App Linker

The ait applink command launches a Textual TUI that bridges a local ait workspace to the mobile companion app (developed in the sibling aitasks_mobile repo) over a paired, QR-bootstrapped LAN connection.

This is the pairing-bootstrap skeleton: it generates a one-time pairing token, renders the applink:// URI as a scannable QR code on the terminal, and shows a placeholder status screen. The actual WebSocket transport and remote command handling are tracked under a follow-up task.

Customizable keys: every shortcut here can be rebound. Press ? in this TUI for the in-place editor, or open Settings → Shortcuts.

Tutorial

Launching the App Linker

ait applink

The TUI opens directly on the Pairing screen. A QR code is rendered using half-block characters; scan it with the companion app to start the pairing handshake.

Pairing flow

1. The TUI generates a 256-bit URL-safe token via secrets.token_urlsafe(32).

2. The host detects its first non-loopback LAN IPv4 (or falls back to 0.0.0.0 if none is found).

3. The encoded URI follows the grammar defined in aidocs/applink/protocol.md:

   applink://<lan-ip>:<port>/pair?t=<token>&fp=<fingerprint>&name=<hostname>
   

4. Scanning the QR with the companion app conveys the token and fingerprint to the mobile side.

Press r to regenerate the token. The QR re-renders in place. Regenerate only invalidates the unused pairing token; already-paired clients keep their long-lived bearers and connection IDs.

Screens

• Pairing — QR code and a short hint footer.
• Status — placeholder card showing “No client connected” until the WebSocket listener is wired up.

Switch with s (Status) and p (Pairing). Press j to jump to another TUI via the shared TUI switcher.

Next: How-To Guides — pairing walkthrough.
Reference: Reference — keybindings, screens, env vars.