CQLAI is a modern, AI-powered CQL shell built by AxonOps as an alternative to cqlsh. It provides a rich terminal interface, zero dependencies, and optional AI-powered query generation from natural language.
cqlsh Limitation CQLAI Solution Requires Python installation Single static binary, no dependencies Slow startup (2-3 seconds) Fast startup (~100ms) Basic terminal interface Rich TUI with mouse support Limited output formats Table, JSON, CSV, Parquet export No AI assistance Natural language to CQL conversion Can OOM on large results Memory-bounded virtualized display
Zero Dependencies — Single binary for Linux, macOS, WindowsRich Terminal UI — Full-screen mode, vim navigation, mouse supportAI Query Generation — Convert natural language to CQL (optional)Apache Parquet Support — Native import/export for analytics integrationSmart Auto-Completion — Context-aware completion for tables, columns, keywords
cqlai --host cassandra.example.com -u myuser -k my_keyspace
cqlai > SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10 ;
# Use AI to generate queries
cqlai > .ai find all orders placed today with total over 100
cqlai > COPY users TO ' users.parquet ' WITH COMPRESSION= ' ZSTD ' ;
For complete documentation including installation, configuration, and all features, see the CQLAI Tools Reference
Section Description Installation APT, YUM, binary download, Docker, build from source Getting Started Connection options, authentication, SSL/TLS Configuration Config files, environment variables, options AI Features AI providers, natural language queries Data Import/Export CSV, Parquet, COPY commands Commands All supported commands Troubleshooting Common issues and solutions