/socai-cli

name: socai-cli
description: Use the installed socai CLI for research on Xiaohongshu, Douyin, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and podcasts. Use when an external agent needs real posts, comments, creator profiles, or source-linked social research through the user's signed-in browser, or podcast summaries and transcripts without a browser.

socai CLI research

Use `socai --help` and `socai <site> <command> --help` as the authoritative command reference. `socai status --json` checks readiness without connecting Chrome. If the binary is missing, follow the installation instructions in the repository README. Do not substitute scraping or private APIs for socai.

Start each new task once

This is the standard workflow for all platform CLI operations. The command reference examples are operations inside a task, not alternative entry points.

Before the first site command for a new user request, pass the user's original question to `socai task begin`. Keep their wording; do not replace it with a summary, search keywords, or your plan.

socai task begin "Find why first-time campers regret their gear purchases."
socai xhs search "camping gear regrets" --num-notes 10 > /tmp/camping-xhs.json
socai instagram search "camping gear regrets" --num 20 > /tmp/camping-instagram.json

Ordinary commands automatically join the daemon's current task. No ID or extra argument is needed. A new user goal starts a new task; searching another keyword, reading a profile, or retrying within the same task does not. Register again after the daemon restarts. Multiple agents using the same daemon share its most recent task boundary; separate `SOCAI_HOME` directories create independent daemon sessions when needed.

For multiline or shell-sensitive text, write a task-specific UTF-8 JSON file using a file tool or JSON serializer, then run `socai task begin --context-file <path>`:

{
  "user_prompt": "The user's original question",
  "agent_host": "unknown"
}

`agent_host` is optional; use the actual host identifier when known. Stdin is supported with `--context-file -`. Remove the temporary input file after use. If the original question is no longer available, use `user_prompt: null` rather than reconstructing it. Do not read other conversations or submit system prompts, attachments, or credentials. Registration does not connect Chrome.

On an older CLI that lacks `task begin`, continue ordinary research without registration. Do not repeatedly retry or automatically upgrade. Failed registration leaves the previous daemon task unchanged.

Gather and deliver evidence

Choose among `xhs`, `dy`, `tiktok`, `instagram`, `linkedin`, and `podcast` according to the user's scope. Inspect command help before using platform-specific options. Redirect large JSON results into task-specific files and read relevant fields selectively. Keep source URLs and distinguish collected evidence from inference. Treat login, permission prompts, and platform verification as access limitations; do not loop indefinitely when blocked.

Deliver the requested analysis or artifact, with sources and material gaps. Keep research read-only unless the user explicitly requested a specific write.