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AI-Powered Commands

Natural language interface for azlin using Claude AI.

Overview

Execute azlin commands using natural language. No need to remember exact syntax - just describe what you want in plain English.

Available Commands

Natural Language Interface

  • azlin do - Execute commands using natural language
  • VM management with plain English
  • Cost analysis and optimization
  • Resource cleanup
  • File operations

Requirements

Set up your Anthropic API key:

# Get API key from https://console.anthropic.com/
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here

# Or add to shell profile
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Quick Start Examples

VM Management

# Create VMs
azlin do "create a new vm called Sam"
azlin do "create 5 test vms"

# Start/stop
azlin do "start my development vm"
azlin do "stop all idle vms"

# Status
azlin do "show me all my vms"
azlin do "what vms are running"

Cost Management

# View costs
azlin do "what are my azure costs"
azlin do "show me costs by vm"
azlin do "what's my spending this month"

# Optimization
azlin do "stop expensive vms"
azlin do "delete vms costing more than $5/day"

File Operations

# Sync
azlin do "sync all my vms"
azlin do "sync my home directory to vm Sam"

# Copy
azlin do "copy myproject to the vm"
azlin do "upload this folder to all test vms"

Resource Cleanup

# Safe deletion with dry-run
azlin do "delete vm called test-123" --dry-run
azlin do "delete vm called test-123"

# Bulk cleanup
azlin do "delete all test vms"
azlin do "remove vms older than 30 days"

How It Works

The azlin do command uses Claude AI to:

  1. Parse your natural language request
  2. Plan the appropriate azlin commands
  3. Confirm actions before executing (unless --yes)
  4. Execute commands
  5. Report results

Example Session

$ azlin do "create a new vm called Sam and sync my code to it"

Understanding request: "create a new vm called Sam and sync my code to it"

Plan:
  1. azlin new --name Sam
  2. azlin batch sync Sam

Confidence: 98%

Execute these commands? [Y/n]: y

Creating VM 'Sam'...
✓ VM created successfully (Sam)
  IP: 20.123.45.67
  Status: Running

Syncing to Sam...
✓ Sync complete (1.2 GB in 45s)

All operations completed successfully.

Safety Features

Confirmation Required

By default, commands require confirmation:

$ azlin do "delete all test vms"

Plan:
  1. azlin kill test-vm-1
  2. azlin kill test-vm-2
  3. azlin kill test-vm-3

⚠ This will DELETE 3 VMs permanently!

Confirm deletion? [y/N]:

Dry-Run Mode

Preview without executing:

$ azlin do "stop all vms" --dry-run

DRY-RUN MODE - No changes will be made

Plan:
  1. azlin stop vm-1
  2. azlin stop vm-2
  3. azlin stop vm-3

Would stop 3 VMs (estimated savings: $12.50/day)

Skip Confirmation

For automation:

# Skip confirmation prompts
azlin do "start dev-vm" --yes

# Combine with dry-run for safe testing
azlin do "cleanup resources" --dry-run --yes

Supported Operations

VM Lifecycle

  • Create VMs with names and configurations
  • Start and stop VMs
  • Delete VMs individually or in bulk
  • Clone VMs with new names
  • List and filter VMs

Monitoring

  • View VM status
  • Check running processes
  • Monitor resource usage
  • View costs and spending

File Management

  • Sync home directories
  • Copy files and folders
  • Upload and download content
  • Batch file operations

Cost Optimization

  • Identify expensive resources
  • Stop idle VMs
  • Delete unused VMs
  • View cost breakdowns

Best Practices

Be Specific

# Good: Specific VM name
azlin do "start vm called dev-server"

# Less specific: May need clarification
azlin do "start the development one"

Use Dry-Run for Destructive Operations

# Always test deletions first
azlin do "delete old test vms" --dry-run
azlin do "delete old test vms"

Combine Operations

# Multi-step operations in one command
azlin do "create vm called api-server and sync the backend folder"

Check Costs Regularly

# Monitor spending
azlin do "show my costs this week"
azlin do "which vms cost the most"

Limitations

What Works Well

  • VM management operations
  • Cost queries and analysis
  • File sync and copy operations
  • Resource listing and status
  • Start/stop/delete operations

What Needs Manual Commands

  • Complex networking configuration
  • Custom VM sizes with specific requirements
  • Advanced storage configuration
  • Detailed tagging operations

For complex operations, use direct azlin commands with full control.

See Also