Using mini-AlbertCode
The short version of everything. Each section links to its full guide.
Two interfaces, one service
| Interface | Start it | Good for | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal | albert-mini |
Working where you already are; scripts and CI | The terminal |
| Browser | albert-mini web |
Plans and diffs side by side; every project's sessions in one list | The browser |
Both talk to the same local service, so a session started in one is live in the other. See How mini-AlbertCode works.
Modes
| Mode | What happens | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Governed (default) | You approve a plan, it works in an isolated copy, runs your tests and reviews the result, then you approve the diff | Changes you care about |
| Direct · ask each write | It works in your files and asks before each write | Quick changes you're watching |
| Direct · auto-approve | It works in your files without asking | Small, safe changes, with Git as the undo |
| Ask only | It answers, and offers a change for your go | Understanding a codebase |
tab cycles them in the terminal; in the browser, Governed, Direct and Ask only are in the box, a click
each. /plan …, /do … and /direct auto … choose one for a single message. See
Modes and approvals.
Approvals
| Gate | Answers |
|---|---|
| The plan | a approve and build · e ask for changes · d read the whole plan · r reject |
| The result | a accept into your files · v view the diff · e ask for changes · x discard · r reject |
| A write (Direct · ask each write) | a allow once · A allow the rest of the task · n decline |
| A change offered (Ask only) | p plan it first · o do it directly |
The same keys work in both interfaces, and an answer given in one is seen at once in the other.
Everyday commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/connect |
Connect a model provider |
/model |
Choose a model |
/plan <request> |
Start a governed change |
/do <request> |
Change your files directly, asking before each write |
/mode |
Choose the mode |
/sessions |
Open, rename, pin or delete sessions |
/diff |
This session's change, or your working tree's |
/attach <paths> |
Attach files to your next message |
/web |
Open this session in the browser |
/help |
Every command, to search and run |
/docs <words> |
Search this guide (albert-mini docs <words> in a shell) |
In the browser, Ctrl+K lists every command, and Help searches this guide. See The terminal and
The browser.
Sessions
A session is one conversation with its tasks, the same in both interfaces. albert-mini -c continues
the latest one in a folder, and albert-mini -s <id> opens one. Rename, pin, fork, export or import them
from either interface. See Sessions.
Scripting
albert-mini run "add a health check endpoint" --approve plan,resultrun sends one request and prints what happens. It answers only the gates --approve names; a change
that stops at another gate exits with code 3, to be answered in either interface. See
Commands.
Attachments
Give it screenshots, documents and other files to read with your message.
| Interface | How |
|---|---|
| Browser | The + under the box, paste a screenshot, or drop files onto the page |
| Terminal | /attach <paths>: one or more paths, globs work (/attach logs/*.txt error.png). /attach alone lists what is waiting; /attach clear drops it |
In the browser each file shows as a tile in the box the moment you add it: a picture or a PDF as a small picture of itself, any other file with its kind and size. × on a tile removes it. Once sent, the same tiles show in the message, and a click opens the file.
| What you attach | What the model gets |
|---|---|
| Pictures: PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP | The picture itself, when the model accepts pictures; otherwise you are told it could not see it |
| Its text; a scanned page, with no text in it, as a picture of the page | |
Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx) |
Their text, and a spreadsheet's cells |
Text and code: .txt, .md, .csv, .json, .log, .py, .ts and the like |
The text |
| Video: MP4, MOV, WebM | Stills from it in order, each with its time, when the model accepts pictures |
Older Office files (.doc, .xls, .ppt) and anything else |
Its name and size only: save it as .docx, .xlsx, .pptx or PDF for it to be read |
Up to 20 files, each up to 500 MB. They go with your next message, and a change started in the session, then or later, gets the session's files too, so the work sees the screenshot the conversation just read. A file is kept apart from your repository, never written into it.
For example: drop error.png and invoice.pdf onto the page, type Why does checkout show this error,
and does the total match the invoice? and send. Albert reads the error in the picture and the total in
the PDF; with Direct chosen, fix it then starts the change with both files to hand.
Checking your setup
albert-mini --version # the version, and the AlbertCode engine it carries
albert-mini doctor # the installation, the service and what it is connected to
albert-mini models test # one tool-calling request to the chosen modelSee Troubleshooting when something is wrong.
From docs/usage.md in huynvic/mini-albertcode-swe-agent at 59127ad (13 Oct 2026), shown unchanged except for links. mini-AlbertCode SWE Agent documentation, CC BY 4.0. Latest on GitHub.