Terminal / CLI Coding Agents

Qwen Code is an open-source terminal-first AI coding agent optimized for Qwen Coder models. It helps developers understand large codebases, edit files, run commands, review code, automate Git workflows, and connect external tools through MCP.

Gemini CLI is Google’s open-source terminal AI agent for coding, codebase exploration, task automation, and MCP-connected workflows. Google is transitioning individual Gemini CLI users to Antigravity CLI, so it is best evaluated today as a legacy Gemini terminal agent with a clear migration path.

Codex CLI is OpenAI’s open-source terminal coding agent that runs locally in your project directory. It can read files, edit code, run commands, use MCP tools, and work with the same Codex agent available across OpenAI’s app, IDE, web, and cloud surfaces.

Claude Code is Anthropic’s terminal-first AI coding agent for reading, editing, testing, and refactoring real codebases. It brings Claude’s agentic coding abilities into the CLI, supported IDEs, GitHub workflows, and programmable Agent SDK use cases.

OpenCode is an open-source AI coding agent for developers who want terminal-native, model-flexible coding assistance. It can run in the terminal, desktop app, VS Code-style IDEs, ACP-compatible editors, and GitHub workflows.

Aider is an open-source AI pair-programming CLI that edits files directly inside your local Git repository. It is best for developers who want model-flexible, terminal-native coding help without switching IDEs.