<div align="center">
<picture>
<img src="./resources/logo/vt_code_adaptive.svg" alt="VT Code" width="300" />
</picture>
**An open-source terminal coding agent built in Rust.**
[](#license)
[](https://agentskills.io/)
[](./docs/guides/zed-acp.md)
[](./docs/guides/mcp-integration.md)
[](./docs/guides/agent-plugins.md)
[](https://deepwiki.com/vinhnx/VTCode)
</div>
> [!TIP]
> New here? Start with [Installation](./docs/installation/README.md), then
> [Getting Started](./docs/user-guide/getting-started.md).
<details>
<summary><strong>Contents</strong></summary>
- [Overview](#overview)
- [Quick start](#quick-start)
- [1. Install](#1-install)
- [2. Configure](#2-configure)
- [3. Run](#3-run)
- [Why VT Code](#why-vt-code)
- [Architecture](#architecture)
- [What's inside](#whats-inside)
- [Commands](#commands)
- [Everyday recipes](#everyday-recipes)
- [WebMCP browser bridge (opt-in)](#webmcp-browser-bridge-opt-in)
- [Documentation](#documentation)
- [Development](#development)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [Contributors](#contributors)
- [Support](#support)
- [Contact](#contact)
- [Share VT Code](#share-vt-code)
- [Sponsorship](#sponsorship)
- [License](#license)
</details>
## Overview
VT Code is a coding agent for your terminal: interactive TUI, headless
`exec`, and scheduled runs in one Rust binary. The model proposes work; the
runtime provides tools, context management, and command policy, and you
review changes before they land.
<div align="center">
<br />
<em>Plan, run, and review coding work from your terminal.</em>
</div>
Full docs catalog: [docs overview](./docs/README.md).
> [!NOTE]
> **Status:** Active development; some automation flows are experimental.
> OAuth login for ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot reuses the Codex CLI's public
> client identity (unofficial); prefer your own API key for supported paths.
> See [OAuth authentication](./docs/guides/oauth-authentication.md).
<details>
<summary><strong>Behind the build</strong></summary>
- [Building VT Code, a year in](https://huggingface.co/blog/vinhnx90/building-vtcode-a-year-in)
covering harness design, evals, security, and lessons learned.
- [Podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLoswcd5rH0) ·
[Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvL_kPjgU6o)
</details>
## Quick start
### 1. Install
```bash
The installer also sets up `ripgrep` and `ast-grep` on macOS/Linux. Other
methods from the [installation guide](./docs/installation/README.md):
```bash
brew trust vinhnx/tap
brew install vinhnx/tap/vtcode
# or, if you have Rust: cargo install vtcode
```
> [!NOTE]
> Windows artifacts are best-effort and may lag behind macOS/Linux; see the
> [installation guide](./docs/installation/README.md).
### 2. Configure
In your project, initialize workspace instructions and add a provider key:
```bash
cd path/to/your/project
vtcode init # scaffolds config + AGENTS.md; review before committing
vtcode secret add openai # stores an OpenAI API key in your OS keyring
```
Any provider works in place of `openai`. Env vars or a workspace `.env` also
work; `vtcode login` covers supported OAuth providers. Credential options:
[Getting started](./docs/user-guide/getting-started.md).
> [!CAUTION]
> Never commit API keys or put them in `vtcode.toml`.
### 3. Run
```bash
vtcode # open the interactive TUI in your project
```
Ask for a change, inspect the result, keep or discard it. For headless tasks
and sessions, see [Commands](#commands).
## Why VT Code
For work that takes more than one prompt:
- **Context that persists.** Project instructions, context assembly, and
compaction for long sessions. [Runtime guidance](./docs/development/runtime-guidance.md)
- **Controlled tool use.** Command policy and sandboxing at the execution
boundary. [Security model](./docs/development/COMMAND_SECURITY_MODEL.md)
- **Revisitable sessions.** `vtcode continue`, `vtcode trajectory`,
workspace snapshots. [Command reference](./docs/user-guide/commands.md)
- **A review path.** Plan read-only before implementing; inspect edits in
turn diffs. [Planning workflow](./docs/guides/planning-workflow.md) ·
[Diff previews](./docs/development/diff-preview.md)
- **Beyond the TUI.** Headless `vtcode exec`, scheduled prompts, MCP,
Skills, and Plugins. [Full automation](./docs/guides/full-automation.md) ·
[Providers](./docs/providers/PROVIDER_GUIDES.md)
For repeatable, environment-checked results, use the
[eval framework](./docs/guides/eval.md); an agent's completion message alone
is not a verification result.
## Architecture
One binary, four layers. Everything the model touches goes through the
harness; nothing bypasses it.
```mermaid
graph LR
subgraph entry [Entry points]
TUI[TUI]
CLI[CLI / exec / cron]
ACP[Editor via ACP]
end
subgraph harness [Harness]
LOOP[Agent loop]
CTX[Context assembly + compaction]
SEC[Tool policy + sandboxed exec]
EVT[(ThreadEvent log)]
end
subgraph ext [Extensions]
MCPX[MCP servers]
SKILLS[Skills]
PLUGINS[Plugins]
end
MODELS[OpenAI · Anthropic · Gemini · local]
TUI --> LOOP
CLI --> LOOP
ACP --> LOOP
LOOP --> CTX
LOOP --> SEC
LOOP <--> EVT
LOOP <--> ext
LOOP <--> MODELS
```
The TUI, headless `exec`/`ask`, cron schedules, and editors over ACP all
drive the same loop. Layers map to workspace crates: entry points in
`vtcode` and `vtcode-acp`; the harness in `vtcode-core` (policy and
sandboxing in `vtcode-safety`); the `ThreadEvent` contract in
`vtcode-exec-events`; extensions in `vtcode-mcp`, `vtcode-skills`, and
`vtcode-agent-plugins`; provider clients in `vtcode-llm`.
Layer-by-layer details: [Architecture guide](./docs/ARCHITECTURE.md).
## What's inside
One binary: TUI, session tools, provider integrations, and an eval runner.
MCP servers and plugins need their own setup; see the
[extension guides](#documentation).
### Commands
Run `vtcode` for the TUI; pick a subcommand for a specific task:
```bash
vtcode ask "explain Rc vs Arc" # one-shot answer, no session, no tools
vtcode exec "refactor main.rs" # headless task with the full tool loop
vtcode review # agent review of uncommitted changes
vtcode eval --suite suite.json # verify behavior with pass@k metrics
```
Common commands, flags, and workflows: [command reference](./docs/user-guide/commands.md).
For session lifecycle and day-to-day operations:
| `vtcode continue` | Resume the last session, or fork it into a new one with `--session-id` |
| `vtcode init` | Scaffold `vtcode.toml` and `AGENTS.md` in the workspace; review before committing |
| `vtcode exec resume` | Continue a finished headless run with a follow-up prompt: `--last` or a session id |
| `vtcode schedule` | Durable recurring prompts, by cron or one-shot; `install-service` survives restarts |
| `vtcode secret` | Store provider API keys in your OS keyring, never in shell history or workspace files |
| `vtcode login` | OAuth sign-in for ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot; see [OAuth authentication](./docs/guides/oauth-authentication.md) |
| `vtcode auth` | Show authentication status for one provider or all supported providers |
| `vtcode models` | Inspect, test, and compare providers and models |
| `vtcode snapshots` / `vtcode revert` | List and roll back to workspace snapshots |
| `vtcode tool-policy` | Allow or deny specific tools per workspace |
| `vtcode trajectory` | Pretty-print run logs for debugging and audits |
| `vtcode skills` / `vtcode plugins` | Manage skills and agent plugins |
| `vtcode mcp` | Connect and manage MCP servers |
More: `vtcode config`, `vtcode dependencies`, `vtcode acp`, `vtcode a2a`,
`vtcode webmcp`, `vtcode session-store`, `vtcode schema` (built-in tool
schemas), `vtcode analyze` (workspace structure/security/performance),
`vtcode check` (built-in repository checks), and `vtcode man` (man pages).
Full list: `vtcode --help` or the
[command reference](./docs/user-guide/commands.md).
### Everyday recipes
```bash
# Review only the uncommitted diff, then exit with a verdict
vtcode review
# Weekly dependency audit (Mondays 09:00) as a durable cron job
vtcode schedule create --name "weekly-dep-audit" --cron "0 9 * * 1" --prompt "check for outdated deps and open an issue if any have CVEs"
# Resume yesterday's session and fork it for a new experiment
vtcode continue --session-id <id>
# Continue the last headless run with a follow-up prompt
vtcode exec resume --last "continue the refactor"
# See exactly what the agent did in the last run
vtcode trajectory
```
Pick a specific exec session by id: `vtcode exec resume <session-id> "..."`.
Headless `exec`: [exec mode guide](./docs/user-guide/exec-mode.md) ·
Cron schedules: [scheduled tasks guide](./docs/user-guide/scheduled-tasks.md).
### WebMCP browser bridge (opt-in)
Pair the TUI with a browser editor for authenticated, bounded editing:
```bash
/webmcp pair <origin> # inside the TUI
```
Hosts and deployment: [WebMCP user guide](./docs/user-guide/webmcp.md).
## Documentation
Per-subcommand details are in the
[command reference](./docs/user-guide/commands.md).
| Start | [Installation](./docs/installation/README.md) · [Getting started](./docs/user-guide/getting-started.md) · [OAuth login](./docs/guides/oauth-authentication.md) · [FAQ](./docs/FAQ.md) · [Compatibility](./docs/COMPATIBILITY.md) · [Wiki](https://github.com/vinhnx/VTCode/wiki) |
| Use | [TUI](./docs/user-guide/interactive-mode.md) · [CLI](./docs/user-guide/commands.md) · [Exec mode](./docs/user-guide/exec-mode.md) · [Scheduled tasks](./docs/user-guide/scheduled-tasks.md) · [WebMCP](./docs/user-guide/webmcp.md) |
| Automate | [Automation](./docs/guides/full-automation.md) · [Hooks](./docs/guides/hooks-guide.md) · [Planning](./docs/guides/planning-workflow.md) · [Configuration](./docs/config/CONFIG_FIELD_REFERENCE.md) |
| Extend | [Skills](./docs/skills/SKILLS_GUIDE.md) · [Plugins](./docs/guides/agent-plugins.md) · [MCP](./docs/guides/mcp-integration.md) · [Editors (ACP)](./docs/guides/zed-acp.md) |
| Operate | [Safety](./docs/security/SECURITY_MODEL.md) · [Evals](./docs/guides/eval.md) · [Protocols](./docs/protocols/OPEN_RESPONSES.md) · [Loop engineering](./docs/project/PLAN-loop-engineering.md) · [Architecture](./docs/ARCHITECTURE.md) |
Can't find a topic? [Documentation Index](./docs/INDEX.md).
The [WebMCP hosted app](https://vtcode.vinhnx.chatgpt.site/)
([mirror](https://vinhnx.github.io/VTCode/)) pairs with the TUI bridge;
deployment: [WebMCP deployment reference](./docs/reference/webmcp.md).
## Development
```mermaid
graph LR
BIN[vtcode binary] --> CORE[vtcode-core harness]
CORE --> LLM[vtcode-llm]
CORE --> SAFETY[vtcode-safety]
CORE --> EVENTS[vtcode-exec-events]
CORE --> UI[vtcode-ui]
```
Rust stable, edition 2024, MSRV 1.98.1. Clone and run the fast gate:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode.git
cd vtcode
./scripts/run-debug.sh # build and launch a debug binary
./scripts/check-dev.sh # fast gate: clippy, fmt, check (10-30s)
cargo nextest run # tests (never `cargo test`)
```
CI runs with `RUSTFLAGS="-D warnings"` and `--locked`; match locally with
`cargo check --locked`. Details: [development overview](./docs/development/README.md)
· [testing guide](./docs/development/testing.md).
Release binaries and notes: [GitHub releases](https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/releases)
(Windows artifacts may lag behind macOS/Linux).
## Contributing
Contributions are welcome:
- **Code**: pick or propose an issue; keep changes surgical and tested.
- **Docs**: every user-facing feature lands with its documentation.
- **Evals**: new suites and regression cases are high-leverage; see the
[eval guide](./docs/guides/eval.md).
- **Bug reports**: include `vtcode trajectory` output when possible.
Before a PR: [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org)
(`type(scope): subject`), `./scripts/check-dev.sh` + `cargo nextest run`,
focused diff.
### Contributors
VT Code is what it is because of the people who build, test, and improve it
alongside me. Thank you, all of you.
<details>
<summary><strong>Show all contributors</strong></summary>
<div align="center">
**Security Advisors**
<a href="https://github.com/glmgbj233"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/115564047?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@glmgbj233" title="@glmgbj233 GHSA-wqgw-crr5-cr2p (security advisory)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #FF6B6B;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/nnfrog"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/142202920?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@nnfrog" title="@nnfrog GHSA-r249-hpfx-x2w7 (security advisory)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #FF6B6B;" /></a>
**Main Contributor**
<a href="https://github.com/kernitus"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/2789734?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@kernitus" title="@kernitus Main Contributor (52 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #FFD700;" /></a>
**Core Contributors**
<a href="https://github.com/7jrxt42BxFZo4iAnN4CX"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/72938937?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@7jrxt42BxFZo4iAnN4CX" title="@7jrxt42BxFZo4iAnN4CX Core contributor (44 commits) - subagents, hooks, config & TUI fixes (#737, #738, #740-#742+)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/oiwn"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/398035?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@oiwn" title="@oiwn Core contributor (6 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/Sachin-Bhat"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/25080916?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@Sachin-Bhat" title="@Sachin-Bhat Core contributor (3 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/chenrui333"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1580956?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@chenrui333" title="@chenrui333 Core contributor (3 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/xcrong"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/46434477?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@xcrong" title="@xcrong Core contributor (2 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/netbrah"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/162479981?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@netbrah" title="@netbrah Core contributor (2 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/mouse-value-add"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/263469348?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@mouse-value-add" title="@mouse-value-add Core contributor (2 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/leonj1"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/5171829?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@leonj1" title="@leonj1 Core contributor (2 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/gzsombor"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/66230?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@gzsombor" title="@gzsombor Core contributor (2 commits)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #50C878;" /></a>
**Contributors**
<a href="https://github.com/ct-jaryn"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/151006958?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@ct-jaryn" title="@ct-jaryn Contributor (6 commits) - lint/model preset test gates (#769), swarm diff fix (#768), CLI test harness (#767), MCP docs (#765)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/vivekgupta-memcode"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/330296621?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@vivekgupta-memcode" title="@vivekgupta-memcode Contributor (4 commits) - Memcode OAuth setup docs (#763)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/S2thend"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/81468081?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@S2thend" title="@S2thend Contributor (2 commits) - checkpoint rewind/redo (#771)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/uiYzzi"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/40852301?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@uiYzzi" title="@uiYzzi Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/TuanLe-bk18"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/222461688?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@TuanLe-bk18" title="@TuanLe-bk18 Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/Sanjays2402"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/51058514?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@Sanjays2402" title="@Sanjays2402 Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/RobertBorg"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1288566?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@RobertBorg" title="@RobertBorg Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/raphamorim"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/3630346?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@raphamorim" title="@raphamorim Contributor (1 commit) - PR #708, rio-vt migration" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/poelzi"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/66107?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@poelzi" title="@poelzi Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/morler"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/478444?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@morler" title="@morler Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/ForrestThump"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/44280834?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@ForrestThump" title="@ForrestThump Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/EvoLinkAI"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/253253881?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@EvoLinkAI" title="@EvoLinkAI Contributor (1 commit) - Evolink provider (#664)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/ericcurtin"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1694275?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@ericcurtin" title="@ericcurtin Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/diegosouzapw"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/8016841?v=4&s=60" width="40" height="40" alt="@diegosouzapw" title="@diegosouzapw Contributor (1 commit)" style="border-radius: 50%; border: 2px solid #B19CD9;" /></a>
</div>
</details>
<div align="center">
**Want to see your avatar here?** Every bit counts: one-line fixes, bug
reports, and feedback are all welcome.
[Report a bug](https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/issues/new?template=bug_report.md) ·
[Request a feature](https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/issues/new?template=feature_request.md) ·
[Share feedback](https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/discussions) ·
[Star the repo](https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/stargazers) ·
[Contribute](./docs/CONTRIBUTING.md)
</div>
## Support
### Contact
Partnership and collaboration: `vinhnguyen2308 [at] gmail [dot] com`.
Bugs and feature requests: [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/issues).
Security vulnerabilities: report privately via
[GitHub private vulnerability reporting](https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/security/advisories/new);
never open a public issue. Details: [security policy](./docs/SECURITY.md).
### Share VT Code
If VT Code helped you ship something, telling other developers is the
easiest way to support the project:
<div align="center">
[Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=VT%20Code%20is%20an%20open-source%20coding%20agent%20for%20your%20terminal&url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fvinhnx%2Fvtcode) ·
[Share on Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/submitlink?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fvinhnx%2Fvtcode&t=VT%20Code%20%E2%80%93%20Open-source%20coding%20agent%20for%20your%20terminal) ·
[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fvinhnx%2Fvtcode) ·
[Share via Email](mailto:?subject=VT%20Code%3A%20open-source%20coding%20agent%20for%20your%20terminal&body=Check%20out%20VT%20Code%2C%20an%20open-source%20coding%20agent%20for%20your%20terminal%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fvinhnx%2Fvtcode) ·
[Share via SMS](sms:?&body=Check%20out%20VT%20Code%2C%20an%20open-source%20coding%20agent%20for%20your%20terminal%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fvinhnx%2Fvtcode)
</div>
### Sponsorship
VT Code is maintained in spare time. A [sponsorship](https://github.com/sponsors/vinhnx)
keeps the project independent.
<div align="center">
<a href="https://github.com/dnhn"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/2561973" width="80" height="80" alt="@dnhn" style="border-radius: 50%" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/codemod"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/78830094" width="80" height="80" alt="@codemod" style="border-radius: 50%" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/coderabbitai"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/132028505" width="80" height="80" alt="@coderabbitai" style="border-radius: 50%" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/KhaiRyth"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/273723951" width="80" height="80" alt="@KhaiRyth" style="border-radius: 50%" /></a>
</div>
<div align="center">
[](https://github.com/sponsors/vinhnx)
<a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/vinhnx"><img src="./resources/screenshots/qr_donate.png" alt="Buy Me a Coffee" width="100" /></a>
</div>
## License
First-party code is **MIT OR Apache-2.0** ([LICENSE](LICENSE)); third-party
code keeps its original licenses ([THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES](THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES)).