> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.gotempest.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.gotempest.app/productivity/tempest-ai-assistant.md).

# Tempest AI Assistant

Tempest AI Assistant integrates Claude, GPT, Gemini, and self-hosted LLMs into your SSH terminal — explain commands, debug errors, generate one-liners.

The **Tempest AI Assistant** is an in-app chat panel that knows what's happening in your SSH session. Ask it to explain a stack trace, generate a one-liner, debug a failing systemd unit, or draft a migration script — and pipe the answer straight into the terminal. Think of it as Claude / GPT / Gemini sitting next to your shell, with full context.

## What it can see

The AI sees only what you give it — by default that's:

* The current command output you highlight
* Files you explicitly attach (drag-and-drop into the chat)
* Documents you pick from Tempest Drive
* Your typed question

It does **not** silently scrape your terminal history, your hosts list, or your keys. You stay in control of what reaches the model.

## Attach a file (Pro)

Attach a document to a conversation and Tempest converts it to text on your own device before anything is sent. Supported formats:

|           |                                                 |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Documents | PDF, Word, PowerPoint                           |
| Data      | Spreadsheets, CSV                               |
| Text      | HTML, plain text in any encoding, including GBK |
| Images    | Sent directly to models that accept them        |

This works with every provider, not only with local agents. Long documents are measured against your model's actual context limit — counted correctly for Chinese — and the assistant tells you when a document was truncated, or when a scanned PDF contains no text to read.

The assistant can also read the documents in your [Tempest Drive](/productivity/snippets-scheduled-runs.md) on request, attachments included.

## Connect your own MCP servers (Pro)

Beyond the tools Tempest provides, the assistant can call tools from **MCP servers you run yourself** — a company knowledge base, an issue tracker, a database gateway.

1. Go to **Settings → AI → MCP Servers**.
2. **Import** and paste the `mcpServers` configuration you already use with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code. Each row shows whether the server is currently reachable.

Every call to one of these tools asks for your approval first, reads and writes alike — Tempest has no way to verify what a third-party tool actually does, so it never decides on your behalf. In Read Only mode they are withheld entirely.

On iOS, servers launched as a local command cannot run and are listed as unsupported rather than hidden; the same configuration keeps working on your desktop.

Not to be confused with the [Tempest MCP Server](/productivity/install-tempest-mcp-server-in-ai-clients.md), which is the opposite direction — Tempest offering *its* tools to an external AI client.

## What it can do

* **Explain**: paste an error → get a plain-English diagnosis
* **Generate**: "give me a one-liner to find files modified in the last hour" → get the command, optionally one-click "run in terminal"
* **Investigate**: "the disk is full, show me the biggest directories" → get a `du` invocation, run it, AI sees the output and follows up
* **Refactor**: paste a Bash script → get an idiomatic rewrite, side-by-side diff
* **Bridge to coding agents**: combine with the **Use AI Agents** preset on a connection to drop straight into Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex CLI, or OpenCode on the remote host

## Choose your model

Tempest doesn't lock you into one provider. Configure any of:

* **Anthropic Claude** (Sonnet, Opus, Haiku) — recommended default
* **OpenAI** GPT-4 / GPT-5 family
* **Google Gemini**
* **Self-hosted** — point at any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (Ollama, vLLM, llama.cpp, your enterprise gateway)

Configure your API key once in **Settings → AI** and the assistant is available in every connection tab.

Your AI settings — providers, API keys, external agents, MCP servers and speech endpoints — sync across your devices through your encrypted vault, so a provider added on the desktop is ready on your phone without retyping the key.

## Privacy

* Tempest never proxies AI requests through our servers — they go directly from your device to the provider you configured.
* When you use a self-hosted model, prompts stay entirely inside your network.
* See [How Tempest Protects Your Privacy](/account-and-privacy/how-tempest-protect-your-privacy.md) for the full data-handling story.

## Configurable temperature

Set the model temperature in Settings — lower for deterministic command generation, higher for creative refactoring suggestions.

## Coding agents preset

The connection edit form has a **Use AI Agents** quick-config: pick **Claude Code**, **Gemini CLI**, **Codex CLI**, or **OpenCode**, give a working directory, and Tempest will `cd <dir> && <agent>` on connect — perfect for jumping straight into a coding session on a remote dev box.

See the dropdown next to the **Startup Command** field in any SSH host's edit form.

## See also

* [Kubernetes Profiles](/productivity/kubernetes-profiles.md) — pair the AI with `kubectl` for cluster troubleshooting
* [Tempest Monitoring](/productivity/tempest-monitoring.md) — when a gauge spikes, ask the AI what to do
* [SSH Snippets & Scheduled Commands](/productivity/snippets-scheduled-runs.md) — save AI-generated commands as reusable snippets
* [Install Tempest MCP Server in AI Clients](/productivity/install-tempest-mcp-server-in-ai-clients.md) — the other direction: your AI client calling Tempest's tools