explaingit

alonsorobots/steal-context

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

0JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A CLI tool that lets you type /steal in one AI coding assistant to instantly pull in your latest conversation from another assistant.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((steal context))
    What it does
      Slash steal command
      Cross tool handoff
      Local session read
    Tech stack
      Node.js
      SQLite
      CLI
    Use cases
      Switch AI assistants
      Preserve context
      Model cost savings
    Audience
      Developers
      AI power users

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Switch between Cursor and Kilo Code mid-task without re-explaining what you were doing.

USE CASE 2

Hand off a coding session's full context, including tool outputs, to a cheaper or different model.

USE CASE 3

Preserve exact tool call and result history when moving a task between two AI assistants.

USE CASE 4

Set up a global slash command that works across every project without extra setup.

What is it built with?

JavaScriptNode.jsSQLiteCLI

How does it compare?

alonsorobots/steal-contextabhay-pratapsingh-ctrl/chaptrabhishek-akkal/finova
Stars000
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyeasyhardeasy
Complexity2/55/51/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Node.js 22.5 or newer and either Cursor or Kilo Code already installed.

MIT License allows free use, modification, and commercial use as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

This tool solves an annoying problem for people who use two different AI coding assistants at once, such as Cursor and Kilo Code, each connected to a different AI model. Normally, if you switch from one tool to the other in the middle of a task, you have to re-explain everything you were working on, because the two tools store their conversation history in separate places and formats. This project adds a slash command, typed as slash steal, that you run inside a live chat in either tool. When you type it, the tool automatically pulls in the most recent conversation from the other assistant for the same project, and presents it to the new assistant as if it were continuing the same conversation itself, rather than being given a summary to catch up on. For the two main supported tools, it reads their stored session files directly, which the README says takes about fifty milliseconds, and for many other AI coding tools it falls back to a separate open source library that knows how to read their formats too. You can control how much of the previous conversation gets pulled in using presets ranging from a short six message nudge up to the entire conversation history, and you can choose whether the handoff is formatted as readable text or as raw structured data preserving the exact tool calls and results the earlier assistant saw. The README is honest that not every tool stores the same level of detail locally, so how much detail survives a handoff depends on which direction you are moving between tools. Installing it requires Node.js and a single global install command, after which it automatically sets up the slash command for every project without extra configuration. Everything runs and is read locally on your own machine, with nothing sent anywhere else. This is meant for developers who already pay for and use more than one AI coding assistant and want to avoid repeating context when switching between them.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Walk me through installing steal-context and setting up the /steal slash command globally.
Prompt 2
Explain the difference between the minimal, standard, verbose, and full context presets.
Prompt 3
How does the fidelity of a handoff differ depending on which tool I'm stealing context from?
Prompt 4
What does the markdown versus json handoff format actually contain?

Frequently asked questions

What is steal-context?

A CLI tool that lets you type /steal in one AI coding assistant to instantly pull in your latest conversation from another assistant.

What language is steal-context written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Node.js, SQLite.

What license does steal-context use?

MIT License allows free use, modification, and commercial use as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is steal-context to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is steal-context for?

Mainly developer.

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