ask Command

Ask questions and get answers from MyDeskBot.

Usage

mydeskbot ask [options] <question>

Options

Option	Alias	Description	Default
--model	-m	AI model to use	Configured model
--temperature	-t	Temperature (0.0-2.0)	1.0
--max-tokens	-n	Max response tokens	4096
--context	-c	Include context from files	false
--code	-C	Include code context	false
--format	-f	Output format (text, markdown, json)	markdown
--output	-o	Output file	-
--no-stream		Disable streaming	false
--history	-H	Show conversation history	false
--continue		Continue from last conversation	false
--help	-h	Show help	-

Examples

Basic Question

mydeskbot ask "How do I reverse a string in Python?"

With Custom Model

mydeskbot ask -m gpt-4 "Explain quantum computing"

With Code Context

mydeskbot ask --code "Review this function for bugs"

Save to File

mydeskbot ask "Generate API documentation" -o docs/api.md

JSON Output

mydeskbot ask "What is 2+2?" --format json

Continue Conversation

# First question
mydeskbot ask "What is React?"

# Continue with follow-up
mydeskbot ask --continue "How do I install it?"

Use Cases

1. Quick Questions

mydeskbot ask "What's the difference between let and const in JavaScript?"

2. Code Explanation

mydeskbot ask --code "Explain what this function does"

3. Best Practices

mydeskbot ask "What are best practices for REST API design?"

4. Troubleshooting

mydeskbot ask "Why is my React component not re-rendering?"

5. Learning

mydeskbot ask "Explain how machine learning works"

Code Context

When using --code, MyDeskBot can read and analyze code files:

# Include specific file
mydeskbot ask --code src/utils/helper.js "Add error handling"

# Include multiple files
mydeskbot ask --code src/ --recursive "Refactor for better performance"

Output Formats

Text

mydeskbot ask --format text "What is AI?"

Markdown (Default)

mydeskbot ask --format markdown "Create a README"

JSON

mydeskbot ask --format json "List 5 colors"

Output:

{
  "response": "1. Red\n2. Blue\n3. Green\n4. Yellow\n5. Purple",
  "model": "gpt-4o",
  "tokens": 50
}

Conversation History

View conversation history:

mydeskbot ask --history

Continue from last conversation:

mydeskbot ask --continue "Tell me more"

Tips

1. Be Specific

# Good
mydeskbot ask "How do I implement JWT authentication in Node.js with Express?"

# Less specific
mydeskbot ask "How to auth?"

2. Use Context

# With code context
mydeskbot ask --code "Refactor this for better performance"

# Without context (less helpful)
mydeskbot ask "How to optimize code?"

3. Save Useful Responses

mydeskbot ask "Generate a .gitignore template" -o .gitignore

4. Chain Commands

# Ask and execute
mydeskbot ask "Create a React component" | xargs echo

Advanced Usage

Streaming

# Streaming is enabled by default
mydeskbot ask "Explain microservices"

# Disable streaming
mydeskbot ask --no-stream "Explain microservices"

Temperature Control

# Low temperature (more focused)
mydeskbot ask -t 0.2 "Generate SQL query"

# High temperature (more creative)
mydeskbot ask -t 1.5 "Write a story"

Context Files

# Include README
mydeskbot ask --context README.md "Add installation instructions"

# Include multiple files
mydeskbot ask -c README.md -c package.json "Update documentation"

Common Questions

Q: How do I include my codebase?

mydeskbot ask --code ./src/ "Review this code"

Q: Can I save responses?

mydeskbot ask "Generate documentation" -o docs.md

Q: How do I continue a conversation?

mydeskbot ask --continue "More details please"

See Also

• exec Command
• chat Command
• config Command