vtcode 0.13.3

A Rust-based terminal coding agent with modular architecture supporting multiple LLM providers
Documentation

Quickstart

Installing and running VT Code

VT Code can be installed using multiple package managers depending on your preference:

Using Cargo (Rust package manager) - Recommended for Rust developers:

cargo install vtcode

Using Homebrew (macOS only):

brew install vinhnx/tap/vtcode

Using npm (Node.js package manager) - Cross-platform:

npm install -g vtcode

After installation with any method, simply run vtcode to get started:

vtcode

Available for:

  • macOS: Apple Silicon (aarch64-apple-darwin) and Intel (x86_64-apple-darwin)
  • Linux: x86_64 and ARM64 architectures
  • Windows: x86_64 architecture

Each archive contains the executable - extract and rename to vtcode if needed.

Configuration

Set your API key for your preferred provider:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="your_key_here"
# or
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your_key_here"
# or
export XAI_API_KEY="your_key_here"
# or
export GEMINI_API_KEY="your_key_here"
# or
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your_key_here"

Alternatively, create a .env file in your project directory:

# .env file
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_key_here
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_key_here
XAI_API_KEY=your_anthropic_key_here
GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_key_here
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_openrouter_key_here

Automatic API Key Inference: VTCode automatically uses the correct environment variable based on your provider setting in vtcode.toml:

  • provider = "openai" → OPENAI_API_KEY
  • provider = "anthropic" → ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
  • provider = "gemini" → GEMINI_API_KEY
  • provider = "xai" → XAI_API_KEY
  • provider = "deepseek" → DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
  • provider = "openrouter" → OPENROUTER_API_KEY

VT Code supports advanced configuration via vtcode.toml. See Configuration for details.

Using OpenRouter models

OpenRouter support unlocks any hosted model by ID, including the latest Grok and Qwen3 coding releases.

vtcode --provider openrouter --model x-ai/grok-code-fast-1 chat

Or persist the configuration in vtcode.toml:

[agent]
provider = "openrouter"
default_model = "qwen/qwen3-coder"

Custom model IDs are accepted as long as they match your OpenRouter account access. Streaming and tool-calling work out of the box using the OpenAI-compatible Responses API.

Enhanced Terminal Interface

VT Code now features a completely revamped terminal user interface with numerous enhancements:

Visual Improvements

  • Modern, clean interface with rounded borders and improved styling
  • Customizable color themes with Catppuccin integration
  • Enhanced message formatting with distinct markers for different message types
  • Real-time command output display with proper ANSI color support

Interaction Features

  • Full mouse support for scrolling and text selection
  • Interactive text selection with click-and-drag functionality
  • Improved input area with placeholder text ("Implement {feature}...")
  • Slash command auto-suggestions for quick access to built-in commands

Terminal Command Support

  • Real-time PTY (pseudo-terminal) integration for running shell commands
  • Dedicated terminal output panels with command summaries
  • Streaming output display for long-running processes
  • Proper handling of ANSI escape sequences and colors

Navigation & Controls

  • Smooth scrolling with mouse wheel and keyboard shortcuts
  • Page navigation with Page Up/Down keys
  • Dedicated status bar with contextual information
  • Clear exit and cancel controls (Esc key)

Core Features

Multi-Platform Installation

  • Cargo: cargo install vtcode - Install directly from crates.io
  • Homebrew: brew install vinhnx/tap/vtcode - macOS package manager installation
  • npm: npm install -g vtcode - Node.js package manager installation
  • GitHub Releases: Pre-built binaries for macOS, Linux, and Windows

Multi-Provider AI Support

  • Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, OpenRouter, and DeepSeek integration
  • Automatic provider selection and failover
  • Cost optimization with safety controls
  • Support for the latest models including Qwen3 and Grok

Enhanced Terminal User Interface

  • Modern TUI with mouse support and text selection
  • Real-time terminal command output with ANSI color support
  • Customizable themes with Catppuccin color palette integration
  • Interactive slash commands with auto-suggestions
  • Smooth scrolling and navigation controls
  • Dedicated status bar with contextual information

Advanced Code Intelligence

  • Tree-sitter parsing for 6+ languages (Rust, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Java)
  • Semantic code analysis and pattern recognition
  • Intelligent refactoring and optimization suggestions
  • Git-aware fuzzy file search backed by the ignore and nucleo-matcher crates
  • Code navigation and symbol lookup

Enterprise Security

  • Workspace boundary enforcement
  • Configurable command allowlists
  • Human-in-the-loop controls for safety
  • Comprehensive audit logging
  • Secure API key management

Modular Architecture

  • Trait-based tool system for extensibility
  • Multi-mode execution (terminal, PTY, streaming)
  • Intelligent caching and performance optimization
  • Plugin architecture for custom tools
  • Configurable agent workflows

Documentation

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE for details.