Show HN: VT Code – open-source terminal coding agent in Rust

VT Code, an open-source terminal coding agent built in Rust, has been released with native LLM code understanding and shell safety features. The tool supports multiple LLM providers with automatic failover and includes a skill system compliant with the Agent Skills standard for extensible functionality.

VT Code is an open-source coding agent with LLM-native code understanding and robust shell safety. Supports multiple LLM providers with automatic failover and efficient context management. Native Installer Recommended - No dependencies, instant setup: The default macOS/Linux installer also attempts the recommended ripgrep https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep + ast-grep https://ast-grep.github.io/ bundle for enhanced semantic grep and programming language-level understanding optional . Tip Official macOS/Linux release archives bundle ghostty-vt/ runtime libraries for richer PTY screen snapshots. VT Code still falls back to the built-in legacy vt100 backend when those assets are unavailable in non-release or custom installs. macOS & Linux: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vinhnx/vtcode/main/scripts/install.sh | bash Or skip ripgrep + ast-grep during install curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vinhnx/vtcode/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --without-search-tools Windows PowerShell : irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vinhnx/vtcode/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex Note Windows installs are currently best-effort and may lag behind macOS/Linux release builds. The current release pipeline is still being tuned for cross -based Windows builds, and Windows build minutes can be costly, so Windows artifacts may not be available in every release. Alternative Installation Methods: Cargo Rust package manager cargo install vtcode Homebrew macOS/Linux From homebrew/core official : brew install vtcode From vinhnx/tap development/bleeding edge : brew tap vinhnx/tap brew install vtcode If switching between taps, uninstall first: brew uninstall vtcode brew install vtcode or: brew install vinhnx/tap/vtcode Optional: install the search tools bundle later vtcode dependencies install search-tools Ghostty VT is not installed through vtcode dependencies install ... . Instead, VT Code uses runtime libraries that are either: - Bundled in official macOS/Linux release archives under ghostty-vt/ - Copied by the native installers during release installs - Staged locally for development with scripts/setup-ghostty-vt-dev.sh - Auto-bootstrapped by ./scripts/run.sh and ./scripts/run-debug.sh when the runtime libraries are missing See Installation Guide /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/installation/README.md , Development Setup /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/development/DEVELOPMENT SETUP.md , and Ghostty VT Packaging /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/development/GHOSTTY VT PACKAGING.md . Note:If you encounter "installed from different tap" errors, uninstall the existing formula first: brew uninstall vtcode , then install from your preferred tap. See Installation Guide and Native Installer Guide for more options and troubleshooting. Set your API key export OPENAI API KEY="sk-..." Launch VT Code vtcode VT Code includes comprehensive support for Skills, following the open Agent Skills standard http://agentskills.io/ . Skills enable VT Code to leverage external capabilities and extend its functionality through a standardized skill system. Skill Discovery : VT Code can discover and load skills from multiple locations with precedence handling Standard Compliance : Fully compliant with the Agent Skills specification for interoperability Multi-Location Support : Skills can be loaded from local directories, remote repositories, or embedded resources Extensible Ecosystem : Integrate with the growing ecosystem of Agent Skills for enhanced capabilities For more information about skills implementation in VT Code, see Agent Skills Guide /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/skills/SKILLS GUIDE.md . VT Code can delegate bounded work to foreground subagents and also run an explicitly configured background subagent as a managed subprocess. /agent and /agents active inspect delegated agents in place without switching the main session- Background subprocesses are opt-in; VT Code no longer ships with a preconfigured default background agent Ctrl+B starts or stops the configured default background subagent only after subagents.background is enabled and default agent is set /subprocesses or Alt+S opens the Local Agents drawer- The wide-mode sidebar shows a unified Local Agents section for delegated agents and background subprocesses The background runtime is configured under subagents.background : subagents.background enabled = true default agent = "rust-engineer" refresh interval ms = 2000 auto restore = true toggle shortcut = "ctrl+b" VT Code works with GitHub Copilot, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Z.AI, Moonshot AI, MiniMax, HuggingFace Inference Providers, Ollama local & cloud , LM Studio local , and OpenAI-compatible custom providers such as Atlas Cloud. Set the corresponding environment variable for your provider see Installation Guide /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/installation/ supported-ai-providers for all options . Atlas Cloud works through VT Code's custom providers support, so you can point VT Code at https://api.atlascloud.ai/v1 without adding a dedicated runtime provider. agent provider = "atlascloud" default model = "deepseek-ai/deepseek-v4-flash" custom providers name = "atlascloud" display name = "Atlas Cloud" base url = "https://api.atlascloud.ai/v1" api key env = "ATLASCLOUD API KEY" model = "deepseek-ai/deepseek-v4-flash" See Atlas Cloud Integration /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/providers/atlascloud.md for the full setup flow and troubleshooting notes. VT Code includes first-class support for GitHub Copilot with OAuth device-flow authentication via the official copilot CLI: Install GitHub Copilot CLI brew install gh-copilot Authenticate copilot login Or use VT Code's TUI vtcode Then: /login copilot For detailed setup, see GitHub Copilot Authentication /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/oauth-authentication.md github-copilot-managed-auth . VT Code supports multiple agent protocols for integration: VT Code can integrate with code editors like Zed. For setup and troubleshooting, refer to the ACP docs /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/zed-acp.md . For local development, prefer pointing Zed at a small wrapper script that runs the repo build target/debug/vtcode or target/release/vtcode with an explicit --config path, instead of relying on an older installed binary in ~/.local/bin . VT Code implements the Agent2Agent A2A Protocol https://a2a-protocol.org , enabling communication and interoperability between AI agents. The A2A protocol supports: Agent Discovery : Via Agent Cards at /.well-known/agent-card.json Task Lifecycle Management : States like submitted , working , completed , failed Real-time Streaming : Via Server-Sent Events SSE Rich Content Types : Text, file, and structured data parts Push Notifications : Webhook-based async updates JSON-RPC 2.0 : Over HTTP S for interoperability For more information about A2A protocol support, see A2A Protocol Documentation /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/a2a/a2a-protocol.md . VT Code provides compatibility with the Anthropic Messages API https://docs.anthropic.com/en/api/messages to help connect existing applications to VT Code, including tools like Claude Code. The server supports: - Messages endpoint at /v1/messages - Streaming responses - Tool calling - Vision image support - Multi-turn conversations - System prompts - All major Anthropic API features For more information about Anthropic API compatibility, see Anthropic API Documentation /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/a2a/a2a-protocol.md . VT Code conforms to the Open Responses https://www.openresponses.org/ specification, an open, vendor-neutral standard for large language model APIs. This enables interoperable LLM workflows across different providers. Key features of Open Responses conformance: Unified Item Types : State machine-based items with defined lifecycle states Semantic Streaming : Events describe meaningful transitions, not raw token deltas Agentic Loop Support : Composable tool invocation and message orchestration Extension Points : Provider-specific features via namespaced extensions e.g., vtcode:file change For more information about Open Responses implementation, see Open Responses Documentation /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/protocols/OPEN RESPONSES.md . VT Code implements the Agent Trajectory Interchange Format ATIF https://www.harborframework.com/docs/agents/trajectory-format v1.4 for standardized session trajectory export. ATIF captures complete interaction histories — user messages, agent responses, tool calls, observations, and LLM metrics — in a JSON format usable across debugging, visualization, SFT, and RL pipelines. Complete History : Every agent step, tool invocation, and observation in one file LLM Metrics : Per-step and aggregate token usage, costs, and cache statistics Interoperable : Compatible with Harbor, OpenHands, Gemini CLI, Claude Code, and Codex trajectories Opt-in : Enable via telemetry.atif enabled = true in vtcode.toml For more information, see ATIF Trajectory Format Documentation /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/protocols/ATIF TRAJECTORY FORMAT.md . VT Code supports secure OAuth 2.0 authentication for seamless account-based access: OAuth Providers : OpenAI ChatGPT and OpenRouter with PKCE-secured flows Secure Token Storage : OS-native credential stores Keychain, Credential Manager, Secret Service Automatic Token Refresh : Transparent token renewal without user intervention Fallback Encryption : AES-256-GCM encrypted files when keyring unavailable For detailed setup and provider guides, see OAuth Authentication Guide /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/oauth-authentication.md . VT Code supports a rich set of configuration options, with preferences stored in vtcode.toml . Key configuration features include: OAuth Settings : Control authentication method and token storage per provider Lifecycle Hooks : Execute shell commands in response to agent events - see Lifecycle Hooks Guide /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/lifecycle-hooks.md Tool Policies : Control which tools are allowed, prompted, or denied Security Settings : Configure human-in-the-loop approval and workspace boundaries Performance Tuning : Adjust context limits, timeouts, and caching behavior PTY Backend Selection : Ghostty VT is the default backend; it falls back to legacy vt100 when runtime libraries are unavailable For full configuration options, see Configuration /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/config/CONFIGURATION PRECEDENCE.md . For Ghostty VT runtime library packaging details, see Ghostty VT Packaging /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/development/GHOSTTY VT PACKAGING.md . VT Code follows the Command Line Interface Guidelines https://clig.dev/ and standard UNIX principles to ensure a robust and pipe-friendly experience: Output Streams : Primary output e.g., code from ask , events from exec is sent to stdout . All logs, metadata, reasoning traces, and interaction prompts are sent to stderr . This allows you to safely pipe vtcode output to other tools. Only the generated code is saved to file; metadata remains on screen vtcode ask "factorial function in rust" factorial.rs Standard Arguments : Adheres to GNU/POSIX argument parsing standards using clap , supporting standard flags like --help , --version , and -- separator for positional arguments. Security First : Multi-layered security model with tree-sitter-bash command validation, execution policy, and sandbox isolation OAuth Authentication : Secure PKCE-based OAuth flows with OS-native credential storage and automatic token refresh docs /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/oauth-authentication.md Multi-Provider AI : OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, Gemini, Z.AI, Moonshot AI, OpenRouter, MiniMax, Ollama local Semantic Code Understanding : LLM-native code analysis and navigation Rust, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Java, and more Smart Tools : Built-in code analysis, file operations, terminal commands, and refactoring Agent Skills : Comprehensive skills location system with multi-location support and precedence handling, aligned with the open Agent Skills standard http://agentskills.io/ docs /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/skills/SKILLS GUIDE.md Editor Integration : Native support for Zed IDE via Agent Client Protocol ACP Lifecycle Hooks : Execute custom shell commands in response to agent events for context enrichment, policy enforcement, and automation docs /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/lifecycle-hooks.md Context Management : Advanced token budget tracking and context curation TUI Interface : Rich terminal user interface with real-time streaming Ghostty VT Snapshots : PTY sessions use Ghostty VT runtime libraries when available and fall back to built-in legacy vt100 Auto-Update System : Built-in update manager with release channels, version pinning, and mirror support docs /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/UPDATE SYSTEM.md VT Code implements a defense-in-depth security model to protect against prompt injection and argument injection attacks: Execution Policy : Command allowlist with per-command argument validation Workspace Isolation : All operations confined to workspace boundaries OS-Native Sandboxing : macOS Seatbelt and Linux Landlock + seccomp for kernel-enforced isolation Tool Policies : Configurable allow/deny/prompt policies for MCP tools Human-in-the-Loop : Configurable approval system for sensitive operations Audit Trail : Comprehensive logging of all command executions See Security Model /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/security/SECURITY MODEL.md and Sandbox Deep Dive /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/sandbox/SANDBOX DEEP DIVE.md for details. Installation Getting started - Secure OAuth 2.0 flows with PKCE, token storage, and automatic refresh OAuth Authentication Configuration /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/config/CONFIGURATION PRECEDENCE.md - Release channels, version pinning, and update management Update System - Complete guides for configuring different LLM providers: AI Provider Setup Context Engineering - Comprehensive skills location system with multi-location support, precedence handling, and the Agent Skills open Agent Skills standard http://agentskills.io/ .- How VT Code implements the Agent Skills standard Standard Compliance Code Intelligence Agent Client Protocol ACP - Agent Client Protocol Integration. VT Code is fully Zed Integration capable ACP agent https://agentclientprotocol.com/overview/agents , works with ACP Clients https://agentclientprotocol.com/overview/clients , for example Zed https://zed.dev/ .- Execute shell commands in response to agent events, enabling context enrichment, policy enforcement, and automation Lifecycle Hooks Keyboard Shortcuts - Solutions for when Alt/Option shortcuts don't work on macOS macOS Alt Shortcut Troubleshooting Exec Mode Development Development Setup /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/development/DEVELOPMENT SETUP.md Testing /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/development/testing.md CI/CD /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/development/ci-cd.md - Formal framework for measuring LLM performance across safety, logic, and coding benchmarks. Empirical Evaluation - Frequently asked questions about VT Code FAQ TUI & Async Guides Event Handling /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/tui-event-handling.md - Terminal event architecture and patterns Async Architecture /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/async-architecture.md - Tokio async/await design and best practices Rendering Best Practices /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/guides/terminal-rendering-best-practices.md - Widget rendering and display optimization - Complete integration of Ratatui FAQ best practices Ratatui Integration Summary /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/README.md - Overview of all improvements FAQ Integration /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/styling/RATATUI FAQ INTEGRATION.md - Mapping of FAQ topics to code Async Improvements /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/README.md - Tokio best practices applied Architecture Security - Documentation for Anthropic Messages API compatibility server Anthropic API Compatibility - Standardized agent trajectory export for debugging, SFT, and RL pipelines ATIF Trajectory Format VT Code is available as an VS Code extension. The original VT Code extension for Visual Studio Code with full semantic code understanding and AI assistance. VT Code is also compatible with other VS Code-compatible editors: Compatible with Cursor, Windsurf, and other VS Code-compatible editors through the Open VSX registry. For installation instructions and download links for other IDEs, visit our IDE Downloads /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/ide/downloads.md page. For troubleshooting, see the IDE Integration Troubleshooting Guide /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/ide/troubleshooting.md . I warmly welcome contributions of all kinds Please read CONTRIBUTING.md /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md and AGENTS.md /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/AGENTS.md for my project-specific rules and guidelines for both humans and agents . Whether you're looking to fix bugs, add new features, improve documentation, or enhance the user experience, your help is greatly appreciated. How To Contribute: - Report issues you're experiencing - Upvote issues that matter to you - Help answer questions on the issue tracker If you're not sure where to start: - Check out the issues page https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/issues - Browse by labels that interest you - Look for good first issue https://github.com/vinhnx/vtcode/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3A%22good+first+issue%22 labeled items - Feel free to browse all open issues and pick one that resonates with you Steps to get started: - Fork the repository by clicking the Fork button in the top-right corner - Clone your forked repository to your local machine - Create a new branch for your changes and start contributing When reporting an issue, please include enough details for others to reproduce the problem effectively. This repository is licensed under the MIT License /vinhnx/VTCode/blob/main/LICENSE .