webchat-openai-cli

English version. Russian version: README.ru.md

Minimal ChatGPT-style CLI for chatgpt.com that works on your own account.

The project is split into two practical parts:

• main.py - the standalone CLI chat with history, streaming, metrics, image prompts, and localization.
• auth_fetcher.py - browser-based auth_data.json capture for a real ChatGPT web session.

Features

• streaming replies in the terminal
• latency metrics: first_token, last_token, total
• single local state file: webchat_state.json
• atomic writes for local state and auth_data.json
• image prompts through /img
• auto and wait auth capture modes
• English and Russian CLI localization
• main.py runs without extra Python packages

Requirements

• Windows
• Python 3.13+
• system curl available in PATH
• Chrome or Chromium for auth_fetcher.py

Installation

Create and activate a virtual environment in cmd.exe:

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate.bat
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt

main.py itself does not require external Python packages, but auth_fetcher.py uses g4f, zendriver, and platformdirs.

Get auth_data.json

Fast mode for an already logged-in browser session:

venv\Scripts\python.exe auth_fetcher.py --mode auto

Wait mode if you need time to log in or register first:

venv\Scripts\python.exe auth_fetcher.py --mode wait

Optional: override the one-shot probe prompt used to trigger auth capture:

venv\Scripts\python.exe auth_fetcher.py --mode auto --probe-prompt "Ping"

Short alias for wait mode:

venv\Scripts\python.exe auth_fetcher_wait.py

After a successful capture, auth_data.json will appear in the project directory.

Run the CLI

python main.py

Or from the virtual environment:

venv\Scripts\python.exe main.py

Useful Commands

• /help
• /models
• /new
• /list
• /use <chat_id>
• /reset
• /img <path_or_url> :: <prompt>
• /settings
• /model <name>
• /lang <en|ru>
• /ws <true|false>
• /effort <standard|extended|off>
• /metrics <true|false>

Important Files

• auth_data.json - local auth data, do not commit it
• webchat_state.json - local chat history and runtime settings, do not commit it

Notes

• auth_data.json is the primary auth source.
• .env is optional. If present, accessToken is used as a fallback even when auth_data.json is missing, but a full auth_data.json remains the most compatible setup.
• auth_fetcher.py sends one probe message to trigger capture. The default text is "Hello", and you can override it with --probe-prompt.
• Do not mix cookies and api_key/accessToken from different accounts.
• Local state and auth files are written atomically to reduce the chance of truncated JSON after interruption.
• If main.py says that curl is missing, install system curl.exe and check curl --version.

Troubleshooting

• curl not found Install system curl.exe and make sure curl --version works in cmd.exe.
• auth_data.json is missing Run venv\Scripts\python.exe auth_fetcher.py --mode wait and complete login in the browser.
• ImportError: cannot import name 'nodriver' Reinstall dependencies with python -m pip install -r requirements.txt. Recent g4f releases use zendriver instead of the older nodriver package name.
• The wrong account opens in auth_fetcher The browser profile already contains another session. Log out there first, or use the wait mode and sign in to the intended account.
• Requests start failing after working before Your session cookies or api_key may have expired. Regenerate auth_data.json.
• main.py starts but cannot answer Check that auth_data.json exists, curl is installed, and the captured browser session still belongs to the same account.

Status

This repository is now considered stable v1: compact, practical, and user-oriented.

The scope of this repo remains the end-user CLI plus browser auth capture. Future reusable transport or adapter work is expected to move into a separate repository such as webchat-adapter, so this project can stay focused and low-maintenance.