Economist CLI is a command-line agent that pairs top-tier coding ability with tooling designed for economic research. Ask it to refactor a codebase, run quantitative experiments, or dig through literature — all without leaving your terminal.

• Top-level coder: Generates and edits complex projects, explains architecture, and automates repetitive engineering work.
• Economics-native toolkit: Optimized prompts, data helpers, and workflow presets built around economic modeling, policy analysis, and reproducible research.
• Proof Helper: Formal reasoning assistant for walkthroughs, counterexamples, and publication-ready argument drafts.
• Deep Research: Built-in long-form investigation mode that synthesizes multi-source findings using OpenAI advanced models when available.
• Grounded answers: On-demand web search, Google grounding, and dataset fetch commands keep responses aligned with current information.
• MCP friendly: Works seamlessly with Model Context Protocol servers so you can extend the CLI with your own tools and data connectors.

• Brainstorm research ideas and sketch experimental designs.
• Translate academic papers into executable simulations or dashboards.
• Automate data cleaning, regression pipelines, and report generation.
• Draft policy memos, blog posts, and investor updates directly from analysis outputs.
• Coordinate long-running projects with saved sessions and reproducible notebooks.

Requirements: Node.js 20+ on macOS, Linux, or Windows.

Choose the flow that fits your setup:

# Try immediately
npx @careresearch/econ-agent

# Install globally
npm install -g @careresearch/econ-agent

# Local clone (contribute or customize)
git clone https://github.com/yigitokar/economist-cli
cd economist-cli
npm install && npm run build

• No local .env is required for npm installs. The CLI uses built-in defaults and calls provider APIs via Supabase Edge Function proxies.
• When you run economist, the CLI links your device, mints a token, and authenticates to the proxies using X-CLI-Token.
• Your provider keys (OpenAI / Gemini) live server-side in Supabase and never on the client.

1. Launch the CLI (device-link): Run economist. The CLI will display a short code and open your browser to /sign-up. Sign in with Google (via Supabase Auth). In production, you’ll be routed through Stripe Checkout. When onboarding completes, the web app calls finalize‑link to mint a CLI token and the CLI signs you in automatically.
2. Dev/test FREE_MODE (optional): In development, Stripe is skipped and /sign-up calls finalize‑link directly. You can manage auth from within the CLI: /login to re‑run device‑link, /whoami to check status, and /sign‑out to clear the local token.
3. Optional BYOK: If you prefer to use your own provider keys locally, set OPENAI_API_KEY (for Deep Research) and/or GEMINI_API_KEY (for direct Gemini usage). Otherwise, the CLI will use the Supabase proxies with server‑side keys.
4. Project context (optional): Drop an ECON.md or .economist/context.md file in your repo to preload research goals, datasets, or style guidance.

Optional BYOK .env snippet:

GEMINI_API_KEY=your-gemini-key   # Optional; if omitted, Gemini calls use the Supabase proxy
OPENAI_API_KEY=your-openai-key   # Optional; if omitted, Deep Research uses the Supabase proxy
GOOGLE_API_KEY=your-grounding-key # Optional for Vertex/grounding use cases

# Open an interactive workspace in the current project
economist

# Include extra folders when building context
economist --include-directories ../data --include-directories ../models

# Run a one-off prompt without entering the UI
economist --prompt "Design a DSGE calibration workflow for the attached data"

# Manage installed MCP servers
economist mcp list

Inside the interactive session, open the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + K) to launch Proof Helper, Deep Research, and other specialist tools.

Use economist --help at any time to explore available commands and flags.

• Read the docs in docs/ for advanced configuration and MCP integrations.
• File feedback or feature requests via GitHub Issues.
• Licensed under Apache-2.0.