Allman
MIT OSS LinkedIn DMs for Agents (CLI and Example TUI)
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What is Allman?
Allman is a local-first, AI-native CLI and terminal UI for managing human messages from the shell. It lets you sync, search, read, reply to, react to, and stream messages as structured data, starting with LinkedIn and aiming to expand to iMessage, Slack, Discord, email, SMS, X, and Bluesky. The product is built for people who live in the terminal and want messaging to behave like a Unix tool instead of a closed web app.
The core idea is that your inbox becomes plain JSONL files stored on your disk inside a git repo, so standard tools like cat, grep, jq, git log, and scripts work naturally. Allman emphasizes local storage, no cloud sync, and no telemetry, with credentials kept on your machine through a real browser login flow. That makes it especially attractive for users who care about privacy, inspectability, and reproducibility.
Allman also leans heavily into automation. Every command can output JSON, live events are streamed as NDJSON, and agents can shell out to it without needing a separate SDK or long-running service. The website positions it as useful for humans, power users, and AI agents alike, especially for workflows where messages need to be filtered, polled, or handed off to another tool.
It ships as two front ends over one local data store: a CLI for sync/search/send/listen workflows and a TUI for browsing, composing, reacting, and searching with keyboard-driven navigation. The overall audience is developers, terminal users, and agent-based systems that need a safe, scriptable messaging layer rather than a traditional inbox app.
Allman pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
The website does not list any paid plans or subscription pricing. It presents Allman as open source under the MIT license, with both the CLI and TUI available on GitHub. The install flow is shown as a direct binary install script, and the site emphasizes no upsells, no funnels, and optional occasional email updates rather than a paid service. Based on the site, the practical pricing is free/open-source use, with no free tier distinction or paid tier described.
Allman pros
- Local-first data storage
- Messages stored as JSONL files
- Works with cat, grep, jq, and git
- No cloud sync
- No telemetry
- AI-friendly JSON output
- NDJSON event streaming
- CLI and TUI both available
- Vim-style keyboard navigation
- Supports live inbox updates
- Search across all messages
- Send replies from the terminal
- Pre-send safety checks
- Rate limits enforced in client
- Browser-session login with cookies stored locally
- Incremental sync by default
- Can full re-sync history
- Open-source and MIT licensed
- Extensible adapter API
- Built for agents and shell workflows
Allman cons
- LinkedIn is the only shipping channel
- iMessage support is not yet available
- Slack support is planned, not shipped
- Discord support is planned, not shipped
- Email support is planned, not shipped
- SMS support is planned, not shipped
- X and Bluesky support are later-stage plans
- Requires terminal comfort and shell workflows
- Login depends on a real browser session
- Only works on macOS and Linux
- Limited to local machine storage
- No built-in cloud backup or sync
- No GUI web app for casual users
- Best suited to technical users
- Agent safety depends on client-side guards
- Feature set depends on platform adapters
Frequently asked questions about Allman
What does Allman actually do?
Allman is a local-first messaging tool that lets you sync, search, read, reply to, react to, and stream messages from the terminal. The website presents it as a CLI plus terminal UI for handling human messages like a Unix tool, with LinkedIn supported today and more channels planned.
How is Allman different from a normal inbox app?
Instead of hiding messages inside a cloud app, Allman stores them locally as plain JSONL files in a git repo. That means you can inspect, version, search, and script your inbox using standard shell tools such as jq, grep, cat, and git log.
Does Allman use a cloud service?
No. The site says there is no cloud sync and no telemetry, and that your data stays on your disk. Credentials also stay local because login happens through a real browser session.
What messaging channels does Allman support?
LinkedIn is the only channel shown as shipping. iMessage is listed as next, Slack, Discord, email, and SMS are planned, and X/Bluesky are listed later, with an adapter API for writing your own channel support.
What can the CLI do?
The CLI can sync conversations, stream live events, search the full message history, send replies by slug, URL, or URN, and expose an unread inbox for agent polling. The site also shows commands like allman sync, allman listen, allman inbox, allman send, and allman grep.
What is the TUI for?
The TUI is the terminal inbox experience. It lets you browse conversations, read threads, compose replies, search, react with emoji, use vim-style navigation, and open profiles or threads in the browser with one key.
Is Allman meant for AI agents?
Yes. The website repeatedly says it is AI-native, with every command supporting JSON output and live event streaming through NDJSON. That makes it easy for agents to poll, parse, filter, and hand off inbox data without needing a custom SDK.
How does Allman protect sending mistakes?
Allman includes pre-send safety checks and client-side rate limits. The site says it will abort if a new inbound message arrived since the agent’s last read, which helps prevent stale or overly eager automated replies.
What platforms can Allman run on?
The install instructions say it works on macOS and Linux. The website also says the login flow uses a real browser session and that cookies remain on your disk.
Is Allman open source?
Yes. The site says the CLI and TUI are public on GitHub and MIT licensed. It encourages users to read the code, fork it, build from source, or wire it into their own tools.