# Machine Mode

> Machine Mode is an open standard for how a command-line tool behaves when an AI agent runs it. A conforming tool writes typed JSONL events to stdout, describes itself without credentials, reports errors from a closed taxonomy, and ends every run with a summary that states whether it worked. The formal specification is AOI-CLI v1.0-alpha.

Code mode has agents write code against tools; Machine Mode makes the tools easy to write code against. MCP finds and calls a tool; Machine Mode defines what a CLI returns. No tool conforms end to end yet.

## Standard

- [Machine Mode](https://www.machinemode.io/): What Machine Mode is, the ten factors of an agent-operable tool, and survey results.
- [AOI-CLI specification](https://www.machinemode.io/spec): The normative specification. Part I is the required core; Part II is a recommended profile.
- [Adopt](https://www.machinemode.io/adopt): Minimal machine-mode implementations in Python, TypeScript, Go, Rust and shell.
- [Examples](https://www.machinemode.io/examples): Machine Mode on the wire, scenario by scenario: discovery, paging, dry runs, errors, pipelines.
- [AOI-CLI specification, raw markdown](https://www.machinemode.io/spec.md): The same specification as plain markdown.
- [Event schema](https://www.machinemode.io/schemas/aoi-events-1.0-alpha.json): JSON Schema for the aoi:* framework events.

## Context

- [Machine Mode and code mode](https://www.machinemode.io/code-mode): How to script a Machine Mode tool from a code-mode runtime, with typed bindings.
- [Machine Mode and MCP](https://www.machinemode.io/mcp): How a Machine Mode tool sits behind an MCP server, field by field.
- [Compare](https://www.machinemode.io/compare): Machine Mode next to CLI Agent Spec, clig.dev and 12 Factor CLI Apps.
- [State of CLI machine output](https://www.machinemode.io/state-of-cli-output): How 16 widely used CLIs emit machine output, measured with aoi-probe and vendor docs.
- [Why a standard](https://www.machinemode.io/why): Why agent-operable tools need a shared contract, and why it has to be small.
- [For agents](https://www.machinemode.io/for-agents): What each guarantee buys an agent: context budget, verification, safe retries.
- [Direction](https://www.machinemode.io/direction): Where AOI goes after v1.0-alpha: session mode, wire formats, other profiles.

## Reference

- [Glossary](https://www.machinemode.io/glossary): Definitions of the terms the standard coins and uses.
- [FAQ](https://www.machinemode.io/faq): Short answers to the questions people ask about Machine Mode.
- [Tools registry](https://www.machinemode.io/tools): Projects implementing or measuring AOI-CLI, with their honest status.
- [Badge](https://www.machinemode.io/badge): The Machine Mode conformance badge and who may use it.
- [Changelog](https://www.machinemode.io/changelog): Dated changes to the specification and the site.
- [Survey data](https://www.machinemode.io/landscape.json): The raw survey dataset behind /state-of-cli-output.

## Optional

- [Full text](https://www.machinemode.io/llms-full.txt): Definitions, factors, glossary, FAQ and the full specification in one file.