AI CLI & Terminal Coding Agents
Compare terminal coding tools, installation commands, model access, billing and project configuration.
Last verified: · How we verifyA free CLI client can still incur model charges. Windows support may require WSL or Git Bash; each guide lists its requirements.
Codex
OpenAI’s coding agent for local projects and cloud tasks.
Claude Code
Anthropic’s coding agent for terminal and editor workflows.
Grok Build
Grok’s coding agent with a terminal interface, script mode and ACP integration.
Kimi Code CLI
Kimi’s terminal agent for code, shell tasks, skills and parallel subagents.
Gemini CLI
Google’s open-source terminal agent for Gemini, project context and command-line automation.
GitHub Copilot CLI
GitHub’s terminal coding agent with repository context and Copilot account access.
OpenCode
An open-source coding agent with a terminal UI and configurable model providers.
Qwen Code
Qwen’s open-source terminal agent for repository work and configurable model access.
goose
An open-source agent that connects model providers, MCP tools and repeatable recipes.
Aider
Terminal pair programming with repository maps, editable file context and Git integration.
Amp
A coding agent spanning terminal sessions, hosted environments and shared threads.
Factory Droid
Factory’s terminal agent for implementation, review, custom agents and automated missions.
Kilo Code CLI
A terminal coding agent with provider choice, task modes, MCP and skills.
Cline CLI
Cline’s terminal agent for interactive work, headless tasks and configurable providers.
Cursor CLI
Cursor’s agent in the terminal, with interactive work and scripted execution.
Kiro CLI
Kiro’s terminal agent with project context, planning and shared IDE configuration.
Qoder CLI
Qoder’s terminal agent for project exploration, coding, review and persistent instructions.
CodeBuddy Code
Tencent’s command-line coding agent with regional and enterprise account options.
Mistral Vibe
Mistral’s coding agent for terminal sessions, scripts and configurable local or hosted models.
Pi
A minimal terminal coding agent with configurable providers, sessions and extension packages.
Continue CLI
Continue’s cn terminal agent for interactive coding and headless workflows.
Legacy CLI tools
Retained for existing users and migration. Check maintenance status before a new installation.
Choose the host and the agent separately
The editor provides navigation, extensions and debugging. The agent plans and executes work. The model supplies reasoning and generation. MCP connects tools and data; rules and skills shape how tasks are performed. One subscription does not necessarily cover every layer.
Compare the integration, not just the model
Check how an agent displays diffs, asks for permissions, resumes a task and runs tests in your chosen environment. Zed documents native, external-agent and terminal-thread paths. VS Code documents a multi-agent workspace. The same agent can feel different in each.