Chapter #6: How to Use Warp Terminal to Automate Daily Admin Tasks

If you're a SysAdmin or DevOps engineer, chances are you live in the terminal. It's your go-to place for running commands, managing systems, and automating tasks. But what if your terminal could think with you?

That’s exactly where this Linux + AI series comes in - helping you speed up your workflow and get more done using intelligent AI-powered tools.

Today, we’re going to explore a new and exciting tool called Warp Terminal.

Warp is a terminal emulator, just like the ones you already use. But what makes it different is its built-in AI features. It’s now known as Warp AI Terminal, and it combines AI capabilities with the speed and performance of the Rust programming language. It’s made to give you a faster, smarter, and easier terminal experience.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to install Warp Terminal, use its features, and customize it to match your workflow.

What is Warp?

Warp is a modern-looking terminal emulator built on Rust. It started as a simple terminal replacement, but as AI technology evolved, more AI-powered features were added.

Warp is compatible with Bash, Fish, and Zsh. Initially, it only supported macOS, but it is now cross-platform.

Now, you might be wondering what Warp can do that other terminals cannot. Well, there are plenty of unique features.

Key Features of Warp Terminal

1. Performance - The use of Rust gives Warp a smooth and fast experience. You'll notice the difference as soon as you start using it.
2. AI Integration - AI toolset that Warp offers eliminates the need to integrate an AI tool, it’s already there for you, ready to use.
3. Modern Design & Customization - the modern look and the customization options that allow you to make it look fantastic are another plus.

You can think of Warp as an IDE with full support for all your terminal needs, whether you're a developer or a SysAdmin.

Installing Warp in Linux

Installing Warp is easy - just head over to the official website and download the version that matches your system.

Warp currently offers DEB and RPM packages, so you can choose the one that works best for your Linux distro.

Besides the DEB package, there is also an AppImage and a source file available for installation if you are using a different distro rather than Debian or Red Hat.

After installation, the welcome screen of Warp looks like this:

You can create an account on Warp to sync all your configurations and customizations.

Customize Warp in Linux

As we discussed earlier, Warp has a sleek and modern look, which you can enhance by changing the theme or even creating your own.

To change the theme, click on the settings icon in the corner and click Appearance.

Here, you can choose the theme you want, select a font, and customize other visual elements.

Using AI Inside Warp Terminal

Warp is integrated with AI LLMs (Large Language Models) out of the box. You don’t need to set up anything, just start using them. It supports different AI models, and you can even choose which one to use.

There are two modes:

1. Simple Mode - where you write commands as usual.
2. AI Mode - where AI assists you with commands and suggestions.

To switch from Simple Mode to AI Mode, use Ctrl + I, and you will see a screen like this in the command bar:

On the right corner, you’ll notice that Warp even supports voice input to interact with the AI assistant!

To choose from the different LLMs available, click on the current LLM’s name, and a dropdown menu will appear, allowing you to select another AI model.

Simple and powerful, just one click, and you can switch between different LLMs effortlessly.

Using Warp Terminal Functionalities

As we mentioned earlier, Warp has various functionalities that can help you boost productivity and achieve your goals, whether it's a coding task, a deployment task, or a learning task. It can assist you with them all.

Using AI Mode to Boost Productivity

Warp can significantly enhance your productivity by offering features like AI-powered search, auto-suggestions, autocomplete, command previews, and execution.

Let’s say you want to find all the JSON files on your system but don’t know how to do it in the shell. Here’s how you can do it using Warp:

First, enter AI Mode by pressing Ctrl + I, then type what you are searching for, like this:

Warp will first show you how you can do it and then provide a command to execute. You can choose to run the command or modify it based on your needs.

Another example where you might need help is writing code or performing any related task. Suppose you need a shell script to parse a CSV file.

Warp will guide you step by step. First, it will ask you to create a file called parse-csv.sh. If you confirm, it will create the file for you.

In the next step, it will write the script and ask if you approve of the changes. Once confirmed, Warp will write the script into the parse-csv.sh file that was created earlier.

Now, you can read the file using the cat command. You’ll notice AI-powered autocompletion when you start typing the filename.

The final generated script will look like this:

You can see the power of Warp - just by writing one command, it creates the file and script for you. Even if you add execution after generation, it will run it for you - all in one command!

Using Agent Mode for Daily AI Tasks

The Agent Mode, or basically the AI Mode, is where you perform all your daily AI tasks and receive responses or automate processes.

Warp has a great feature that allows you to open Agent Mode in a new window while still working in another window using Normal Mode or Command Mode.

To open Agent Mode, click the icon in the top right corner:

When you click this, it will open a new tab with Agent Mode alongside your existing tab:

You can work on both tabs at the same time. To exit Agent Mode in the tab, press ESC or Ctrl + I, this will return you to Normal Mode.

To close the entire tab, press Ctrl+D.

Using Notebooks in Warp

Warp has another feature called Notebooks, where you can write documentation alongside commands.

This feature is helpful if you are working in a team and want to share workflows with team members. Notebooks give you this ability, just create a notebook with all the instructions and share it with the team.

Or, if you are learning a new technology and need to document what you learn, these notebooks are useful for that as well.

To create a notebook, click on the Drive icon in the left-side corner:

This will open a tab where you can add your own notebook by pressing the + symbol:

You can choose to create an entire folder, workflow, notebook, or environment variable:

It depends on your situation. For now, let's go ahead and add a notebook.

Add a title and start writing what you want to document.

Notebooks use Markdown for formatting. After filling out the document, you have the option to either run the commands directly in the notebook terminal or copy them to the clipboard.

Conclusion

Warp is a great terminal that you definitely need to know and use, as it boosts productivity to a high level with all the functionalities it offers. It should replace your old terminal.