UFO CLI

One local tool for every file an AI agent touches. Find what is hidden or risky in incoming files, including text written to instruct an AI, read them, change them without breaking them, and hand back clean copies. One offline CLI and local MCP server for Linux, with a JSON receipt for every step.

• Find. ufo inspect --deep reports comments, tracked changes, hidden text, hidden sheets, rows and slides, speaker notes, document properties, macros and embedded files in supported formats. Its text scan flags lines that read as instructions to an AI assistant, personal-data and credential patterns and look-alike mixed-script words, and it names a program travelling under a document's name. ufo inspect --human prints the same findings readably.
• Read. ufo text extracts content with provenance, and --format structure adds addresses and hashes. ufo capabilities --file tells an agent what one file allows: bounded reads, candidate edits and their exact help, or why it should stop.
• Change. Guarded edits to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, JSON, CSV and text files check the source hash and the expected content, write a new copy and never overwrite. Untouched package parts and unaddressed values keep their exact bytes, and ufo text --format structure --targets derives exact guard templates for the change you choose.
• Hand back. ufo clean writes a copy without the removable hidden content the inspection found, and its receipt lists what was removed and what was not.

Inspection reports its coverage gaps. Basic information for an unknown file does not imply a dedicated reader, editor or security inspector for its format, and findings are advisory: UFO is not antivirus or a guarantee that content is safe. File and resource limits apply.

Free for individuals and small teams. Every command and supported file type is included, with no signup or watermark. Organizations with fewer than ten people and under USD 1 million in annual revenue, including funding, qualify; any organization can evaluate it free. See the eligibility details.

Website and comparison with other agent tools: https://universalfileopener.com/cli/

Install

Native Linux x86_64 installation needs glibc 2.35 or later (Ubuntu 24.04 and Debian 12 tested). Native Alpine/musl installation is unsupported. The Java runtime is included; the container option below uses its own runtime.

curl -fsSL https://universalfileopener.com/install.sh | sh
ufo doctor
ufo skill install --agent claude-code --dir "$PWD"

install.sh downloads the app image from the latest release, checks it against the release's SHA256SUMS and installs it under ~/.local, without sudo. The same release has a Debian package (sudo apt install ./universal-file-opener_1.7.1_amd64.deb) and ufo-cli-1.7.1-docker.tar, an archive of the container image for offline transfer.

Container

From a directory containing report.docx, download and run the public image:

docker run --rm --network none --read-only --cap-drop ALL \
  --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" --security-opt no-new-privileges \
  --pids-limit 128 --cpus 2 --memory 1g \
  --tmpfs /tmp:rw,nosuid,nodev,size=256m \
  --mount type=bind,src="$PWD",dst=/input,readonly \
  ghcr.io/krauqllc/ufo-cli:1.7.1 text /input/report.docx

No GitHub login is needed. The temporary mount is required. For edits, mount a separate writable output folder at /output and select a new file there. The container reads, edits and recognizes text; page rendering and Office-to-PDF conversion need the application package. For a deployment pinned to an immutable image, use the digest in the release notes.

Connect an agent

Run in the project folder. For Cursor use ufo skill install --agent cursor --dir "$PWD". For Codex use ufo skill install --agent codex --dir "$PWD" --replace; it adds or updates only the marked UFO section of the project's AGENTS.md, keeping the rest. Start a new session after installing the guide.

For an MCP client instead of the skill, ufo mcp print-config --client claude-code prints a template. Replace its executable and folder placeholders, then merge it into the client configuration. Printing does not register a server. Follow the complete setup instructions.

Get your first useful result

From a clone of this repository, with Python 3.10+ and jsonschema installed:

python3 tools/cli/first_run_demo.py --ufo "$(command -v ufo)" \
  --expect-version 1.7.1 --output first-look --mcp

The short example generates two fictional inputs. It collects basic information for an unfamiliar file, finds document properties, a reviewer comment and hidden text in a supported DOCX, and writes a clean copy. It independently checks the saved ZIP/XML bytes, original hashes, full receipt schemas and refusal to replace an existing output. Open first-look/START_HERE.txt to review the results.

Every notInspected gap and skipped clean category remains in the evidence. The optional MCP check discovers tools and calls inspection over local stdio; it does not establish that an installed assistant has connected successfully.

Working efficiently

Read the help for the operation you need: ufo edit paragraphs --help. Locate text with ufo find --text 'budget' --compact report.docx, then read selected paragraphs, cells or slides with ufo text --format structure --compact. Batch independent changes to one file, and reuse the output receipt's hash for the next edit. Store full receipts when you need an audit record.

--compact applies to text, find, inspect --deep and edit; intake, convert and unpack do not accept it. For MCP, read tools/list schemas: find takes one file and report requires an output path.

Every edit operation accepts --expect-sha256 (MCP options.expectedSha256), so a stale source refuses instead of being edited. Check each operation's help for its other flags rather than copying another operation's. For an unfamiliar file, start with ufo capabilities --file FILE. Always review what a receipt skipped and inspect the output before handoff.

What is in this repository

The binaries are on the Releases page. This repository holds what you need to check them:

The other files under tools/ are the helpers these import. They need Python 3.10 or newer, jsonschema for receipt validation, and an installed UFO build.

Reviewed distribution source is also available under packaging/npm/, packaging/linux-cli/registry/ and packaging/homebrew/. These wrappers and descriptors target the same Linux x86_64 release. The Homebrew tap is public. Homebrew 7 loads formulae from other taps only after you trust them: brew trust --formula krauqllc/ufo/ufo, then brew install krauqllc/ufo/ufo. The release also provides a complete local MCPB bundle for compatible Linux clients, listed in the official MCP Registry. Directory revision 1.7.1-1 provides the matching 1.7.1 engine and bundle. Choose only existing task folders when installing the bundle; no directories are granted by default. The npm package @krauq/ufo-cli installs the same verified runtime; version 1.7.1 appears there once the publisher approves it with 2FA, which npm view @krauq/ufo-cli versions shows. On npm 12 use npm install --global @krauq/ufo-cli@1.7.1 --allow-scripts=@krauq/ufo-cli; on npm 11 or earlier, omit --allow-scripts and keep installation scripts enabled. The wrapper verifies and installs this exact Linux runtime. Smithery and Glama account submissions are separate pending steps.

Check it yourself

UFO=$(command -v ufo)
python3 tools/cli/evaluate_sample.py --ufo "$UFO" --expect-version 1.7.1 --output sample-result
python3 tools/cli/own_file_evaluation.py --files ~/my-files --ufo "$UFO" --expect-version 1.7.1 --output my-files-report
python3 tools/corpus/download_realworld_corpus.py --download --output corpus
python3 tools/corpus/compare_agent_tools.py --download --corpus tools/corpus/realworld_corpus_manifest.tsv --corpus-root corpus --ufo "$UFO"

--download fetches the pinned releases of the other tools, and --setup-libraries creates the Python library environment the comparison uses. Both need the network once; the runs themselves do not.

License

The files here are Apache 2.0 (LICENSE, NOTICE). The binaries are licensed under ENGINE-LICENSE.txt: free for individuals, evaluation, education, non-commercial use, and organizations with fewer than ten people and under USD 1 million in annual revenue, including funding. Larger organizations need a license.

Install a delivered file with ufo license install ./license.json, then run ufo license status. A fresh file arrives for each paid period; install renewals with ufo license install ./license.json --replace. Checks are offline. For delivery or recovery help, contact support@krauq.com with the order number.

Security

Report a security problem to support@krauq.com with "Security" in the subject.