TotaCode is an open-source AI coding agent that lives in your terminal. Built in Python, powered by your choice of model, and fully under your control. No subscriptions, no vendor lock-in, no compromises.
Whether you prefer Claude, GPT, Gemini, or running models locally with Ollama — TotaCode has you covered with a beautiful terminal UI and a rich plugin ecosystem.
Everything you need to code with AI in the terminal.
Split-pane interface with file browser, diff viewer, and real-time streaming. Built with Textual.
Switch between Claude, GPT, Gemini, Ollama and 75+ more models mid-session. Your choice.
Connect to GitHub, Jira, Slack, databases and more through the Model Context Protocol.
Extend with Python plugins. Register commands, tools, and hooks. Install via pip.
Dual-agent mode: read-only analysis before writing code. Tab to switch. No surprises.
Run fully offline with Ollama. Your code, your data, your hardware. Zero cloud dependency.
A real terminal agent. No compromises.
Building the best terminal coding agent, one milestone at a time.
One command. That's all you need. — planned, coming with MVP
pip install totacode
Or with uv for faster installs
totacode init
Set your API key and model preference
totacode
Start coding with AI in your terminal
See how TotaCode compares to other terminal coding agents.
| Feature | TotaCode | Claude Code | OpenCode |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | MIT — Completely Open | Proprietary | MIT |
| Price | Free + Your API Key | $20/month | Free + Your API Key |
| Model Choice | 75+ — Any provider | Claude only | 75+ providers |
| Offline Mode | Full Ollama support | Impossible | Ollama support |
| TUI Quality | Textual — Rich & Modern | Basic terminal only | Good, but less polished |
| Plugin System | Python — pip install | None | TypeScript plugins |
| MCP | Full client + server | Client only | Client only |
| Built With | Python — Easy to extend | TypeScript | Go + TypeScript |
| Config Format | TOML — Human friendly | JSON | JSON |
| Install Size | ~15 MB (pip) | ~200 MB (npm) | ~50 MB (binary) |
| Session Resume | Unlimited history | Limited | Limited |
| Slash Commands | 25+ built-in | ~8 | ~12 |
| Learning Curve | Gentle — Python devs | Steep | Medium |
Clean architecture, extensible design, built for speed.
Everything the agent needs to understand and modify your codebase.
read_file
Read file contents with syntax highlighting
write_file
Create new files with proper permissions
edit_file
Precise string replacements in existing files
bash
Execute shell commands safely
glob
Find files by pattern matching
grep
Search file contents with regex
webfetch
Fetch and parse web content
task
Delegate to sub-agents for parallel work
More built-in commands than any other terminal agent. No plugins needed.
/plan
Analyze code — read only, no edits
/build
Switch to full write access mode
/review
AI code review with suggestions
/test
Generate unit tests automatically
/fix
Auto-fix lint warnings & errors
/refactor
Improve code quality & structure
/docs
Generate docstrings & README
/explain
Explain what code does in detail
/diff
Show all pending file changes
/undo
Revert last changes instantly
/model
Switch AI model mid-session
/history
Browse & restore past sessions
/search
Semantic search entire codebase
/compact
Summarize context, free memory
/init
Create totacode.toml config
/config
Edit project settings inline
/plugin
Install & manage plugins
/mcp
Configure MCP servers
/export
Export session to markdown
/diagram
Generate architecture diagrams
/benchmark
Run performance benchmarks
/deploy
Deploy to cloud platforms
/translate
Translate comments & strings
/check
Run linter + type checker
/todo
Manage project task list
/restore
Restore from session backup
TotaCode is open source and community-driven. Here's how you can get involved.
Bug fixes, new features, documentation — all contributions welcome. Star the repo to show support.
View Repository →Get help, share your plugins, discuss features, and connect with other developers using TotaCode.
Coming SoonExtend TotaCode with custom commands, tools, and integrations. Publish to PyPI and share with others.
Plugin Docs →Yes, TotaCode is 100% open source under the MIT license. You only pay for the API costs of the LLM models you use (or nothing if you run local models with Ollama).
TotaCode supports 75+ models via LiteLLM including Claude (Anthropic), GPT-4 (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), Mistral, and local models through Ollama. You can switch models mid-session.
Absolutely. With Ollama or llama.cpp running locally, TotaCode works fully offline. Your code never leaves your machine unless you explicitly configure cloud models.
TotaCode is built in Python (easier to extend with plugins), uses Textual for a modern TUI, and focuses on a cleaner plugin architecture. Both are open source and model-agnostic.
Claude Code is proprietary and requires a $20+/month subscription. TotaCode is free, open source, and works with any model including Claude (via API key).
The MVP is targeted for Q3 2026 with the full release in Q2 2027. Follow the GitHub repo for updates and early access.
TotaCode is coming soon. Follow the project on GitHub to get notified when it launches.
Star on GitHub