npm package: @lightning-tools/lt
Description: CLI for Lightning Tools — manage credits and call pay-per-use tools from the terminal
Latest version: 0.3.2

# `lt` — Lightning Tools CLI

Command-line interface for [Lightning Tools](https://lightningapi.tools). Manage credits and call pay-per-use AI tools directly from your terminal.

## Install

```bash
npm install -g @lightning-tools/lt
```

Requires Node.js 18+.

## Quick Start

```bash
lt start
```

Follow the prompts to buy credits and receive an API key. The key is saved to `~/.lightning-tools/config.json` automatically.

## Commands

### Account

| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| `lt start` | Buy credits and get an API key, or manage your existing account |
| `lt topup <quantity>` | Top up credits for your existing account |
| `lt set-key <key>` | Store an existing API key |
| `lt balance` | Show your current credit balance |

### Tools

| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| `lt tools` | List all available tools with prices |
| `lt run [name]` | Run a tool interactively with guided prompts |
| `lt <tool-name> --flag value` | Call a tool directly by name |

## Using Tools

### Interactive wizard

Run any tool without flags to get guided prompts:

```bash
lt email-validator
lt run email-validator
```

### Direct flags

Pass all required flags to skip the wizard:

```bash
lt email-validator --email hello@example.com
lt email-validator --email hello@example.com --pretty
```

The `--pretty` flag pretty-prints JSON output for any tool.

Credits remaining are printed to stderr after each call.

## Available Tools

| Tool | Command | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Email Validator | `lt email-validator --email <addr>` | 2 credits |
| Calculator | `lt calculator --expression <expr>` | 1 credit |
| QR Code | `lt qr-code --content <text>` | 1 credit |
| Phone Validator | `lt phone-validator --phone <number>` | 1 credit |
| Extract Text | `lt extract-text --url <url>` | 2 credits |
| Date Utils | `lt date-utils <operation> [flags]` | 1–2 credits |
| Domain Intelligence | `lt domain-intelligence <operation> --domain <domain>` | 1 credit |

Run `lt tools` to see the full list with current pricing.

## Configuration

The CLI stores your API key at `~/.lightning-tools/config.json`.

You can also set the key via environment variable:

```bash
export LIGHTNING_TOOLS_API_KEY=sk_yourkey
```

To point at a different API (e.g. staging):

```bash
export LIGHTNING_TOOLS_BASE_URL=https://api-staging.hop.ie
```

## Examples

```bash
# Get started
lt start

# Check balance
lt balance

# See what tools are available
lt tools

# Validate an email address
lt email-validator --email user@example.com

# Evaluate a mathematical expression
lt calculator --expression "sqrt(144)"
lt calculator --expression "100 celsius to fahrenheit"

# Generate a QR code (PNG by default, use --format svg for SVG)
lt qr-code --content "https://example.com"
lt qr-code --content "https://example.com" --format svg

# Validate a phone number
lt phone-validator --phone +447911123456
lt phone-validator --phone 0861234567 --country IE

# Extract text from a URL
lt extract-text --url https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Node.js

# Date utilities
lt date-utils today --timezone Europe/Dublin --country IE
lt date-utils is-working-day --date 2026-04-03 --country IE
lt date-utils next-working-day --date 2026-04-02 --country IE
lt date-utils add-working-days --date 2026-04-01 --days 5 --country IE
lt date-utils meeting-windows --countries IE,US,DE --from-date 2026-04-14 --to-date 2026-04-18
lt date-utils convert-time --datetime "2026-03-15T14:30:00" --from-timezone America/New_York --to-timezone Asia/Tokyo

# Domain intelligence
lt domain-intelligence dns --domain example.com
lt domain-intelligence whois --domain example.com
lt domain-intelligence ssl --domain example.com
lt domain-intelligence http --domain example.com

# Top up 1000 credits
lt topup 1000
```