Say hello to the Tabstax CLI - Hey CLI - Your Next Actions in Your LLM Workflow

The Problem It Solves - catch a thought before it fades…

hey "validate the signup form"

That’s it. The thought exists now. It’s in your project. Go back to what you were doing.

The Gap Where Ideas Die

You’re mid-flow - coding, debugging, talking to Claude - and a thought surfaces: “Need to check the rate limits on that endpoint.”

In the next three seconds, one of two things happens:

You capture it
It’s gone

Every productivity system fails at this moment. The app is somewhere else. The context switch kills the thought. You tell yourself you’ll remember. You won’t.

hey collapses capture to a single line. No app to open. No project to navigate to. No form to fill out.

hey "check rate limits on /api/users"

Done. It’s in your system. It’s in the right project. Move on.

You’re Always Somewhere

hey doesn’t dump thoughts into an inbox for later sorting. You’re always in a project:

hey which
# → TabStax (Must priority, 3 actions)

hey "add error handling to sync"
# → Added to TabStax

hey use "Client Portal"
# → Switched context

hey "fix the invoice PDF bug"  
# → Added to Client Portal

Like cd in a filesystem. The CLI remembers where you are. Your thoughts land where your head already is.

One Terrain, Every Surface

What you capture in terminal appears instantly in:

The TabStax browser extension
The Attention Blocks dashboard
Any device you’re logged into
Your AI assistant (via hey ls)

Same data. Different views. Capture where you work. See it where you plan.

# 2am in terminal
hey "the auth token needs refresh logic"

# Tomorrow morning, open the extension
# It's there. Waiting. In the right project.

LLMs Get Your Context

When your AI assistant can run hey commands, it sees what you see:

You: "What should I focus on today?"

Claude: *runs hey ls stax*

You have two Must-priority projects:
- API Migration (3 pending actions)
- Client Demo (needs prep before Thursday)

Want me to show the actions for API Migration?

Your AI stops being generic. It knows your projects, your priorities, your next actions. Context flows both ways.

Two Kinds of Capture

Next Actions - what you will do:

hey "write tests for the auth flow"

Breadcrumbs - what you did (your trail):

hey -x "fixed the OAuth callback bug"

Some people think in tasks. Some think in streams. hey serves both.

Everything below this line is reference. The above is why it matters.

You’re deep in your code editor, terminal, or AI assistant. You know exactly what needs to happen next on your project. But to capture that thought, you have to:

Switch to your browser
Find the TabStax extension
Click to open it
Navigate to the right project
Add your next action

By the time you’ve done all that, you’ve lost your flow. The context switch killed your momentum.

Hey CLI brings your Next Actions to where you already work - your terminal, your IDE, your AI assistant.

# You're in your terminal, you just realized something
hey "Add validation to the signup form"

# Done. Back to coding. No context switch.

The Core Insight: LLMs Need Your Context

Modern development increasingly involves AI assistants - Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Copilot. These tools are powerful, but they don’t know what you’re working on across your projects.

Hey CLI bridges this gap.

When you tell your AI assistant to run hey ls, it instantly sees:

All your projects (Stax)
What needs to be done (Next Actions)
What you’ve accomplished (Breadcrumbs)
Your priorities (Must/Should/Good/Meh)

Now your AI has context. It can help you plan, prioritize, and execute.

Installation

npm install -g tabstax-cli

Then authenticate with your TabStax account:

hey login

Don’t have a TabStax account? It’s simple - just go to the Chrome Web Store and install the TabStax extension. Create an account there, and you’ll see all your next actions against each project in both the extension and the CLI.

Quick Start

# Set your default project
hey use "My Project"

# Add a next action (something to do)
hey "Build the login page"

# Add a breadcrumb (something you did)
hey -x "Fixed the auth bug"

# See your actions
hey ls

# Complete an action
hey done 1

Command Reference

Adding Actions

Command	Description
`hey "message"`	Add a next action (future intent)
`hey -x "message"`	Add a breadcrumb (past accomplishment)
`hey "msg" --force`	Add even when at the 7-action limit
`hey -p "project" "msg"`	Add to a specific project

Next Actions vs Breadcrumbs:

Next Action: “Build the API endpoint” → Something you will do
Breadcrumb: “Fixed the login bug” → Something you did

Listing & Viewing

Command	Description
`hey ls`	Show actions for current project
`hey ls stax`	List all your stax with priorities
`hey ls --all`	Expanded view with actions per stax
`hey ls --done`	Show only breadcrumbs (completed)
`hey ls "project"`	Show actions for specific project

Managing Actions

Command	Description
`hey done`	Complete action #1 (first in list)
`hey done 3`	Complete action #3
`hey rm 2`	Remove action #2 (without completing)
`hey edit 1 "new text"`	Edit action #1’s content
`hey mv 3 1`	Move action #3 to position #1

Projects & Priority

Command	Description
`hey use "project"`	Set default project (fuzzy matched)
`hey pri "project" must`	Set priority to Must (★)
`hey pri "project" should`	Set priority to Should (◆)
`hey pri "project" good`	Set priority to Good (○)
`hey pri "project" meh`	Set priority to Meh (·)
`hey which`	Show current context

Authentication

Command	Description
`hey login`	Log in to TabStax
`hey logout`	Log out
`hey whoami`	Show current user
`hey status`	Show full CLI status

Priority System

TabStax uses attention-based priorities to help you focus:

Icon	Level	Meaning
★	Must	Critical - do today
◆	Should	Important - do this week
○	Good	Nice to have
·	Meh	Low priority / someday

Set priorities to see your most important projects at the top of hey ls stax.

The 7-Action Limit

TabStax enforces a maximum of 7 active actions per project. This isn’t a bug - it’s a feature.

Why? Research shows humans can only hold ~7 items in working memory. More than 7 actions means you’re not being specific enough, or you’re avoiding the hard work of prioritizing.

When you hit the limit:

hey "Another task"
# ⚠ Project has 7/7 active actions (limit reached)
# Options:
#   • Complete one:  hey done <n>
#   • Remove one:    hey rm <n>
#   • Force add:     hey "task" --force

Best practice: Complete or remove actions before adding new ones. If you absolutely must exceed the limit, use --force.

Use Cases by Persona

The Solo Developer

You’re building a side project. You work on it in bursts - mornings before work, weekends, random evenings.

The problem: Every time you return, you’ve forgotten where you were.

The solution:

# End of session - capture where you stopped
hey -x "Got OAuth working with Google"
hey "Add OAuth for GitHub next"
hey "Then handle the callback errors"

# Next session - instant context
hey ls
# 1. Add OAuth for GitHub next
# 2. Then handle the callback errors
# ✓ Got OAuth working with Google (2d ago)

The Tech Lead

You’re managing multiple projects and people. Context-switching is your life.

The problem: You can’t remember the status of each project.

The solution:

# Quick overview
hey ls stax
# ★ Must
#   API Migration    3/7 actions   last: 2h ago
#   Security Audit   5/7 actions   last: 1d ago
# ◆ Should
#   Performance      2/7 actions   last: 3d ago

# Dive into the urgent one
hey use "API Migration"
hey ls

The AI-Assisted Developer

You use Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor daily. You want your AI to understand your projects.

The problem: Your AI doesn’t know what you’re working on.

The solution:

You: "What should I work on today?"

AI: Let me check your TabStax projects.
    *runs: hey ls stax*

    You have 3 "Must" priority projects:
    - API Migration (3 actions pending)
    - Security Audit (5 actions pending)
    - Client Demo (2 actions pending)

    The API Migration hasn't been touched in 2 hours.
    Want me to show you those actions?

You: "Yes, and help me break down the first one"

AI: *runs: hey ls "API Migration"*

    Your next action is "Migrate user endpoints to v2"

    That's a big task. Let me help break it down:
    *runs: hey rm 1*
    *runs: hey "List all user endpoints in v1"*
    *runs: hey "Create v2 schema for /users"*
    *runs: hey "Write migration script for /users"*
    *runs: hey "Add tests for v2 /users"*

    I've replaced the vague task with 4 specific actions.

The Agency/Freelancer

You juggle multiple clients. Each has their own project context.

The problem: Client calls catch you off-guard. “Where are we on the redesign?”

The solution:

# Before a client call
hey use "Acme Redesign"
hey ls

# Instant context:
# 1. Waiting on: Client approval for homepage mockup
# 2. Once approved: Build header component
# 3. Then: Implement mobile nav
# ✓ Sent mockup v2 to client (3d ago)
# ✓ Revised color scheme per feedback (5d ago)

Syncing with TabStax Extension

Everything syncs automatically.

When you add an action via CLI:

hey "Review pull request #42"

It appears instantly in:

The TabStax browser extension
The TabStax dashboard
Any other device where you’re logged in

When you complete an action in the extension, the CLI sees it:

hey ls
# Shows the updated list

This means you can:

Capture actions in terminal while coding
Review them in the browser extension
Check them off on your phone (via dashboard)
Ask your AI to help manage them

One source of truth, accessible everywhere.

Tips & Tricks

Fuzzy Project Matching

You don’t need exact names:

hey use "tab"      # Matches "TabStax Project"
hey use "api"      # Matches "API Migration"
hey -p "sec" "Fix the auth bug"  # Matches "Security Audit"

Quick Capture Workflow

When an idea hits, capture it fast:

hey "the thing I just thought of"
# Adds to your current default project

End each work session with breadcrumbs:

hey -x "Got the tests passing"
hey -x "Pushed to staging"
hey "Deploy to prod tomorrow"

Priority Triage

Start your day with:

hey ls stax
# See what's ★ Must priority
# Adjust priorities as needed
hey pri "Old Project" meh
hey pri "Urgent Client" must

Integrate with AI Assistants

Tell your AI about Hey CLI:

"I use TabStax to track my next actions. You can run 'hey ls stax'
to see my projects, 'hey ls' to see actions, and 'hey done 1' to
complete them. Help me manage my work."

Troubleshooting

“Not logged in”

hey login
# Follow the prompts

“Project not found”

hey ls stax
# See exact project names, then use one
hey use "Exact Project Name"

“Limit reached”

hey done 1        # Complete something
# or
hey rm 3          # Remove something
# or
hey "msg" --force # Override (not recommended)

Actions not syncing

Check your connection:

hey status
# Should show "Logged in as your@email.com"

What’s Next?

Hey CLI is the foundation for bringing TabStax into your development workflow. Coming soon:

MCP Integration: Direct integration with Claude and other AI assistants
Git Hooks: Auto-capture breadcrumbs on commits
IDE Extensions: Hey CLI embedded in VS Code, Cursor, etc.

Say hello to the Tabstax CLI - Hey CLI - Your Next Actions in Your LLM Workflow

The Problem It Solves - catch a thought before it fades…

The Gap Where Ideas Die

You’re Always Somewhere

One Terrain, Every Surface

LLMs Get Your Context

Two Kinds of Capture

The Core Insight: LLMs Need Your Context

Installation

Quick Start

Command Reference

Adding Actions

Listing & Viewing

Managing Actions

Projects & Priority

Authentication

Priority System

The 7-Action Limit

Use Cases by Persona

The Solo Developer

The Tech Lead

The AI-Assisted Developer

The Agency/Freelancer

Syncing with TabStax Extension

Tips & Tricks

Fuzzy Project Matching

Quick Capture Workflow

Breadcrumb Your Progress

Priority Triage

Integrate with AI Assistants

Troubleshooting

“Not logged in”

“Project not found”

“Limit reached”

Actions not syncing

What’s Next?

Links