Commands you will use every day
pwd # where am I ls -la # what is here cd folder # enter folder mkdir project # create folder cat file.txt # view a small file code . # open in editor if you use VS Code
Processes and ports
Many AI tools are local servers: Ollama on 11434, Next.js on 3000, n8n on 5678, Qdrant on 6333. When something fails, ask first: is the process alive and does the port answer?
curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags lsof -i :3000 ps aux | grep ollama
60-second diagnosis
- Read the first real error, not only the last line.
- Check path, port, environment variable, and process.
- Repeat the smallest command outside the app.
- If you use Docker, remember that localhost inside a container is not always your machine.
Useful shortcuts
Ctrl+C cancels a process, arrow up recovers previous commands, and Tab autocompletes paths. It sounds small, but it saves hours when working with agents.