bible-cli

Fast, playful Bible CLI (KJV MVP). Built in Rust.

Quick start

cargo build
./target/debug/bible cache --preload
./target/debug/bible read John 3 16
./target/debug/bible today
./target/debug/bible mood peace
./target/debug/bible ai John 3 16 --chat

Install

Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew tap migkapa/tap
brew install bible-cli

Cargo

cargo install bible-cli

Commands

• bible read <book> [chapter] [verse]
• bible search <query> [--book <book>] [--limit N]
• bible today
• bible random
• bible echo <book> <chapter> <verse> [--window N]
• bible mood <mood> or bible mood --list
• bible cache [--preload] [--source <url-or-path>]
• bible ai <reference> [--chat]

Chat commands (with --chat): /help, /model <name>, /provider <name>, /reset, /exit.

AI

Use the AI command to get short summaries or reflections for a specific verse.

Features:

• Streaming responses - See responses appear token-by-token in real-time
• Thinking indicator - Animated spinner while waiting for the AI
• Markdown rendering - Formatted output with headers, lists, and code blocks
• Clean visuals - Monochrome theme inspired by modern CLI tools

Example:

bible ai John 3 16 --provider openai --model gpt-4o-mini

Chat mode keeps a continuous conversation around the selected passage:

bible ai John 3 16 --chat
# inside chat:
/model gpt-4o-mini
/provider anthropic

Required environment variables (set at least one for the provider you use):

• OPENAI_API_KEY
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

Notes:

• Pick models based on your desired quality, speed, and cost; faster/smaller models are usually cheaper.
• API usage may incur provider charges; check your provider pricing.
• Requests are sent to the selected provider; avoid sharing sensitive data if you are concerned about privacy.

Cache

Defaults to ~/.bible-cli. Override with --data-dir <dir>.

The default KJV source URL is:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/thiagobodruk/bible/master/json/en_kjv.json

You can pass a local path or your own JSONL via --source.

Color output

By default, colors are enabled only when stdout is a TTY. You can override with:

• --color auto (default)
• --color always
• --color never

Data format

Cached verses are stored as JSONL:

{"book":"Genesis","chapter":1,"verse":1,"text":"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."}