31 Rust CLI Tools Built for AI Agents

I shipped 31 open-source Rust CLI tools in one project. Not 31 features in one tool - 31 separate crates, each doing exactly one thing, each installable on its own. That project is dee.ink , and building it changed how I think about the right interface for AI agents. If you're building agentic systems and haven't thought hard about open-source Rust CLI tools for AI agents as an alternative to MCP servers, you're leaving serious efficiency on the table. The short version: CLI tools are dramatically more token-efficient than MCP servers for AI agent workflows. I measured 35x in my own benchmarks. Once you see that number, you can't unsee it. Here's how it happened and why it matters. Why I built dee.ink in the first place I run a multi-agent system called OpenClaw. If you've read castkit , you know it handles my daily workflow - morning digests, research, crypto monitoring, content scheduling, health data. It's not a demo. It processes real work every day. Agents need to reach into the w