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Hamid Samak
Hamid Samak

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Codient — A Multi-Model AI Coding Assistant for Your Terminal (and VSCode)

#ai #cli #vscode #opensource

Most AI coding assistants lock you into one model and one workflow. Codient takes a different approach: it's a command-line tool that drives Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and DeepSeek through their actual web sessions — so you use the accounts you already have, switch models per-task, and keep full control over what gets changed in your codebase.

It ships two parts:

  • codient — the core Python CLI
  • codient-vscode — a VSCode extension that wraps the CLI in editor commands

Project site: codient.ir

Why Codient?

Instead of routing your code through a paid API, Codient automates a real browser session (via Selenium) against the AI's web UI. That means:

  • You keep using your existing Claude / ChatGPT / Gemini / DeepSeek login — no API key required
  • You can maintain separate Chrome profiles for different accounts (e.g. a work Claude account vs. a personal one)
  • Every change is backed up automatically, with full rollback history
  • Multi-file context and multi-round follow-up requests are handled for you

Core features

  • 🤖 Multi-model support: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek
  • 📂 Multi-file project analysis
  • 💾 Safe overwrite mode with automatic backups
  • 🔄 File history & one-command rollback
  • 📊 Visual HTML diff reports before you commit to a change
  • 🐛 Debug mode with full prompt/response logging
  • 🌐 HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy support
  • 👤 Multiple isolated Chrome profiles
  • 🔁 Automatic multi-round conversation when the AI needs more files (up to 5 rounds)

How it works 

CLI Command
   ↓
Python Engine
   ↓
Selenium Automation
   ↓
AI Web UI (Claude / ChatGPT / Gemini / DeepSeek)
   ↓
AI Response Parsing
   ↓ (if AI requests more files → follow-up loop, max 5 rounds)
File System Update / Diff / Backup
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Installing the CLI

Requirements: Python 3.8+, Google Chrome, and a matching ChromeDriver.

git clone https://github.com/hamidsamak/codient.git
cd codient

python3 -m venv venv
venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt
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Add it to your PATH so you can run codient from anywhere:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
cat > ~/.local/bin/codient << EOF
#!/bin/bash
exec "$(pwd)/venv/bin/python" "$(pwd)/codient" "\$@"
EOF
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/codient

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc
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Using WSL Ubuntu? There's a dedicated WSL setup guide for getting Chrome/ChromeDriver working.

First-time login

Before using a model, open a browser session and log in once — the session is saved for future runs:

codient --browser --model claude
codient --browser --model gemini
codient --browser --model chatgpt
codient --browser --model deepseek
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Using the CLI

Basic usage (default model is DeepSeek):

codient "Fix this code" file1.py file2.py
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Pick a specific model:

codient --model claude "Fix this code" app.py
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Apply changes directly, with an automatic backup:

codient --overwrite "Refactor this code" main.py
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Pass read-only reference files with --context; anything after -- is an editable target:

codient "Improve architecture" --context utils.py config.py -- main.py
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If you skip --overwrite, Codient generates a visual HTML diff report instead of touching any files, and opens it in your browser automatically.

Multi-round conversations

If the AI needs to see more files to finish the task, Codient detects that request, looks for the files locally, and — if it can't find one — asks you for the path. This repeats for up to 5 rounds until the AI has everything it needs. In --non-interactive mode (useful for CI or the VSCode extension), missing files are skipped automatically and the AI is told to create them from scratch instead of prompting you.

Profiles

Keep separate logins for different accounts or purposes:

codient --browser --profile work
codient --profile work "Fix this code" app.py
codient --list-profiles
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Backup & rollback

Every modified file is backed up before it's touched:

codient --rollback main.py
codient --rollback main.py --timestamp 20250101123000
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Using the VSCode extension

The extension is a thin front-end over the same CLI engine. Once installed, open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and use:

  • Codient: Ask AI — analyze and edit files directly, with automatic backup
  • Codient: Preview Changes — same as above, but generates an HTML diff instead of touching files
  • Codient: Open Browser Session — open a persistent login session for the active profile
  • Codient: Switch Profile — interactively switch between Chrome profiles, or create a new one on the fly

Settings you can configure:

Setting Default Description
codient.model default claude, chatgpt, gemini, or deepseek
codient.proxy (empty) e.g. http://127.0.0.1:8080
codient.profile default Chrome profile to use

Building the extension locally 

npm install -g @vscode/vsce
vsce package
code --install-extension codient-*.vsix
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Wrapping up

Codient is still an early, actively developed project — feedback, issues, and stars are very welcome. If you work with multiple AI coding assistants and want one consistent CLI/editor workflow across all of them, give it a try:

There's also a video walkthrough covering installation and usage end-to-end.

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