🛠️How to Put an LLM in a Script's Shebang Line
TL;DR
Simon Willison shows how to use his llm CLI in a script's shebang line so the file itself becomes an LLM-powered program. The short TIL walks through the exact syntax and a working example you can copy.
Simon Willison shows how to use his llm CLI in a script's shebang line so the file itself becomes an LLM-powered program. The short TIL walks through the exact syntax and a working example you can copy.
Key Points
Uses an 'env -S llm ...' style shebang to run a prompt as an executable file
Turns a plain text file into a runnable LLM program with no wrapper code
Passes the script body to the llm tool as the prompt
Posted as a TIL on May 11, 2026
Why It Matters
It is a tiny, copyable trick showing how close LLM tooling now sits to ordinary Unix scripting.
Quick Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this matter?
It is a tiny, copyable trick showing how close LLM tooling now sits to ordinary Unix scripting.
What happened?
Simon Willison shows how to use his llm CLI in a script's shebang line so the file itself becomes an LLM-powered program. The short TIL walks through the exact syntax and a working example you can copy.
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