GETTING STARTED
What is AI NetShell
Learn how AI NetShell investigates devices, preserves configuration history, detects drift, and controls changes through two approval phases.
Verified against AI NetShell 0.4.11
Purpose#
AI NetShell is a Windows desktop app for working with network devices. It combines a device inventory, terminal access, reusable Credentials, AI-assisted investigation, configuration history and drift detection, and a controlled way to review and apply configuration changes.
It also moves files to and from devices over SFTP, SCP, and TFTP, and reads Cisco Meraki organizations through read-only site reports.
Lina is the AI NetShell assistant. You can connect to authorized devices, ask Lina questions in plain language, inspect the evidence Lina collects, and decide whether a proposed change should run. AI NetShell does not give Lina unchecked access to your devices.
Before You Begin#
AI NetShell supports Windows 10 version 22H2 or later and Windows 11. Mac and Linux versions are coming soon.
You also need:
- Network access from your Windows PC to each device you want to manage
- A device account with the permissions needed for the work you intend to do
- Internet access for AI NetShell account sign-in, Included AI, billing, and updates (see Network requirements)
- An AI NetShell account with available AI credits for Included AI. Free uses prepaid pack credits, and paid tiers use monthly or pack credits. Your own AI needs Investigate or higher and either an Anthropic API key or Sign in with ChatGPT account
Sign-in status refreshes hourly while the PC is connected. If it goes offline, single-device reads and rollback remain available for up to 7 days. Governed changes, Active Discovery, and investigations across many open devices at once pause. A reconnect line appears after 48 hours. Included AI, billing, and updates still require internet.
Steps#
1. Add the devices you work with#
Save a device in Inventory, then assign a reusable Credential. AI NetShell uses the saved connection details when you open that device.
2. Connect and investigate#
Open a device session and ask Lina a question. Lina can propose permitted read-only commands, show the returned evidence, and explain the findings.
3. Preserve and compare configurations#
Use Config & Compliance to capture a manual backup, review the snapshot timeline, compare any two retained points, and scan for configuration changes with no recorded governed pre-change capture. Free includes manual backup for one device at a time, configuration comparison, and a first-connect config baseline on devices that support backup. Investigate and higher add discovery backups, scheduled discovery, and drift alerts.
The timeline keeps manual backups, discovery captures, copies taken when you connect, the separate pre-change snapshots made by the governed workflow, and, on supported platforms, a backup the app tries to take right after each governed change settles. Their source labels tell you why each point exists.
4. Review any proposed change#
Configuration changes use two approval phases:
- AI NetShell checks every proposed statement against the write policy for that device. A statement that does not pass this check cannot proceed.
- You review the proposed statements and the before-and-after change, then decide whether to approve it. Nothing is applied without that decision.
The change workflow also captures a snapshot before an approved change is applied so the rollback workflow has a known starting point.
5. Confirm the result#
After an approved change, use the app's verification result and device evidence to confirm the intended outcome. Some fixes are marked Manual change because AI NetShell cannot check those settings after a change. Examples are HSRP settings, OSPF interface settings, port-channel membership, and duplex settings on Arista EOS. The approval step shows this warning before you approve. After such a change, confirm the result on the device yourself, because the app does not mark it verified. If a workflow offers rollback, review the rollback action before using it.
Expected Result#
You understand the basic AI NetShell workflow: add a device, connect, investigate, preserve and compare configuration evidence, and keep control of any configuration change through both approval checks.
Troubleshooting#
My Windows version is not supported#
Install current Windows updates and confirm that Windows 10 reports version 22H2 or later. AI NetShell is not supported on macOS or Linux. Mac and Linux versions are coming soon.
The app opens, but a device does not connect#
Confirm that the Windows PC can reach the device, then verify the saved host, port, vendor or OS, and assigned Credential. See Credentials for authentication setup.
I cannot ask an AI question#
Confirm that a device session is open. Then check your account or AI provider configuration. If you use Included AI, confirm that AI credits are available.
A proposed change is blocked#
Do not work around the approval checks. Review the app's explanation, confirm the device's write policy, your plan entitlement, and that Allow configuration changes is turned on under Settings > General, then correct the proposal or keep the workflow read-only.