AI Tools

Important: Use Scripts First

ALWAYS prefer the scripts in scripts/ over raw curl API calls. Scripts are located in the scripts/ subdirectory of this skill's folder. They provide features that raw commands do not:

•Proper image encoding (WebP conversion, alpha removal)
•Appropriate model selection for each task
•Structured output handling (boolean responses via exit codes)
•Meaningful exit codes for shell integration

When to read the script source: If a script doesn't do exactly what you need, or fails due to missing dependencies, read the script source. The scripts encode Gemini API best practices (image ordering, structured output schemas, model selection) that may not be obvious—use them as reference when building similar functionality.

Quick Start

Environment: Set GEMINI_API_KEY before running any commands.

Dependencies: curl, jq, uv (all tools); base64, magick (image tools only)

bash

# Gather context and analyze
scripts/context gemini-api | scripts/emerson "Explain the key features"

# Describe an image (generate alt-text)
scripts/screenshot-describe screenshot.png

# Compare two images for visual differences
scripts/screenshot-compare before.png after.png

# Smart crop image around detected people
scripts/photo-smart-crop photo.jpg cropped.jpg

# Check if a photo prominently features people
scripts/photo-has-people photo.jpg

# Generate essay-length analysis from text
scripts/emerson "Summarize the key changes" < documentation.md

# Evaluate a boolean condition against text
echo "Hello world" | scripts/satisfies "is a greeting"

# Count tokens in text
cat document.md | scripts/token-count

# Interact with an Android UI via AI
scripts/popper "start an exercise"

Script Overview

context

Gathers authoritative, up-to-date context for deep research on various technical topics (e.g., gemini-api, mcp, home-assistant). Run with --list to see all available topics. This script should be your first tool for gathering background knowledge or the latest documentation for an unfamiliar domain.

Warning: Output can be very large. Do not read output directly into your conversation history. Pipe to emerson for analysis, or redirect to a file to search/read locally.

bash

scripts/context TOPIC

Options: --list (list available topics)

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error, 127 missing dependency

Examples:

bash

# List available topics
scripts/context --list

# Gather context for Gemini API
scripts/context gemini-api > gemini-context.xml

# Pipe context directly to analysis
scripts/context gemini-cli | scripts/emerson "How do commands work?"

screenshot-describe

Generate concise alt-text for an image. Optimized for UI captures.

bash

scripts/screenshot-describe IMAGE [PROMPT]

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error, 127 missing dependency

screenshot-compare

Compare two images for visual differences. Identifies layout shifts, color changes, padding, and text updates.

bash

scripts/screenshot-compare IMAGE1 IMAGE2 [PROMPT]

Exit codes: 0 differences found, 1 error, 2 images identical, 127 missing dependency

photo-smart-crop

Smart crop images around detected people with a specified aspect ratio. Prioritizes faces, expands for headroom, enforces aspect ratio.

bash

scripts/photo-smart-crop [--ratio W:H] INPUT OUTPUT

Options: --ratio W:H (default 5:3)

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error (no people found, API error), 2 rate limited, 127 missing dependency

Examples:

bash

# Default 5:3 aspect ratio
scripts/photo-smart-crop family.jpg family-cropped.jpg

# 16:9 for video thumbnails
scripts/photo-smart-crop --ratio 16:9 portrait.jpg thumbnail.jpg

# Square crop for profile pictures
scripts/photo-smart-crop --ratio 1:1 headshot.png avatar.png

photo-has-people

Detect if people feature prominently in a photo. Returns boolean via exit code.

bash

scripts/photo-has-people IMAGE

Options: -q, --quiet (suppress output)

Exit codes: 0 true (has people), 1 false (no people), 127 missing dependency

Examples:

bash

# Check if photo has people
if scripts/photo-has-people photo.jpg; then
  echo "Found people"
fi

emerson

Generate essay-length (~3000 words) analysis from text input. Produces authoritative, footnoted Markdown. Can be combined with context to provide rich background material.

bash

scripts/emerson "PROMPT" < input.txt

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error, 127 missing dependency

pascal

Ask a question and get a short, paragraph-style response (wrapped to 80 columns). Optimized for quick answers.

bash

scripts/pascal "QUESTION"

Input: Optional context via stdin

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error, 127 missing dependency

Examples:

bash

# Ask a quick question
scripts/pascal "What is the capital of Peru?"

# Summarize a file
cat article.md | scripts/pascal "Summarize this article"

# Explain code
scripts/pascal "Explain this code" < script.sh

satisfies

Evaluate whether input text satisfies a condition. Returns boolean via exit code.

bash

echo "text" | scripts/satisfies [-v|--verbose] "CONDITION"

Options: -v, --verbose (output "true" or "false" to stderr)

Exit codes: 0 true (satisfies), 1 false (does not satisfy), 127 missing dependency

Examples:

bash

# Check if file mentions a topic
cat file.txt | scripts/satisfies "mentions Elvis" && echo "Found it"

# Validate content type
cat response.json | scripts/satisfies "is valid JSON with an 'id' field"

# Use in conditionals
if cat log.txt | scripts/satisfies "contains error messages"; then
  echo "Errors detected"
fi

token-count

Count tokens in text using the Gemini API.

bash

cat file.txt | scripts/token-count

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error, 127 missing dependency

popper

Interact with Android UIs using an AI agent powered by uiautomator2 and Gemini. This allows semantic control of the device by providing a goal in natural language.

bash

scripts/popper "GOAL"

Options: --app-only (restrict the agent to the current application)

Environment: ANDROID_SERIAL (optional, target specific device)

Exit codes: 0 success (task completed), 1 error (task failed)

Examples:

bash

# General UI task
scripts/popper "accept all permissions"

# Restrict to current app
scripts/popper --app-only "start a running exercise"

# Target specific device
env ANDROID_SERIAL=12345 scripts/popper "open settings"

Image Encoding Notes

•Images converted to lossless WebP for consistent encoding
•Alpha channel removed (-alpha off) so transparency-only differences are ignored
•Base64: use -w 0 (Linux) or -b 0 (macOS) for single-line output
•Single-image prompts: image before text (Gemini best practice)
•Multi-image comparison: text before images (Gemini best practice)

Safety Notes

•Scripts require network access to the Gemini API
•GEMINI_API_KEY must be set in the environment
•API calls may incur usage costs
•Large images increase request size and latency
•Scripts do not store or log input data

Reference Material

•Command Reference: Detailed documentation for each script. See references/command-index.md.
•Troubleshooting: Common issues and solutions. See references/troubleshooting.md.