tomevault-io CLI AI Coding Tools Reference
Comprehensive reference for all major command-line AI coding assistants. This covers installation, key commands, flags, configuration, and model selection for each tool.
Tool Index
| Tool | Provider | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Anthropic | Agentic coding, full codebase understanding |
| Codex CLI | OpenAI | Agentic coding with sandboxed execution |
| Gemini CLI | Agentic coding with Gemini models | |
| Aider | Open Source | AI pair programming, git-integrated |
| Goose | Block | Extensible AI agent with plugins |
| amp | Sourcegraph | AI agent for large codebases |
| Copilot CLI | GitHub | Command-line suggestions and explanations |
| Cody CLI | Sourcegraph | Codebase-aware AI assistant |
| OpenCode | Open Source | Go-based terminal AI coding |
| qodo | Qodo | AI code quality and testing |
| Jules | Async coding agent (GitHub-integrated) | |
| Continue | Open Source | AI code assistant (IDE + CLI) |
| avante | Open Source | Neovim AI plugin (CLI-adjacent) |
Anthropic: Claude Code
The CLI agent currently running in this session. Agentic AI coding with deep codebase understanding, tool use, and MCP integration.
Install:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Basic usage:
claude # interactive REPL
claude "explain this codebase" # start with a prompt
claude -p "what does main do" # print mode (non-interactive, outputs to stdout)
claude --resume # resume last conversation
claude --continue # continue last conversation with new input
Key flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--model <model> |
Select model (e.g. claude-sonnet-4-20250514) |
-p, --print |
Print mode: non-interactive, single response to stdout |
--resume |
Resume the most recent conversation |
--continue |
Continue last conversation with new input |
--dangerously-skip-permissions |
Skip all permission prompts (use with caution) |
--allowedTools <tools> |
Comma-separated list of allowed tools |
--output-format <fmt> |
Output format: text, json, stream-json |
--max-turns <n> |
Limit autonomous turns in non-interactive mode |
--verbose |
Enable verbose logging |
Slash commands (interactive mode):
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/help |
Show all available commands |
/compact |
Compress conversation to save context |
/clear |
Clear conversation history |
/config |
View/edit configuration |
/permissions |
Manage tool permissions |
/install-plugin <url> |
Install a plugin from GitHub |
/mcp |
Manage MCP server connections |
/model |
Switch model mid-conversation |
/cost |
Show token usage and cost |
/doctor |
Diagnose installation issues |
Configuration:
- Project config:
.claude/settings.jsonin project root - User config:
~/.claude/settings.json - Memory:
CLAUDE.mdfiles (project root,~/.claude/CLAUDE.md) - MCP servers:
.claude/mcp.json
Environment variables:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-... # API key
CLAUDE_MODEL=claude-sonnet-4-20250514 # Default model
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=... # Custom API endpoint
OpenAI: Codex CLI
OpenAI's open-source agentic coding CLI. Runs code in a sandboxed environment with network-disabled containers.
Install:
npm install -g @openai/codex
Basic usage:
codex # interactive mode
codex "refactor the auth module" # start with prompt
codex --approval-mode full-auto "fix all tests" # fully autonomous
Key flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--model <model> |
Select model (default: codex-mini-latest) |
--approval-mode <mode> |
suggest (default), auto-edit, full-auto |
--quiet |
Minimal output |
-p, --prompt |
Non-interactive single prompt |
Approval modes:
suggest— asks before every actionauto-edit— auto-approves file edits, asks for commandsfull-auto— auto-approves everything (sandboxed)
Configuration:
- Config file:
~/.codex/config.yamlor~/.codex/config.json - Instructions:
AGENTS.mdin project root (similar to CLAUDE.md)
Environment variables:
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... # API key
CODEX_MODEL=codex-mini-latest # Default model
Google: Gemini CLI
Google's CLI coding assistant powered by Gemini models. Free tier available with Google account.
Install:
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
# Or run without installing:
npx @google/gemini-cli
Basic usage:
gemini # interactive mode
gemini "explain this function" # start with prompt
gemini -p "summarize README" # non-interactive print mode
Key flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--model <model> |
Select model (e.g. gemini-2.5-pro) |
-p |
Non-interactive print mode |
--sandbox |
Run in sandboxed mode |
--debug |
Enable debug output |
Configuration:
- Config:
~/.gemini/settings.json - Memory:
GEMINI.mdin project root - Supports MCP servers via
.gemini/mcp.json
Environment variables:
GOOGLE_API_KEY=... # API key (or use Google auth)
GEMINI_MODEL=gemini-2.5-pro # Default model
Google: Jules
Google's asynchronous coding agent. Integrates with GitHub — tasks are assigned via issues and Jules works on them in the background, creating PRs.
Usage:
- Accessed via jules.google.com or GitHub integration
- Not a traditional CLI tool — operates asynchronously on GitHub repos
- Assign tasks via GitHub issues or the Jules web interface
- Jules creates branches, makes changes, submits PRs
Key features:
- Async operation (runs independently in the background)
- GitHub-native integration
- Multi-file changes with PR creation
- Powered by Gemini models
Open Source: Aider
The most popular open-source AI pair programming CLI. Deep git integration, multi-model support, architect/editor pattern.
Install:
pip install aider-chat
# Or:
pipx install aider-chat
# Or with uv:
uv tool install aider-chat
Basic usage:
aider # interactive, auto-detects git repo
aider --model claude-3.5-sonnet # specify model
aider file1.py file2.py # add files to context
aider --architect # architect mode (plan then edit)
Key slash commands (interactive):
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
/add <file> |
Add file(s) to the chat context |
/drop <file> |
Remove file(s) from context |
/run <cmd> |
Run a shell command and share output |
/diff |
Show pending diffs |
/commit |
Commit changes with AI-generated message |
/undo |
Undo the last change |
/model <name> |
Switch model |
/architect |
Toggle architect mode |
/ask |
Ask without editing (question-only mode) |
/lint |
Lint changed files |
/test |
Run tests |
/tokens |
Show token usage |
/clear |
Clear chat history |
/exit |
Exit aider |
Key flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--model <model> |
Main model for editing |
--architect |
Use architect mode (separate planning model) |
--editor-model <model> |
Model for code edits (in architect mode) |
--auto-commits / --no-auto-commits |
Toggle auto-commit after each change |
--watch-files |
Watch files for changes and auto-add |
--no-git |
Disable git integration |
--yes |
Auto-confirm prompts |
--edit-format <fmt> |
whole, diff, udiff, diff-fenced |
Configuration:
- Config file:
.aider.conf.yml(project root or~/.aider.conf.yml) - Environment:
.envfile in project root - Model aliases:
.aider.model.settings.yml - Environment variables:
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY,OPENAI_API_KEY,GEMINI_API_KEY,OPENROUTER_API_KEY,AIDER_MODEL
Block: Goose
Block's open-source AI agent CLI. Extensible with a plugin system called "extensions" (formerly "toolkits").
Install:
# macOS
brew install block/tap/goose
# Or from source
cargo install goose-cli
# Or via installer script
curl -fsSL https://github.com/block/goose/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bash
Basic usage:
goose session # start interactive session
goose session -r # resume last session
goose run "fix tests" # run with a prompt
goose configure # configure settings
Key commands:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
goose session |
Start a new session |
goose session -r |
Resume last session |
goose run <prompt> |
Run a single task |
goose configure |
Interactive configuration |
goose info |
Show current configuration |
Configuration:
- Config file:
~/.config/goose/config.yaml - Supports multiple providers: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama, local models
- Extensions (plugins) for additional capabilities
Sourcegraph: amp
Sourcegraph's AI coding agent for the terminal. Designed for large codebase understanding.
Install:
# Download from https://ampcode.com
# Or via npm (check current package name):
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/amp
Basic usage:
amp # interactive mode
amp "explain the auth flow" # start with prompt
amp --continue # continue last conversation
Key features:
- Thread-based conversations (similar to Claude Code)
- Codebase indexing and search
- Multi-file editing
- Git-aware operations
Configuration:
- Config:
~/.amp/settings.json - Memory:
AMP.mdin project root
GitHub: Copilot CLI
GitHub Copilot's CLI integration. Provides command suggestions and explanations via the gh CLI extension.
Install:
gh extension install github/gh-copilot
Key commands:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
gh copilot suggest "find large files" |
Get command suggestions |
gh copilot explain "tar -xzf file.tar.gz" |
Explain a command |
Flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-t shell |
Target: generic shell command |
-t git |
Target: git command |
-t gh |
Target: GitHub CLI command |
Examples:
gh copilot suggest -t git "squash last 3 commits"
gh copilot explain "find . -name '*.log' -mtime +30 -delete"
gh copilot suggest -t shell "monitor CPU usage"
Sourcegraph: Cody CLI
Sourcegraph's AI coding assistant with CLI capabilities. Strong at codebase search and understanding.
Install:
npm install -g @sourcegraph/cody
Basic usage:
cody chat "explain this repo" # ask questions
cody auth login # authenticate
cody auth status # check auth
Configuration:
- Auth: Sourcegraph access token or
SRC_ACCESS_TOKENenv var - Endpoint:
SRC_ENDPOINTfor self-hosted Sourcegraph
Open Source: OpenCode
Go-based AI coding assistant for the terminal. Lightweight TUI with multi-provider support.
Install:
go install github.com/opencode-ai/opencode@latest
# Or download binary from releases
Basic usage:
opencode # launch TUI
Configuration:
- Config file:
opencode.jsonin project root - Supports: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, local models
- Provider-specific API keys via environment variables
Qodo: qodo
AI-powered code quality and test generation tool.
Install:
pip install qodo
# Or:
npm install -g qodo
Key commands:
qodo test <file> # generate tests
qodo review <file> # code review
qodo improve <file> # suggest improvements
Neovim: avante.nvim
AI-powered Neovim plugin. CLI-adjacent — operates within Neovim's terminal-based interface.
Install: Add to Neovim plugin manager (lazy.nvim, packer, etc.):
{ "yetone/avante.nvim", build = "make" }
Key bindings (in Neovim):
<leader>aa— Open Avante chat<leader>ae— Edit selected code with AI<leader>ar— Refresh AI response
Configuration:
- In Neovim config (
init.lua) - Supports: OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, Ollama, Copilot
Other CLI-Adjacent Tools
The following are primarily IDE-based, not standalone CLI agents:
| Tool | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cline / Roo Code | VS Code extension | Cline forked as Roo Code. No standalone CLI binary. |
| Cursor | IDE (VS Code fork) | Open from terminal with cursor command. |
| Windsurf | IDE (Codeium) | Open from terminal with windsurf command. |
| Trae | IDE (ByteDance) | Open from terminal with trae command. |
| Continue | VS Code / JetBrains plugin | Config: ~/.continue/config.json. Supports all major providers. |
Quick Model Selection Reference
| Tool | Flag/Config | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | --model |
claude --model claude-sonnet-4-20250514 |
| Codex CLI | --model |
codex --model o4-mini |
| Gemini CLI | --model |
gemini --model gemini-2.5-pro |
| Aider | --model |
aider --model claude-3.5-sonnet |
| Goose | config file | goose configure then select provider/model |
| Copilot CLI | N/A | Uses GitHub Copilot model |
| OpenCode | config file | Set in opencode.json |
Additional Resources
references/tools-comparison.md— Detailed side-by-side feature comparison table across all CLI AI coding tools, covering capabilities, model support, pricing, and platform availability.references/common-patterns.md— Common usage patterns shared across CLI AI tools: context management, multi-file editing, git integration, MCP server configuration, and model routing strategies.
Source: biodoia/biodoia-skills-marketplace — distributed by TomeVault.