llm9p

LLM access via the 9P filesystem protocol.

llm9p enables users, scripts, and AI agents to interact with Large Language Models through standard filesystem operations. Write a prompt to a file, read the response from the same file. Supports multiple backends including Anthropic API, Claude Code CLI, and local LLMs (planned).

Supported Backends

The pluggable backend architecture makes it easy to add new LLM providers.

What is 9P?

9P is a simple, lightweight network filesystem protocol originally developed for Plan 9 from Bell Labs. It lets you access remote resources as if they were local files. This means you can interact with LLMs using basic file operations (cat, echo, >, <) instead of SDKs or HTTP APIs.

Why use 9P for LLM access?

• Universal: Any language or tool that can read/write files can use it
• Scriptable: Chain LLM calls with standard Unix pipes and shell scripts
• Composable: Mount multiple 9P services and combine them
• Simple: No libraries, no dependencies, just files

Installation

go install github.com/NERVsystems/llm9p/cmd/llm9p@latest

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/NERVsystems/llm9p
cd llm9p
go build -o llm9p ./cmd/llm9p

Usage

Start the Server

Option A: Using Anthropic API (requires API key)

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
./llm9p -addr :5640

Option B: Using Claude Max Subscription (via Claude Code CLI)

If you have a Claude Max subscription and the Claude Code CLI installed:

./llm9p -addr :5640 -backend cli

This uses your Claude Max subscription instead of API tokens. No API key required.

Requirements for CLI backend:

• Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated (claude command available)
• Active Claude Max subscription

Mount the Filesystem

There are several ways to mount the filesystem depending on your environment.

Option 1: Plan 9 from User Space (plan9port)

plan9port provides Plan 9 tools for Unix systems.

# Install on macOS
brew install plan9port

# Install on Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install 9base

# Mount using 9pfuse
mkdir -p /mnt/llm
9pfuse localhost:5640 /mnt/llm

# Or use the 9p tool directly (no mount needed)
9p -a localhost:5640 ls llm
9p -a localhost:5640 read llm/model
9p -a localhost:5640 write llm/ask "What is 2+2?"
9p -a localhost:5640 read llm/ask

Option 2: Infernode (Inferno OS)

Infernode is a hosted Inferno OS environment with native 9P support. This is an excellent way to explore 9P filesystems.

# Start infernode
cd /path/to/infernode
./emu

# Inside infernode shell, mount llm9p
# Note: Use IP address 127.0.0.1, not "localhost"
mkdir /n/llm
mount -A tcp!127.0.0.1!5640 /n/llm

# List available files
ls -l /n/llm

# Check current model
cat /n/llm/model

# Ask a question
echo 'What is the capital of France?' > /n/llm/ask
cat /n/llm/ask

# View conversation history
cat /n/llm/context

# Reset conversation
echo reset > /n/llm/new

Infernode Tips:

• Always use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost for the server address
• Create the mount point with mkdir /n/llm before mounting
• The -A flag to mount enables anonymous authentication (no auth required)
• Use single quotes around prompts to avoid shell interpretation issues

Option 3: Linux 9P Mount

Linux has built-in 9P filesystem support via the 9p kernel module.

# Mount via kernel 9p module
sudo mount -t 9p -o port=5640,version=9p2000 localhost /mnt/llm

Interact with the LLM

# Ask a question
echo "What is 2+2?" > 

... [View full README on GitHub](https://github.com/NERVsystems/llm9p#readme)