Alibaba Cloud Linux 4 Agentic Edition (Agentic OS) replaces traditional bash with Copilot Shell (cosh) as the default login shell. It supports dual-mode interaction with natural language and commands, allowing both humans and agents to invoke system capabilities in the most natural way. This document covers the interaction design of Copilot Shell, its basic usage (natural language mode, command mode, YOLO mode, and file reference), and provides a complete reference for slash commands and shortcut keys.
1. Accessing the shell
In Alibaba Cloud Linux 4 Agentic Edition (Agentic OS), the default interactive shell is Copilot Shell (cosh), which replaces bash as the initial login shell.
Copilot Shell is the core component for interacting with Agentic OS. Its behavior adapts to the user.
For humans: It is an intelligent terminal that understands natural language.
For agents: It is a standard interface for invoking system capabilities.
Interaction design
Alibaba Cloud Linux 4 Agentic Edition uses a dual-mode interaction design, which includes the following key features:
Natural language mode: You can describe your intent in plain language. The system then uses a large model to convert your request into executable system commands.
Command mode: You can execute simple commands directly within Copilot Shell. It also allows you to switch to a full-featured interactive bash shell for traditional command-line operations.
You can freely mix both modes.
Copilot Shell and traditional shells
In Alibaba Cloud Linux 4 Agentic Edition, Copilot Shell maintains bash compatibility while adding new capabilities such as natural language understanding, Skill invocation, and integration with an agent framework. It abstracts complex system capabilities into natural language, making it more suitable for both humans and agents.
2. Basic usage
After logging in to Alibaba Cloud Linux 4 Agentic Edition, you enter Copilot Shell directly and can start typing in natural language or system commands. On your first run, the system automatically guides you to configure the large model backend.
Natural language mode
Describe your intent in English or Chinese, and the system will understand and execute it:
> Check the current system memory usage
> Install nginx and configure it to start on boot
> Deploy OpenclawThe shell converts your natural language input into system operations. Before execution, it displays a plan and waits for your confirmation. This behavior depends on the approval mode. For more information, see "Configuration management - Approval mode".
Command mode
After you enter /bash and press Enter, you will enter the shell command-line mode. Enter 'exit' or press Ctrl+D to return.
Alternatively, you can use the ! prefix to execute a shell command directly. Press Esc to exit this mode:
> !git status
> !top -bn1 | head -20YOLO mode
By default, the shell asks for confirmation before executing an operation. To enable fully automatic execution, switch to YOLO mode:
# Switch modes with a command
> /approval-mode yoloSecurity Note: YOLO mode bypasses all confirmation steps. Use this mode only in isolated test environments. For production environments, use the Default or Plan modes. For more information, see "Configuration management - Approval mode".
File reference with @
Use @ in your conversation to include a file as context:
> @/etc/nginx/nginx.conf Check this configuration file for any issues
> @/var/log/messages Have there been any errors recently?3. Copilot Shell command reference
Command category overview
Prefix | Type | Function | Example |
| Slash command | Meta-operation control |
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| At command | Injects file content into the context |
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| exclamation mark command | Executes a shell command directly |
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Slash command reference
Session and project management
Command | Description | Usage |
| Analyzes the current directory to create an initial context. |
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| Generates a project summary from the session history. |
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| Replaces the chat history with a summary to save tokens. |
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| Resumes the previous session. |
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| Restores files to their state before a tool was executed. |
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Tool and model management
Command | Description | Usage |
| Switches the model for the current session. |
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| Switches the authentication method. |
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| Executes bash commands directly without AI parsing. |
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| Displays a list of available tools. |
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| Lists and runs Skills. |
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| Lists MCP servers and tools. |
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| Changes the approval mode. |
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| Manages the AI instruction context. |
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| Lists active extensions. |
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Interface and workspace control
Command | Description | Usage |
| Clears the terminal screen. |
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| Switches the visual theme. |
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| Toggles Vim edit mode. |
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| Manages a multi-directory workspace. |
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| Opens the settings editor. |
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Language settings
Command | Description | Usage |
| Views or changes language settings. |
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| Sets the UI language. |
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| Sets the LLM output language. |
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Built-in UI languages: zh-CN, en-US
Information and help
Command | Description | Usage |
| Displays help information. /? is an alias. |
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| Displays version information. |
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| Displays session statistics. |
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| Submits a bug report. |
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| Copies the last output to the clipboard. |
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| Exits cosh. /exit is an alias. |
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Shortcut keys
Shortcut key | Function | Description |
Shift+Tab | Toggle approval mode | Switches the current approval mode. |
Esc | Interrupt current operation | Stops the currently running task. |
Ctrl+L | Clear screen | Equivalent to |
Ctrl+T | Toggle tool description | Shows or hides MCP tool descriptions. |
Ctrl+C ×2 | Confirm exit | Prevents accidental exit. |
Ctrl+Z | Undo input | Undoes the last change in the input line. |
Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo input | Redoes the last undone change in the input line. |