How do I run a question from a terminal?

Use canxp-research run followed by your prompt in quotes. For example: canxp-research run "tell me about frogs". Add --format json for a newline-delimited event stream that another tool or script can parse.

Does it require Node, Python, or another runtime?

No. CanXP Research is installed as a binary on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The Linux install script and platform installers put canxp-research on your PATH.

How do research fields work?

A field adds a specialist persona to every mode and makes a curated set of domain skills available. Set it with /field or the field key in canxp.jsonc. The setting takes effect in your next session.

Can I safely ask for a plan without changing files?

Yes. Plan mode denies edit tools at the permission boundary. Ask mode is also appropriate when you want an explanation or investigation rather than a diff.

Can another AI tool call CanXP Research?

Yes. Any tool that can execute a command can call canxp-research run --format json and read its event stream. For longer-lived integrations, use the HTTP server or ACP mode.

Where are configuration and sessions stored?

Configuration lives in ~/.config/canxp, session data and credentials in ~/.local/share/canxp, and downloaded skills and snapshots in ~/.cache/canxp. XDG base directory variables are respected.

One binary. For every serious research project.

Researchbeyond the answers.

Q: What is CanXP Research?

CanXP Research is a terminal-native research agent distributed as a single binary. It reads and writes files, runs commands, searches the web, connects to your data through MCP, and loads domain skills on demand. It is a research assistant first and a coding assistant second.

CanXP Research is a terminal-native agent that reads and writes files, runs commands, searches the web, connects to your data, and loads expertise for your field. Over 230+ domain skills.

Windows, macOS, Linux No runtime required TUI, CLI, HTTP, ACP

canxp-research

❯canxp-research run "tell me about frogs"

● Starting session

● Field: general · Agent: code

Frogs are tailless amphibians in the order Anura, with more than 7,000

known species. They are ecological indicators because their permeable skin and

dual aquatic–terrestrial life cycle make them sensitive to environmental change.

✓ Complete · session ses_7fa2…

230

domain skills

field options

primary agents

ways to run

Research, not just chat

One agent across the whole evidence trail.

The same tool can audit a manuscript, run an analysis, search your notes, query a live system, and update the code that makes it reproducible. Built for research across medicine, genomics, chemistry, data science, academia, engineering, software, finance, law, security, and cybersecurity.

Search every source together

Fuse results from workspace files, a local vector index, Obsidian, and approved MCP tools into one ranked answer with provenance on every hit.

research_search → files + index + vault + MCP

Connect live data through MCP

Reach an EHR, warehouse, internal API, or vault without placing credentials in the model context. Sources remain explicit and permission-aware.

canxp-research mcp add

Every skill, without a field persona

230 skills

Context ~19,700 tokens

Agents with boundaries

Choose a mode. Get enforceable behavior.

Each mode has its own system prompt and permission set. Use Plan mode to plan without disrupting your work.

Default

code

Read and write files, run commands, search, and delegate. The full-capability research and coding agent.

Read-only answers

ask

Explain, inspect, and search without changing your project. For answers rather than diffs.

Edits denied

plan

Explore and design an approach while edit tools are denied at the permission boundary.

Diagnostic

debug

Reproduce, isolate, form hypotheses, and test them instead of guessing at a fix.

Parallel work

orchestrator

Break large research programs into independent units, delegate them, and synthesize the result.

Need your own agent?

Agents are portable Markdown files with YAML frontmatter in .canxp/agent/.

canxp-research agent create

Your data, with provenance

Search everything. Know what answered.

Research Search asks configured sources in parallel, merges their rankings, and labels every result with its origin. Empty and failed are never treated as the same thing.

indexSemantic search over the local vector index

filesLiteral workspace search with ripgrep

vaultFull-text search across an Obsidian vault

mcpAn approved EHR, warehouse, or internal API tool

Where do we handle patient consent?

3 documents, ranked across 2 sources.

1. src/consent.ts [files#1, index#2]

14–22: export function recordConsent(…)

2. docs/consent-policy.md [index#1]

2–6: Consent must be re-captured…

Sources:

index: ok (4) · files: ok (11)

vault: empty · mcp: excluded

Command reference

One binary. Six interfaces.

Work interactively, automate a single run, expose an API, open the web client, speak ACP, or keep a daemon warm in the background.

/field/agents/models/skills/mcps/sessions/new/status/editor/warp

$canxp-research

Open the terminal interface

$canxp-research run "…"

Run once without the TUI

$canxp-research run -c "…"

Continue the latest session

$canxp-research run -s <id> "…"

Continue a specific session

$canxp-research run --agent plan "…"

Plan with edits denied

$canxp-research run -m provider/model "…"

Choose a model for one run

$canxp-research serve --port 4399

Start the HTTP API

$canxp-research acp --cwd <path>

Start an ACP agent backend

$canxp-research mcp add

Connect your own data

$canxp-research config check

Validate effective configuration

Install CanXP Research

A native binary for your OS.

Install, open a new terminal, and type canxp-research. Sign in with your CanXP account when prompted.

Detected

Windows

Windows 10/11 · x64

DownloadCanXP-Research-Setup-1.9.0.exe

canxp-research --version

macOS

Apple silicon · macOS 12+

DownloadCanXP-Research-1.9.0-arm64.pkg

canxp-research --version

Linux

Linux x64 · glibc

Downloadcanxp-research-1.9.0-linux-x64.tar.gz

curl -fsSL https://canxp.ai/install | bash

Signed installers

macOS package is signed and notarized; Windows uses a signed installer.

Predictable paths

Binary, config, sessions, and cache live in standard user directories.

Updates in place

Run canxp-research upgrade, or let automatic updates use the release channel.

Designed for automation

Your research specialist can work for other agents.

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, scripts, and CI can invoke the binary and consume newline-delimited JSON. Your calling tool never needs your MCP credentials.

CLIcanxp-research run --format json

HTTPcanxp-research serve

ACPcanxp-research acp

ask-canxp.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

QUESTION="${1:?Pass a research question}"

canxp-research run --format json --agent ask "$QUESTION" \
  | python3 -c '
import sys, json
out = []
for line in sys.stdin:
    try: event = json.loads(line)
    except ValueError: continue
    if event.get("type") == "text":
        out.append(event["part"]["text"])
print("".join(out).strip())
'

Questions

Everything important before your first run.

Installation, fields, permissions, automation, and where your local state lives.

Start with one command.

Install CanXP Research, open your terminal, and give your work an agent that understands the discipline behind it.

❯canxp-research run "tell me about frogs"