AntOS Quickstart

A getting-started guide to the AntOS command line. AntOS is the Luau-based OS that runs on the DeMon supervisor (the Raspberry Pi CM5, running Linux) of the Ant64. You type commands at the console; each command is a Lua script. This guide covers the commands you'll reach for first and the one convention that ties them all together.

The argument convention (read this first)

Every command shares one argument style. Once you know it, you know how to drive all of them. There are three kinds of argument:

Prefix	Meaning	Example
`*Word`	a main parameter — a bare value fills it, in order	`copy a.txt b.txt`
`+Word`	takes a value (the next token)	`ping ant64.com +count 3`
`-Word`	a boolean flag (on/off)	`dir -all`

Two rules make it fast to type:

*Bare values fill the `slots in order.**copy source dest—source fills the first*,dest` the second. You don't name them.
The CAPITAL letter marks the shortest abbreviation. -All also matches -a and -al; +Count matches +c, +co, +cou. Case doesn't matter. So ping ant64.com +c 3 -q is the same as ping ant64.com +count 3 -quiet.

Every command supports ? for help. Type the command followed by ? to see its description, usage, and a list of its arguments:

dir ?
ping ?

That's the fastest way to learn any command you don't remember — the help is generated from the command's own argument list, so it's always accurate.

Getting around the filesystem

AntOS uses drive letters (like C:, D:) rather than a single Unix-style root. D: is the system database filesystem (DBFS); other letters may be plain storage or network shares.

Command	Does	Example
`dir`	list a directory	`dir` · `dir -long -all` · `dir +path D:/scripts`
`cd`	change directory (no arg = print current)	`cd D:/scripts` · `cd`
`pwd`	print the current directory	`pwd`
`find`	search a tree recursively	`find D:/ +name .lua +type f`
`tree`	show a directory as a tree	`tree` · `tree -all -long`
`stat`	show a file's metadata	`stat myfile.txt`

dir is the workhorse. Bare dir lists the current directory; -long adds detail (sizes, dates); -all includes hidden dot-files; +path <dir> lists somewhere else.

Working with files

The file commands use MS-DOS names as canonical, with the Unix names kept as aliases so muscle memory works either way. Use whichever you prefer.

DOS name	Unix alias	Does	Example
`type`	`cat`	print a file to the screen	`type notes.txt`
`copy`	`cp`	copy a file or directory	`copy a.txt b.txt` · `copy -recurse src/ dst/`
`move`	`mv`, `ren`	move or rename	`move old.txt new.txt`
`del`	`rm`, `erase`	delete (needs `-recurse` for dirs)	`del junk.txt` · `del -recurse olddir/`
`md`	`mkdir`	make a directory	`md newdir`
`write`	—	write text to a file	`write hello.txt Hello world`

Notes:

del won't delete a directory unless you pass -recurse — a small guard against accidents.
type +printer ipp://... (or just type -print) sends a file to a printer instead of the screen.
copy and move take two bare arguments — source then destination — because both are * parameters.

Networking

AntOS has a full network stack. These are the everyday tools:

Command	Does	Example
`ping`	ICMP ping with live colour output	`ping ant64.com` · `ping 8.8.8.8 +count 10 -graph`
`dns`	resolve a hostname	`dns ant64.com`
`get`	HTTP GET, shows status + timing	`get https://ant64.com` · `get https://api... +out data.json`
`download`	download a URL to a file (progress bar)	`download https://.../file.bin file.bin`
`weather`	terminal weather	`weather London` · `weather -full`
`traceroute`	trace the route to a host	`traceroute ant64.com`
`netstat`	connectivity dashboard	`netstat`
`hostname`	show/set the hostname	`hostname` · `hostname ant64`

ping shows off the convention nicely: ping host +count 3 +timeout 500 -graph — host is the bare * value, +count/+timeout take numbers, -graph adds an RTT sparkline. Abbreviated: ping host +c 3 -g.

System and diagnostics

Command	Does
`ps`	snapshot of all tasks (state, priority, CPU%)
`top`	live task table (refreshes ~10x)
`tasks`	tasks with stack headroom (`-stack` sorts by stack)
`heap`	memory use by region
`uptime`	how long the system has been running
`whoami`	info about the current task
`info <file>`	detailed metadata + tags for a file
`reset`	restart AntOS: `reset warm` (default) or `reset cold`

heap is handy during development — the min column shows the worst-case free headroom since boot.

Running scripts and background tasks

Commands are just Lua scripts, and you can run your own:

Command	Does	Example
`lua`	run Lua code or a file	`lua +eval "print(1+2)"` · `lua myscript.lua`
`run`	run a script and wait for it	`run counter 10 50`
`spawn`	run a script in the background	`spawn watchdog`
`edit`	full-screen text editor	`edit notes.txt`
`eval`	evaluate a Lua expression inline	`eval print(os.time())`

spawn returns immediately (good for long-running things like watchdog); run blocks until the script finishes and shows its output.

A few apps worth knowing

AntOS ships with some larger interactive programs:

fm — a two-pane file manager (navigate, copy, tag, delete)
email — IMAP/SMTP mail client
bbs / telnet — terminal clients for BBSes and telnet hosts
ai — chat with the AI assistant (ai <your question>)
gopher — browse gopherspace
videotext — teletext-style page viewer/editor
settings — open the settings overlay (also mirrored to the netImgui remote UI)

Each takes ? for help, same as everything else.

The on-screen overlay

Alongside the console there's a graphical overlay, and three bits of it are worth knowing from day one:

The top menu. Move the mouse to the very top of the screen and a menu bar slides down — a quick way to open Settings and the wiki without typing a command (system Update will live here too). Move away and it hides again. It sits behind your windows, so if a window is near the top you can still grab its title bar to drag it — and while you're dragging, the menu won't pop up in the way.
Notifications. When something noteworthy happens — a backup completes, someone connects over FTP, a task finishes — a short message slides in at the top and a small marker counts anything you haven't read. Open Alerts from the menu to see the list.
Settings. The settings command (or the menu) opens a panel of live options — network shares, the wiki source, developer mode, and an interface animations on/off switch if you prefer instant, static widgets. Changes take effect immediately.

First five minutes

If you're sitting at a fresh AntOS console, try this:

dir                       list where you are
help                      see the full command index
ps                        what's running
ping ant64.com            confirm networking works
weather London            something fun
ai how do I list files?   ask the built-in assistant

And whenever you're unsure how a command works, the answer is always the same: add ?.

copy ?
find ?

Two things to remember

? is your friend. Every command self-documents. You never have to guess an argument — command ? prints exactly what it accepts.
The capital letter is the shortcut. -All → -a, +Count → +c, -Recurse → -rec. Type as little as you like, as long as it's unambiguous.

That's enough to be productive. The rest is discoverable from the console itself.