Definition
Plain language
The text-based command language people type to control a Linux or Mac computer.
As stated in the literature
A Unix shell and command language, the default interactive shell on most Linux systems; coding and terminal agents issue bash commands to read files, run programs, and inspect output, which is what ECHO's auxiliary loss learns to predict.
Why it matters: It is the basic way agents and people drive a computer to read files and run programs, so understanding its commands is central to controlling a system.
For example, typing a bash command like 'ls' lists every file in the current folder on a Linux machine.
Heard on the show
“The bash-only agent, working with raw commands, burns seventeen steps fighting nested quotes and formatting.”Episode 157 — When an AI Coding Agent Drives a Phone Through the Terminal, No Screen Needed