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VT Code

An open-source terminal coding agent built in Rust.

Plan, run, and review coding work from your terminal, with hosted or local models, sandboxed execution, and resumable sessions.

Overview

Overview

Explore a codebase, plan changes, run tools, and review edits in the interactive TUI, or run vtcode exec headless. Pick your model and set your permissions; the runtime handles context management, tools, and execution policy.

At a glance	What you get
Planning	Read-only planning, then reviewable turn diffs.
Safety	Command policy and sandboxing you can audit.
Long runs	Headless exec, compaction, resumption, and logs.
Integrations	MCP, Skills, plugins, and editor bridges.
Models	Hosted or local providers, chosen per task.

The sections below follow that arc: install, configure, run a first task, then go deeper.

Quick start

Requirements: macOS, Linux, or Windows/WSL. The Cargo path also needs Rust 1.98.1+ (edition 2024).

1. Install

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vinhnx/VTCode/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

The installer also sets up ripgrep and ast-grep on macOS/Linux. Or use Homebrew or Cargo:

brew trust vinhnx/tap
brew install vinhnx/tap/vtcode

# Or install with Rust (requires Rust 1.98.1+)
cargo install vtcode

Verify the install with vtcode --version, then see the installation guide for prerequisites, other methods, and the installer script to review before running.

[!NOTE] Windows artifacts are best-effort and may lag behind macOS/Linux.

2. Configure your project

In your project, initialize configuration and instructions, then add provider credentials. For example, with OpenAI:

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

Replace openai with your provider. Credentials can also come from environment variables or a workspace .env; vtcode login handles supported login flows. See Getting started and Provider guides.

[!NOTE] ChatGPT OAuth reuses the Codex CLI's public client identity via an unofficial compatibility flow; prefer your own OpenAI API key. GitHub Copilot uses the official copilot CLI. See OAuth authentication.

[!CAUTION] Never commit API keys or put them in vtcode.toml.

3. Run your first task

vtcode   # open the interactive TUI in your project

Start with a focused request, such as "Explain how this project handles authentication," then review the diff and test results before committing. See Usage for automation and session commands, or getting started for a guided tour.

Usage

Interactive

Use vtcode to explore, plan, and implement changes in the TUI. For larger tasks, start with read-only planning, then review turn diffs before committing. See the interactive guide for controls.

After a task, enter /explain to review its outcome, changes, recorded decisions, verification, and review priorities without another model call:

/explain --details adds evidence.
/explain diagram shows execution relationships.
/explain --web opens the browser view with an offline fallback.
/explain --export html saves a standalone report.

Scopes and report options: explanation usage.

Headless

Run tasks without the TUI: ask for a tool-free answer, exec for a tool-enabled coding task, and review for uncommitted changes:

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

exec requires autonomous execution in [automation.full_auto] plus full_auto workspace trust: terminals prompt for trust, and non-TTY runs fail unless you set VTCODE_TRUST_WORKSPACE=full-auto. The tool allow-list, explicit denies, and execution policy still apply. See exec mode and full automation for trust, output, and configuration details.

For repeatable, environment-checked results, use the eval framework. A completion message alone is not verification.

Scheduled tasks

For recurring work, use scheduled tasks: durable prompt jobs on the same exec runtime.

# Weekly dependency audit (Mondays 09:00)
vtcode schedule create --name "weekly-dep-audit" \
  --cron "0 9 * * 1" \
  --prompt "Check for outdated dependencies and report known vulnerabilities"

Sessions

Resume or inspect earlier work from the same commands:

# Resume the most recent interactive session
vtcode continue

# Continue the last headless run with a follow-up prompt
vtcode exec resume --last "continue the refactor"

# Inspect the execution log
vtcode trajectory

Use vtcode continue --session-id <id> to fork an earlier session.

Integrations

Enable these only when you need them; none are required for the quick start.

Integration	What it gives you
MCP	Connect external tools and data sources.
Agent Skills	Load reusable prompt packages on demand.
Plugins	Extend the agent with plugin manifests.
ACP with Zed	Drive VT Code from the Zed editor.
WebMCP	Pair the TUI with an authenticated browser editor via `/webmcp pair <origin>`; the hosted app (site, mirror) connects through this bridge. See the deployment reference.
Memcode MCP	Carry context between tasks; see the design write-up.

Documentation

Guides by task; the full catalog lives in the documentation index, the docs overview, and the Wiki:

Goal	Guides
Get started	Installation · Getting started · Providers · OAuth login · FAQ · Compatibility
Work in the TUI	TUI · Command reference · Planning · Turn diffs · Configuration · Safety
Automate	Exec mode · Full automation · Scheduled tasks · Hooks
Extend and integrate	Skills · Plugins · MCP · Editors (ACP) · WebMCP · Memcode
Develop and evaluate	Development · Testing · Evals · Architecture · Protocols · Loop engineering

Development

graph LR
    BIN[vtcode binary] --> CORE[vtcode-core harness]
    BIN --> EVAL[vtcode-eval]
    CORE --> LLM[vtcode-llm]
    CORE --> SAFETY[vtcode-safety]
    CORE --> EVENTS[vtcode-exec-events]
    CORE --> CONFIG[vtcode-config]
    CORE --> MEMORY[vtcode-memory]
    CORE --> UI[vtcode-ui]

The full 23-crate map lives in the architecture guide. Building requires Rust 1.98.1+ (edition 2024); tests need cargo-nextest:

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
cargo nextest run          # tests (requires cargo-nextest)

CI sets RUSTFLAGS="-D warnings" and builds with --locked; match locally with RUSTFLAGS="-D warnings" cargo check --locked. Setup and checks: development overview · testing guide.

Release binaries and notes: GitHub releases.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome in every form:

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.
Bug reports: include vtcode trajectory output when possible.

Before a PR, see the contribution guide: Conventional Commits (type(scope): subject), ./scripts/check-dev.sh + cargo nextest run, and a focused diff.

Security

Report vulnerabilities privately via GitHub private vulnerability reporting; never open a public issue. Details: security policy.

Community

Thanks to everyone who builds, tests, and improves VT Code. For partnerships and collaboration, reach the maintainer at vinhnguyen2308 [at] gmail [dot] com; bugs and feature requests belong in GitHub Issues.