Editor Configuration

Typing a five-line prompt in a single-line input is miserable. The :edit command lets you compose prompts in a real editor — VS Code, Vim, Neovim, nano, whatever you prefer — then sends the result to Mnethos when you save and close.

:edit

Your editor opens a temporary file. Write your prompt, save, close. Mnethos reads the file and sends it as if you had typed it inline.

Setting Your Editor

Mnethos checks two environment variables, in order:

MNETHOS_EDITOR takes priority. If it's set, EDITOR is ignored. If neither is set, Mnethos falls back to nano.

MNETHOS_EDITOR exists for one reason: your preferred system editor and your preferred prompt editor might not be the same. Maybe you use vim for quick system edits but want VS Code for longer prompts. Set MNETHOS_EDITOR to decouple the two.

VS Code

VS Code needs the --wait flag so Mnethos knows when you're done editing. Without it, the code command returns immediately and Mnethos sends an empty prompt.

export MNETHOS_EDITOR="code --wait"

Vim / Neovim

Vim and Neovim run inside your terminal and block until you quit, so no extra flags are needed:

export EDITOR="vim"
# or
export EDITOR="nvim"

nano

export EDITOR="nano"

Other Editors

Any editor that blocks the calling process until the file is closed will work. The pattern is the same — if your editor returns immediately, look for a "wait" or "block" flag in its docs.

Where to Set It

Three options, same trade-offs as any environment variable.

~/.env — persistent, Mnethos-only

Mnethos loads ~/.env on every run. The variable is invisible to other tools:

# ~/.env
MNETHOS_EDITOR=code --wait

~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc) — persistent, system-wide

Makes the variable available to everything in your shell:

# ~/.zshrc
export EDITOR="vim"

Reload your shell after editing (source ~/.zshrc) or open a new terminal.

Current session — temporary

export MNETHOS_EDITOR="code --wait"

Gone when the session ends.

When to Use :edit

Inline prompts work fine for short requests. :edit earns its keep when:

• The prompt has structure — steps, lists, code snippets, or multi-paragraph context that's awkward to compose in a single line.
• You want to iterate — write a draft, re-read it, tighten it up before sending. A real editor with cursor movement, undo, and search makes this natural.
• You're pasting content — logs, stack traces, or code blocks are easier to arrange in an editor than at a prompt.

Pair it with multiline input for shorter structured prompts, and reach for :edit when the prompt outgrows inline composition.