A lightweight, portable shell library for detecting whether code is being executed by an AI coding agent. Used by ai-aligned-git and ai-aligned-gh to provide proper AI attribution.

AI coding agents like Claude Code, Gemini, Cursor, and others are increasingly common in development workflows. Detecting when code is running under AI control enables:

• Proper attribution: Ensure AI-generated commits are attributed correctly
• Safety guardrails: Prevent dangerous operations when AI is in control
• Transparency: Track AI involvement in your codebase
• Different behaviors: Apply different policies for human vs AI execution

# Download
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/trieloff/am-i-ai/main/am-i-ai.sh -o am-i-ai.sh
chmod +x am-i-ai.sh

# Detect current AI
./am-i-ai.sh
# Output: "claude" (or "none" if not AI)

# Check if AI (exit code 0 = AI, 1 = not AI)
if ./am-i-ai.sh --check; then
    echo "Running under AI control"
fi

# Debug mode to see detection logic
./am-i-ai.sh --debug

# Source the library
source /path/to/am-i-ai.sh

# Simple check
if ami_is_ai; then
    echo "AI detected: $(ami_detect)"
fi

# Get AI tool information
AI_TOOL=$(ami_detect)
if [ "$AI_TOOL" != "none" ]; then
    echo "Name: $(ami_get_name $AI_TOOL)"
    echo "Email: $(ami_get_email $AI_TOOL)"
fi

# See all detected AIs (when multiple tools are nested)
ami_detect_all

am-i-ai uses a robust two-phase detection approach:

1. Phase 1: Environment Variables - Fast check for AI-specific environment variables
2. Phase 2: Process Tree - Walk up the process tree looking for AI tool signatures

This ensures reliable detection even when AI tools don't set environment variables.

Zed presents a unique challenge because it sets environment variables for all terminals, not just AI-controlled ones. am-i-ai distinguishes between:

• Human via git panel: ZED_ENVIRONMENT set, SHLVL=1, no terminal vars
• Human via terminal: Parent process is an interactive shell (bash, zsh, etc.)
• Zed AI agent: ZED_ENVIRONMENT set, SHLVL>1, parent is NOT an interactive shell

When multiple AI tools are detected (e.g., Claude running inside Cursor), the more specific tool takes precedence:

Amp > Codex > Aider > Claude > Gemini > Qwen > Droid > OpenCode >
Cursor > Copilot > Kimi > OpenHands > Cline > Roo > Windsurf >
Crush > Goose > Zed

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/trieloff/am-i-ai/main/am-i-ai.sh \
    -o ~/.local/lib/am-i-ai.sh

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/trieloff/am-i-ai/main/install.sh | sh

Add as a git submodule or copy the file directly:

# Submodule
git submodule add https://github.com/trieloff/am-i-ai.git vendor/am-i-ai

# Or direct download
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/trieloff/am-i-ai/main/am-i-ai.sh \
    -o lib/am-i-ai.sh

# Test environment variable detection
CLAUDECODE=1 ./am-i-ai.sh
# Output: claude

# Test with debug output
AMI_DEBUG=true GEMINI_CLI=1 ./am-i-ai.sh
# Shows detailed detection process

# Test all detection
CLAUDECODE=1 CURSOR_AI=1 ./am-i-ai.sh --all
# Output: claude cursor

To add detection for a new AI tool:

1. Identify the environment variables and/or process names
2. Add detection in ami_check_env() for environment variables
3. Add detection in ami_check_ps_tree() for process tree
4. Add the tool to priority order in ami_detect()
5. Add name and email in ami_get_name() and ami_get_email()
6. Submit a pull request

Part of the AI Ecoverse - tools for AI-assisted development:

• ai-aligned-git - Git wrapper for safe AI commits (uses am-i-ai)
• ai-aligned-gh - GitHub CLI wrapper for AI attribution (uses am-i-ai)
• yolo - AI CLI launcher with worktree isolation
• as-a-bot - GitHub App token broker
• vibe-coded-badge-action - AI contribution badges
• gh-workflow-peek - GitHub Actions log filtering
• upskill - Install Claude/Agent skills

Apache 2.0 - See LICENSE for details.