// official documentation
thinkncollab-shell Documentation v0.0.10
The official interactive shell CLI for ThinkNCollab. Manage rooms, push files, track notifications, and collaborate — all from your terminal.
$
npm install -g thinkncollab-shell
// 01
Installation
Install thinkncollab-shell globally via npm. Requires Node.js 16.0 or higher.
Prerequisites: Node.js ≥16.0, npm, and a ThinkNCollab account.
Install globally
bash
npm install -g thinkncollab-shell
Verify installation
bash
thinknsh --version # thinkncollab-shell v0.0.10
Update to latest
bash
npm update -g thinkncollab-shell
Launch ThinkNCollab-Shell
bash
thinknsh
// 02
Authentication
Authenticate once and your credentials are stored securely in a .tncrc file in your home directory.
Login
bash
thinknsh login # Prompts for email + password # Stores encrypted token in ~/.tncrc
Check current user
bash
thinknsh whoami # → logged in as: you@example.com
Logout
bash
thinknsh logout
Security: Never share your
.tncrc file or commit it to version control. Regenerate your token via thinknsh token:refresh if compromised.// 03
Quick Start
Up and running in under a minute.
Quick setup: Install → Login → Join a room → Push files
bash
# 1. Install npm install -g thinkncollab-shell # 2. Authenticate thinknsh login # 3. List your rooms thinknsh rooms # 4. Join a room thinknsh rooms join <room-id> # 5. Push a file to the room thinknsh push ./myfile.js --room <room-id> # 6. Check notifications thinknsh notifications
// 04
Rooms
List, join, create, and manage collaboration rooms directly from the terminal.
thinknsh rooms
List all rooms you're a member of
thinknsh rooms join
Join an existing room by ID
thinknsh rooms create
Create a new collaboration room
thinknsh rooms info
View details of a specific room
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| thinknsh rooms | List all rooms you belong to |
| thinknsh rooms join <id> | Join a room by its ID |
| thinknsh rooms create <name> | Create a new room |
| thinknsh rooms info <id> | View room details and members |
| thinknsh rooms leave <id> | Leave a room |
| thinknsh rooms members <id> | List members in a room |
Examples
bash
thinknsh rooms # → room-01 backend-team (12 members) # → room-02 frontend-sprint (7 members) thinknsh rooms join room-01 # ✓ joined backend-team thinknsh rooms create "design-review" # ✓ created room: design-review (id: room-09)
// 05
Files & Push
Push files to rooms, view version history, and pull updates — similar to Git but built into ThinkNCollab's collaboration layer.
| Command | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| thinknsh push <file> | --room <id> | Push a file to a room |
| thinknsh push <dir> | --room <id> --all | Push entire directory |
| thinknsh pull <file> | --room <id> | Pull latest version from room |
| thinknsh files | --room <id> | List files in a room |
| thinknsh files history <file> | --room <id> | View version history of a file |
| thinknsh files diff <file> | --v1 --v2 | Diff two versions of a file |
bash
# Push a single file thinknsh push ./src/index.js --room room-01 # ✓ pushed index.js → backend-team (v4) # Push all files in a directory thinknsh push ./src --room room-01 --all # ✓ pushed 6 files → backend-team # View version history thinknsh files history index.js --room room-01 # v1 2025-10-01 alice@team.com # v2 2025-10-04 bob@team.com # v3 2025-10-07 carol@team.com
Authentication is verified via your
.tncrc token on every push. Ensure you're logged in before pushing files.// 06
Notifications
View, watch, and manage your ThinkNCollab notifications from the terminal.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| thinknsh notifications | List all unread notifications |
| thinknsh notifications --all | Show all notifications (read + unread) |
| thinknsh notifications watch | Open live notification panel |
| thinknsh notifications mark-read | Mark all notifications as read |
| thinknsh notifications mark-read <id> | Mark a single notification as read |
| thinknsh notifications clear | Clear all read notifications |
bash
thinknsh notifications # [unread] omkar pushed routes.js to backend-team # [unread] radhika commented on your file # [read] meeting scheduled: tomorrow 10am thinknsh notifications watch # → Watching for new notifications... (Ctrl+C to exit)
The notification panel does not auto-launch on shell start. Open it manually when you need it.
// 07
Workspace
Switch between workspaces, view team members, and manage workspace settings.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| thinknsh workspace | Show current active workspace |
| thinknsh workspace list | List all workspaces you belong to |
| thinknsh workspace switch <id> | Switch active workspace |
| thinknsh workspace members | List all members in current workspace |
| thinknsh workspace invite <email> | Invite a user to the workspace |
// 08
tncproject // v0.0.10+
Project-level configuration and linking. Bind your local project directory to a ThinkNCollab room — enabling auto-push, task sync, and GitHub integration context. tncproject detects whether a .tncproject config exists in your folder and picks the right connection flow automatically.
New in v0.0.10:
thinknsh tncproject init creates a .tncproject file in your project root that links the folder to a room permanently.Connection flow
When you run thinknsh inside a folder, it checks for .tncproject and takes the appropriate path:
thinknsh start
→
.tncproject found?
→
auto-connect room
OR
manual login + connect
Path A — .tncproject exists (auto mode)
Shell reads room ID + token from
.tncproject and connects automatically — no manual login needed each time.
bash
# One-time setup in your project folder thinknsh tncproject init # ✓ created .tncproject in current directory thinknsh tncproject link room-01 # ✓ linked to backend-team (room-01) # ✓ .tncproject updated # Every future session in this folder — auto connects thinknsh # ✓ project: my-app # ✓ linked room: backend-team (room-01) # ✓ connected — ready
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| thinknsh tncproject init | Initialize project config in current directory |
| thinknsh tncproject link <room-id> | Link current project to a room |
| thinknsh tncproject status | Show linked room and project config |
| thinknsh tncproject unlink | Remove room link from project |
| thinknsh tncproject sync | Sync project metadata with linked room |
Path B — no .tncproject (manual mode)
If no
.tncproject is found in the current folder, the shell falls back to manual login + manual room connect. This is the default for new installs or one-off usage outside a linked project.
bash
# No .tncproject in this folder — shell prompts manually thinknsh # ✗ no .tncproject found in current directory # → falling back to manual mode # Step 1: login with your TNC credentials thinknsh login # ? email: you@example.com # ? password: •••••••• # ✓ logged in as you@example.com # Step 2: connect to a room manually thinknsh rooms # → room-01 backend-team (12 members) # → room-02 design-sprint (5 members) thinknsh rooms join room-01 # ✓ connected to backend-team — ready # Optional: set up tncproject now to avoid this next time thinknsh tncproject init thinknsh tncproject link room-01 # ✓ next time thinknsh will auto-connect
Tip: Add
.tncproject to your .gitignore if it contains personal tokens, or use a shared project token for team repos.// 09
Tasks // coming soon
Task management commands are planned for an upcoming release. They already exist in the thinkncollab-cli (tnc-cli) package if you need them now.
Coming soon in thinknsh:
thinknsh tasks, thinknsh task add, thinknsh task done. Available today via tnc-cli.| Command | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| thinknsh tasks | coming soon | List all tasks in current workspace |
| thinknsh task add <title> | coming soon | Create a new task |
| thinknsh task done <id> | coming soon | Mark a task as complete |
| thinknsh task assign <id> | coming soon | Assign a task to a team member |
// 10
Config
View and manage your local thinknsh configuration stored in ~/.tncrc.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| thinknsh config | Show current config |
| thinknsh config set <key> <value> | Set a config value |
| thinknsh config reset | Reset all config to defaults |
| thinknsh token:refresh | Refresh your auth token |
| thinknsh token:revoke | Revoke and delete your token |
// 11
Advanced Usage
Power-user patterns, scripting, and CI integration.
CI / non-interactive login
bash
# Use env variables for CI pipelines TNC_EMAIL=ci@team.com TNC_TOKEN=your_token thinknsh login --ci thinknsh push ./dist --room room-01 --all
npm scripts integration
json
// package.json { "scripts": { "push:dev": "thinknsh push ./src --room room-01 --all", "push:prod": "thinknsh push ./dist --room room-02 --all", "notifs": "thinknsh notifications watch" } }
Debug mode
bash
thinknsh --debug rooms thinknsh system:info
// 12
Troubleshooting
Common issues and fixes
Clear cache
bash
thinknsh cache:clear
Auth token expired
bash
thinknsh token:refresh # or logout and back in thinknsh logout && thinknsh login
.tncproject not found / manual fallback
bash
# Check if .tncproject exists in current folder ls -la | grep .tncproject # If missing — init and link thinknsh tncproject init thinknsh tncproject link <room-id> # Or just use manual mode — login + rooms join thinknsh login thinknsh rooms join <room-id>
System info
bash
thinknsh system:info thinknsh diagnose
// 13
FAQ
What's the difference between thinkncollab-shell and tnc-cli?
thinknsh is the interactive shell CLI — rooms, push, notifications, workspace, tncproject. tnc-cli (thinkncollab-cli) is the version-control-focused CLI with task management already built in.
Where is the .tncrc file stored?
It's stored in your user home directory:
~/.tncrc. Never commit this file to version control — it contains your encrypted auth token.What happens if .tncproject is missing from my folder?
thinknsh falls back to manual mode — you'll need to run
thinknsh login and then thinknsh rooms join <id> to connect. Run thinknsh tncproject init once to set up auto-connect for that folder.How do I use thinkncollab-shell in a CI/CD pipeline?
Use environment variables:
TNC_EMAIL and TNC_TOKEN, then run thinknsh login --ci for non-interactive authentication.Does the notification window auto-launch?
No — you open it manually when you need it with
thinknsh notifications watch. This is by design so it doesn't interfere with your shell session.Where are local logs stored?
Local logs are in
~/.thinkncollab/logs/. View them with thinknsh logs or open the file directly.// 14
Get Help
Multiple ways to reach us or find answers.
Built-in support command
bash
thinknsh support:contact # Or email: support@thinkncollab.com