What is agent-code?

agent-code is an open-source, AI-powered coding agent for the terminal. You describe what you want in natural language, and the agent reads your codebase, runs commands, edits files, and iterates until the task is done.

It's built in pure Rust for speed, safety, and a single static binary with zero runtime dependencies.

What can it do?

Searches your codebase, reads files, traces dependencies, and explains how things work. Creates files, makes targeted edits, refactors code, adds features, and fixes bugs. Executes shell commands, runs tests, manages git operations, and handles build tools. Chains together reading, writing, and running to complete complex engineering tasks autonomously.

How it works

The core loop is simple:

You type a request
The agent sends your request + conversation history to an LLM
The LLM responds with text and tool calls
The agent executes the tools (file reads, edits, shell commands, etc.)
Tool results are fed back to the LLM
Repeat until the task is done

Every tool call passes through a permission system before executing. You stay in control.

You: "add input validation to the signup endpoint"

Agent:
  → FileRead src/routes/signup.rs
  → Grep "validate" src/
  → FileEdit src/routes/signup.rs (add validation logic)
  → Bash "cargo test"
  → FileEdit src/routes/signup.rs (fix test failure)
  → Bash "cargo test"
  ✓ All tests pass. Validation added.

Key features

32 built-in tools for file operations, shell commands, code search, web access, language servers, and more
42 slash commands for git, session management, diagnostics, sharing, and agent control
12 bundled skills including security review, architecture advisor, bug hunter, and implementation planner
12 LLM providers — Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, Google, DeepSeek, Groq, Mistral, Together, Zhipu, Ollama, AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex
Permission system with configurable rules per tool, pattern matching, and protected directories
MCP support for connecting external tool servers
Memory system for persistent context across sessions
Plugin system for bundling skills, hooks, and configuration
Session persistence with save, resume, share, fork, and rewind
Plan mode for safe read-only exploration
Extended thinking for complex reasoning tasks
Cross-platform — Linux, macOS, and Windows

Architecture

                        ┌─────────────┐
                        │   CLI / REPL │
                        └──────┬───────┘
                               │
              ┌────────────────▼────────────────┐
              │          Query Engine            │
              │  stream → tools → loop → compact │
              └──┬──────────┬──────────┬────────┘
                 │          │          │
        ┌────────▼──┐ ┌────▼─────┐ ┌──▼───────┐
        │   Tools   │ │ Perms    │ │  Hooks   │
        │  31 built │ │ allow    │ │ pre/post │
        │  + MCP    │ │ deny/ask │ │ shell    │
        └───────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘

Next steps