switching. ## Prerequisites - Node.js 20+ installed - Blackbox CLI installed: `npm install -g @blackbox_ai/blackbox-cli` (binary: `blackbox`) - API key from [app.blackbox.ai/dashboard](https://app.blackbox.ai/dashboard) - Configured: run `blackbox configure` and enter your API key - Use `pty=true` in terminal calls — Blackbox CLI is an interactive terminal app ## One-Shot Tasks ``` terminal(command="blackbox --prompt 'Add JWT authentication with refresh tokens to the Express API'", workdir="/path/to/project", pty=true) ``` For quick scratch work: ``` terminal(command="cd $(mktemp -d) && git init && blackbox --prompt 'Build a REST API for todos with SQLite'", pty=true) ``` ## Background Mode (Long Tasks) For tasks that take minutes, use background mode so you can monitor progress: ``` # Start in background with PTY terminal(command="blackbox --prompt 'Refactor the auth module to use OAuth 2.0'", workdir="~/project", background=true, pty=true) # Returns session_id # Monitor progress process(action="poll", session_id="") process(action="log", session_id="") # Send input if Blackbox asks a question process(action="submit", session_id="", data="yes") # Kill if needed process(action="kill", session_id="") ``` ## Checkpoints & Resume Blackbox CLI has built-in checkpoint support for pausing and resuming tasks: ``` # After a task completes, Blackbox shows a checkpoint tag # Resume with a follow-up task: terminal(command="blackbox --resume-checkpoint 'task-abc123-2026-03-06' --prompt 'Now add rate limiting to the endpoints'", workdir="~/project", pty=true) ``` ## Session Commands During an interactive session, use these commands: | Command | Effect | |---------|--------| | `/compress` | Shrink conversation history to save tokens | | `/clear` | Wipe history and start fresh | | `/stats` | View current token usage | | `Ctrl+C` | Cancel current operation | ## PR Reviews Clone to a temp directory to avoid modifying the working tree: ``` terminal(command="REVIEW=$(mktemp -d) && git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW && cd $REVIEW && gh pr checkout 42 && blackbox --prompt 'Review this PR against main. Check for bugs, security issues, and code quality.'", pty=true) ``` ## Parallel Work Spawn multiple Blackbox instances for independent tasks: ``` terminal(command="blackbox --prompt 'Fix the login bug'", workdir="~/.hermes/cache/scratch/issue-1", background=true, pty=true) terminal(command="blackbox --prompt 'Add unit tests for auth'", workdir="~/.hermes/cache/scratch/issue-2", background=true, pty=true) # Monitor all process(action="list") ``` ## Multi-Model Mode Blackbox's unique feature is running the same task through multiple models and judging the results. Configure which models to use via `blackbox configure` — select multiple providers to enable the Chairman/judge workflow where the CLI evaluates outputs from different models and picks the best one. ## Key Flags | Flag | Effect | |------|--------| | `--prompt "task"` (`-p`) | Non-interactive one-shot execution | | `--resume-checkpoint "tag"` | Resume from a saved checkpoint | | `--yolo` (`-y`) | Auto-approve all actions and model switches | | `--vlm-switch-mode ` | Image-handling: `once`, `session`, or `persist` | | `-c, --checkpointing` | Enable checkpointing of file edits | | `blackbox configure` | Change settings, providers, models | | `blackbox update` | Update the CLI to the latest version | | `blackbox mcp` | Manage MCP servers | | `blackbox extensions` | Manage CLI extensions | | `blackbox voice ` / `blackbox shortcut` | Configure voice input / the `b` shortcut | ## Vision Support Blackbox automatically detects images in input and can switch to multimodal analysis. VLM modes: - `"once"` — Switch model for current query only - `"session"` — Switch for entire session - `"persist"` — Stay on current model (no switch) ## Token Limits Control token usage via `.blackboxcli/settings.json`: ```json { "sessionTokenLimit": 32000 } ``` ## Rules 1. **Always use `pty=true`** — Blackbox CLI is an interactive terminal app and will hang without a PTY 2. **Use `workdir`** — keep the agent focused on the right directory 3. **Background for long tasks** — use `background=true` and monitor with `process` tool 4. **Don't interfere** — monitor with `poll`/`log`, don't kill sessions because they're slow 5. **Report results** — after completion, check what changed and summarize for the user 6. **Credits cost money** — Blackbox uses a credit-based system; multi-model mode consumes credits faster 7. **Check prerequisites** — verify `blackbox` CLI is installed before attempting delegation --- Source attribution: NousResearch Original project: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/blob/557254faa24ef5d86f67595c4c64dc61644d0f68/optional-skills/autonomous-ai-agents/blackbox/SKILL.md License: MIT License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub. ## Upstream license notice MIT License Copyright (c) 2025 Nous Research Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. # Mega AI Hub resource metadata Creator / publisher: NousResearch Original project: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/blob/557254faa24ef5d86f67595c4c64dc61644d0f68/optional-skills/autonomous-ai-agents/blackbox/SKILL.md Attribution basis: Source repository record Fields of work: Development & Engineering, Product Management Roles: Backend Developer, ML / AI Engineer, Technical Product Manager, Product Manager, DevOps / SRE Specialties: Backend, API Tools: Blackbox Country applicability: Country not specified Classification basis: Source category, role and specialization labels Instruction SHA-256: b70ff70c38eb1254932573c039ce92a6bbcb6b8900fd8993b570c043e0ef81e6