Let’s be real, our terminals are long overdue for an upgrade. In 2025, the biggest leap in developer productivity isn’t happening in your IDE or browser; it’s happening right inside your CLI. Imagine an AI agent that lives in your terminal, understands your codebase, writes functions, fixes bugs, and even plans entire features all through natural language prompts. Sounds futuristic? It’s already here.
As enterprise developers dealing with complex systems and tight deadlines, we need tools that move fast, stay secure, and integrate smoothly. That’s exactly where these next-gen CLI coding agents come in. I’ve rounded up 10 of the most powerful open-source tools, all trusted and trending on GitHub, that are reshaping how we code in 2025. If you haven’t explored this new wave of AI-powered terminal agents yet, now’s the time.
1. ForgeCode – Your In-Terminal AI Pair Programmer
I’m starting with ForgeCode because it nails the “zero config” promise. With a single npx forgecode@latest command, ForgeCode launches an interactive CLI where you chat in natural language. It works with multiple LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.) and even lets you use self-hosted models or on-prem APIs for full enterprise security. Best of all, it’s open-source – the docs proudly tout “Open-source – Transparent, extensible, and community-driven”. In practice I’ve seen ForgeCode outline plans and scaffold code (e.g. “add a dark-mode toggle”) lightning-fast. You can review each suggested change before it’s applied, so it fits right into a disciplined dev workflow.
🐙(GitHub: antinomyhq/forge).
2. Google Gemini CLI – Google’s Terminal AI
Google’s Gemini CLI brings the new Gemini 1.0 models directly into your shell. It’s officially open-source (Apache 2.0) and built to feel native in any terminal. I love that it lets you query Gemini just by typing prompts – for example, I’ve had it refactor functions or write snippets and then run them. The Gemini CLI repo sums it up: it “brings the power of Gemini directly into your terminal”. In short, this is Google’s answer to Copilot for the command line. It supports chaining actions and even running background tasks, which can be great for orchestrating multi-step fixes. Give it your Google credentials and an API key, and you have a supercharged coding assistant (especially useful if your company already uses Google’s AI stack).
🐙(GitHub: google-gemini/gemini-cli) .
3. Cline – Autopilot for Your Code
Cline has become a community favorite (48K+ stars) and it shows. This tool is “100% Open Source” and bills itself as an “autonomous coding agent” that can even execute commands and browse for you. In practice, Cline can not only suggest or generate code, but actually run tests or searches under the hood. As Cline’s documentation says, it’s an “Autonomous coding agent right in your IDE, capable of creating/editing files, executing commands… and more”. I often use it with Plan Mode enabled, so it first outlines a step-by-step plan before diving into coding. The interface is conversational, and you can switch LLMs mid-session. Since it’s fully transparent (every line is auditable on GitHub) you never have to wonder where your code is going. For me, Cline has been a huge help in brainstorming architectures or generating boilerplate quickly.
🐙(GitHub: cline/cline).
4. Goose – The “On-Machine” AI Agent
Goose takes a different tack: it stays entirely “on-machine” (no cloud calls unless you want) and is highly extensible. Goose’s GitHub describes it as “your on-machine AI agent” that can “build entire projects from scratch, write and execute code, debug failures, orchestrate workflows and interact with external APIs — autonomously”. I’ve found this promising for privacy-conscious teams. Goose can run shell commands, modify multiple files, even open browser sessions if you let it. For example, you can prompt Goose to “fix that failing test” and it will attempt the git diff/patch cycle iteratively. In short, it’s more than a code suggester – it can be a fully automated developer-in-a-box.
🐙(GitHub: block/goose).
5. Aider – AI Pair Programming in Your Terminal
Aider (12.9K stars) bills itself as “AI Pair Programming in your terminal”. It’s designed to tackle a wide range of tasks: from writing a new function, to generating unit tests, to learning a new framework. What I like about Aider is how it builds a map of your entire repo so it has context on big projects. It even integrates with Language Server Protocols for smarter edits. You can invoke it like aider “optimize this loop” and it will output a diff. It supports many LLMs (Claude, ChatGPT, Groq, local models, etc.) and has built-in git integration, auto-committing changes with sensible messages. Aider’s screen-based UI is simple, but it makes it easy to review each change. If you’re writing code in Python, JS, Go or dozens of other languages, Aider aims to assist just like a human teammate would.
🐙(GitHub: Aider-AI/aider) .
6. Claude Code CLI – Anthropic’s Terminal AI
Anthropic’s Claude Code CLI (27K stars) is a powerful terminal companion that runs right on your machine. In their own words, “Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal, understands your codebase, and helps you code faster by executing routine tasks, explaining complex code, and handling git workflows”. I’ve found Claude Code very reliable for digging through a messy codebase – you can literally ask “How does user login work?” and it will scan files and answer. It also automatically splits work into subtasks and can continue where you left off. The CLI is Docker-based, so each request is sandboxed. For an enterprise context, it’s great because after initial setup it can work offline (no data leaves your network) using your Anthropic API key.
🐙(GitHub: anthropics/claude-code) .
7. OpenAI Codex CLI – OpenAI’s Local Coding Agent
The OpenAI Codex CLI brings OpenAI’s Codex models into your terminal (31.6K stars). It’s advertised as a “Lightweight coding agent that runs in your terminal”. Installation is easy (npm install -g @openai/codex) and it uses your OpenAI API key (or logs you in via codex login if you have ChatGPT Plus). Once set up, you can prompt it to scaffold features (e.g. “implement a Fibonacci function in Python”), refactor code, or even write entire modules. The key is that it runs locally: your code and prompts stay on your machine, which is great for enterprise security. I often use it for quick tasks like “generate SQL insert commands for this CSV” or “optimize this SQL query” – Codex handles them instantly. Just remember to review before committing!
🐙(GitHub: openai/codex) .
8. Plandex – AI for Large-Scale Projects
Plandex (14.2K stars) is built for the big stuff. It’s a “terminal-based AI development tool” that can plan and execute huge coding tasks. What sets Plandex apart is its ability to index and reason over very large codebases (millions of tokens). It generates a project map using tree-sitter and can handle multi-file workflows with context-caching across models. In practice, I’ve used Plandex for tasks like “add an API endpoint that does X across 20 files,” and it will create a diff sandbox of all changes. You can review the diff, then apply or rollback. It also auto-debug commands (like running tests) to catch errors. For enterprise codebases that dwarf the typical LLM context window, Plandex’s focus on “reliable in large projects” is a real advantage.
🐙(GitHub: plandex-ai/plandex) .
9. GPT Engineer – Spec-to-Code Generator
GPT Engineer (54.6K stars) is the go-to CLI tool if you want an AI to build an app from a spec. You simply create a prompt file describing what you need (for example, “A ToDo app with login using Flask”) and then run gpte ./path-to-project. As the repo explains, it “lets you specify software in natural language and sit back as an AI writes and executes the code”. It will scaffold directories, write files, even run commands, all in one go. I’ve found it particularly useful for rapid prototyping – instead of boilerplate, you get a mostly-working example and comments on what to do next. Note it requires an OpenAI key (or Anthropic) to run the models. In short, GPT Engineer is like a full-stack AI generator, great for MVPs or small utilities.
🐙(GitHub: AntonOsika/gpt-engineer) .
10. Smol Developer – Your AI Junior Dev
Last but not least, smol developer (12K stars) is a fun one: it calls itself your “personal junior developer”. You give it a prompt (for example, “A HTML/JS Tic Tac Toe game”), and it will scaffold code accordingly. Under the hood it can loop with a human in the loop to refine the prompt, but it’s basically auto-generating code snippets or entire starters. I think of it like a mini version of GPT Engineer: more barebones but very straightforward. The GitHub describes it as “coherent whole-program synthesis” – it’s not perfect, but it can save a ton of time on initial boilerplate. Definitely worth a try when you need a quick start on a new component or feature.
🐙(GitHub: smol-ai/developer) .
Conclusion
These ten CLI agents are proof that AI is no longer an IDE-only affair – our terminals are getting smarter too. Each of the above tools can handle everyday coding tasks, from explaining code to writing tests to scaffolding entire projects. My advice: pick a couple that appeal to you (start with ForgeCode and Gemini CLI since they’re so easy to install) and put them through their paces in a sandbox repo. You might be surprised how much time you save. Give them a spin and let me know which one becomes your new “pair programmer”. The future of code is already here in your terminal – try these out and embrace the boost in productivity!
Top comments (7)
It’s amazing how far terminal-based AI tools have come!
ForgeCode, Cline, and Plandex are real game-changers.
We’ve been exploring this space deeply at haveto.com, especially the idea of running AI coding agents natively on-chain, where no servers, no middle layers. Just fast, secure, verifiable AI running where your data lives.
If anyone here is curious about how AI + blockchain is reshaping dev workflows (beyond just assistants), happy to chat or show what we’re working on.
Let’s keep pushing what’s possible in the CLI!
Thanks for the comment umang!!!
I was looking for the same... open-source tools!!! thanks for this.
Thanks Tom!! Share this with your folks as well!!
worth it, Thansk
Thanks John!!
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