GitHub - autohandai/code-cli: Autohand Code CLI - Ultra fast self evolving coding agent that runs in your terminal

An autonomous coding agent CLI that reads, reasons, and writes code across your entire project. No context switching. No copy-paste.

Autohand Code CLI is an autonomous LLM-powered coding agent that lives in your terminal. It uses the ReAct (Reason + Act) pattern to understand your codebase, plan changes, and execute them with your approval. It's blazing fast, intuitive, and extensible with a modular skill system.

We built with a minimalistic design philosophy to keep the focus on coding. Just install, run autohand, and start giving instructions in natural language. Autohand handles the rest.

Scale Autohand across your team and CI/CD pipelines to automate repetitive coding tasks, enforce code quality, and accelerate development velocity.

Features

• Autonomous Coding: Understands your codebase and executes changes with approval
• ReAct Pattern: Combines reasoning and action for intelligent code modifications
• Interactive REPL: Full terminal experience with file mentions and slash commands
• Modular Skills: Extend functionality with specialized instruction packages
• Multi-Provider Support: Works with OpenRouter, LLMGateway, OpenAI, Azure Foundry Models, Z.ai, and local models
• Git Integration: Full version control support with automatic commits
• Cross-Platform: Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows

Why Autohand?

• No Context Switching: Stay in your terminal, no copy-paste needed
• Intelligent Planning: Understands your codebase before making changes
• Safe Execution: Requires approval for all modifications
• Extensible: Add new skills and customize behavior
• Fast: Optimized for quick responses and efficient execution

Installation

Quick Install (Recommended)

curl -fsSL https://autohand.ai/install.sh | bash

Manual Installation

# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/autohandai/cli.git
cd cli
bun install
bun run build

# Install globally
bun add -g .

Requirements

• Bun ≥1.0 (curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash)
• Git (for version control features)
• ripgrep (optional, for faster search)

Quick Start

# Interactive mode - start a coding session
autohand

# Command mode - run a single instruction
autohand -p "add a dark mode toggle to the settings page"

# With auto-confirmation
autohand -p "fix the TypeScript errors" -y

# Auto-commit changes after task completion
autohand -p "refactor the auth module" -c

Editor Extensions

Use Autohand directly in your favorite editor:

VS Code

Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace or via command line:

code --install-extension AutohandAI.vscode-autohand

Zed Editor

Install from the Zed Extensions marketplace.

Usage Modes

Interactive Mode

Launch without arguments for a full REPL experience:

Features:

• Type / for slash command suggestions
• Type @ for file autocomplete (e.g., @src/index.ts)
• Type $ for skill autocomplete (e.g., $frontend-design)
• Type ! to run terminal commands (e.g., ! git status, ! ls -la)
• Smart Paste: Paste any amount of code (5+ lines shows compact indicator, full content sent to LLM)
• Press ESC to cancel in-flight requests
• Press Ctrl+C twice to exit
• Press Shift+Tab to toggle plan mode
• Press ? to toggle keyboard shortcuts panel
• Press Enter or Shift+Enter for newlines in multi-line input

Command Mode (Non-Interactive)

Run single instructions for CI/CD, scripts, or quick tasks:

# Basic usage
autohand --prompt "add tests for the user service"

# Short form
autohand -p "fix linting errors"

# With options
autohand -p "update dependencies" --yes --auto-commit

# Dry run (preview changes without applying)
autohand -p "refactor database queries" --dry-run

CLI Options

Agent Skills

Skills are modular instruction packages that extend Autohand with specialized workflows. They work like on-demand AGENTS.md files for specific tasks.

Using Skills

# List available skills
/skills

# Activate a skill
/skills use changelog-generator

# Create a new skill interactively
/skills new

# Auto-generate project-specific skills
autohand --auto-skill

Auto-Skill Generation

Analyze your project and generate tailored skills automatically:

$ autohand --auto-skill
Analyzing project structure...
Detected: typescript, react, nextjs, testing
Platform: darwin
Generating skills...
  ✓ nextjs-component-creator
  ✓ typescript-test-generator
  ✓ changelog-generator

✓ Generated 3 skills in .autohand/skills

Skills are discovered from:

• ~/.autohand/skills/ - User-level skills
• <project>/.autohand/skills/ - Project-level skills
• skilled.autohand.ai - Community skill registry
• Compatible with Codex and Claude skill formats

See Agent Skills Documentation for creating custom skills.

Slash Commands

Tool System

Autohand includes 40+ tools for autonomous coding:

File Operations

read_file, write_file, append_file, apply_patch, search, search_replace, semantic_search, list_tree, create_directory, delete_path, rename_path, copy_path, multi_file_edit

Git Operations

git_status, git_diff, git_commit, git_add, git_branch, git_switch, git_merge, git_rebase, git_cherry_pick, git_stash, git_fetch, git_pull, git_push, auto_commit

Commands & Dependencies

run_command, custom_command, add_dependency, remove_dependency

Planning & Memory

plan, todo_write, save_memory, recall_memory

Meta Tools

tools_registry - List all available tools with descriptions. tool_search - Search tools by capability, name, or description.

Notebooks

notebook_cell_edit - Edit Jupyter notebook cells (code/markdown insert, delete, replace).

Team & Collaboration

team_create, team_list, task_create, task_list, task_update, task_set_owner - Multi-agent team coordination.

Agent Delegation

spawn_subagent - Delegate tasks to focused agents to keep the main context window clean.

Skills & Browser

use_skill, sleep - Activate skills or pause execution. screenshot, navigate, get_page_content, click, type_input, select_dropdown - Chrome browser integration.

Configuration

Create ~/.autohand/config.json:

{
  "provider": "openrouter",
  "openrouter": {
    "apiKey": "sk-or-...",
    "model": "your-modelcard-id-here"
  },
  "workspace": {
    "defaultRoot": ".",
    "allowDangerousOps": false
  },
  "ui": {
    "theme": "dark",
    "autoConfirm": false
  }
}

Supported Providers

Session Management

Sessions are auto-saved to ~/.autohand/sessions/:

# Resume via command
autohand resume <session-id>

# Or in interactive mode
/resume

Entire Integration

Autohand Code supports Entire for session checkpointing. Entire captures your coding sessions -- prompts, file changes, and token usage -- as git-backed checkpoints that you can rewind to, review, and share.

# Install hooks in this repository
entire enable --agent autohand-code

# Check status
entire status

# Remove hooks
entire disable --agent autohand-code

Once enabled, Entire works automatically through Autohand's hooks system. No changes to your workflow are needed. See the Entire Integration Guide for setup details and troubleshooting.

Security & Permissions

Autohand includes a permission system for sensitive operations:

• Interactive (default): Prompts for confirmation on risky actions
• Unrestricted (--unrestricted): No approval prompts
• Restricted (--restricted): Denies all dangerous operations

Configure granular permissions in ~/.autohand/config.json:

{
  "permissions": {
    "whitelist": ["run_command:npm *", "run_command:bun *"],
    "blacklist": ["run_command:rm -rf *", "run_command:sudo *"]
  }
}

Platform Support

• macOS
• Linux
• Windows

Telemetry & Feedback

Telemetry is disabled by default. Opt-in to help improve Autohand:

{
  "telemetry": {
    "enabled": true
  }
}

When enabled, Autohand collects anonymous usage data (no PII, no code content). See Telemetry Documentation for details.

The backend API is available at: https://github.com/autohandai/api

Development

# Install dependencies
bun install

# Development mode
bun run dev

# Build
bun run build

# Type check
bun run typecheck

# Run tests
bun test

Docker

FROM oven/bun:1
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN bun install && bun run build
CMD ["./dist/cli.js"]

docker build -t autohand .
docker run -it autohand

Documentation

• Playbook - 20 use cases for the software development lifecycle
• Features - Complete feature list
• Agent Skills - Skills system guide
• Configuration Reference - All config options
• Entire Integration - Session checkpointing with Entire

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please read our Contributing Guide for details on how to get involved.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Installation fails: Make sure you have Bun installed and up to date.

Permission denied: Check your file permissions and try running with appropriate privileges.

Model not working: Verify your API key and model configuration in ~/.autohand/config.json.

Getting Help

• Join our Discord community
• Check the documentation
• Open an issue on GitHub

Community

• Discord: https://discord.com/invite/MWTNudaj8E
• GitHub: https://github.com/autohandai/cli
• Website: https://autohand.ai
• Twitter: @autohandai

Security

Autohand is designed with security in mind:

• No Code Execution: Autohand only suggests changes, you approve them
• Permission System: Fine-grained control over what operations are allowed
• Local Processing: Your code never leaves your machine unless you choose
• Open Source: Transparent code that can be audited

License

Apache License 2.0 - Free for individuals, non-profits, educational institutions, open source projects, and companies with ARR under $5M. See LICENSE and COMMERCIAL.md for details.

Links

• Website: https://autohand.ai
• CLI Install: https://autohand.ai/cli/
• GitHub: https://github.com/autohandai/cli
• API Backend: https://github.com/autohandai/api
• Discord: https://discord.com/invite/MWTNudaj8E

Roadmap

Upcoming Features

• Enhanced AI Models: Support for newer models and improved reasoning
• Plugin System: Easier way to extend Autohand with custom functionality
• Team Collaboration: Features for team-based development workflows
• Advanced Testing: Automated test generation and execution
• Code Review: AI-powered code review and quality checks

Current Focus

• Improving response times and accuracy
• Expanding skill library with more specialized workflows
• Enhancing the interactive experience with better UI/UX
• Adding more provider integrations
• Strengthening security and permission systems

Ready to get started? Run autohand in your terminal and experience the future of coding!