Code CLI - Enhanced Terminal Coding Agent

Code CLI is an enhanced fork of OpenAI's Codex CLI that brings powerful AI coding assistance directly to your terminal with additional features for improved developer experience.

Installation

npm install -g @just-every/code

Then run:

code

Key Features

🎯 Core Capabilities

• AI-powered coding agent that runs locally in your terminal
• File operations: Read, write, and modify files with AI assistance
• Command execution: Run shell commands with intelligent context
• Project understanding: Analyzes your codebase to provide relevant suggestions

✨ Enhanced Features (Fork Additions)

• Image Support: Drag-and-drop, paste, or reference images directly in the terminal
• Dynamic Reasoning: Adjust AI reasoning effort mid-conversation with /reasoning command
• Flexible Configuration: Uses ~/.code directory (or ~/.codex for compatibility)

Quick Start

1. Install and Launch

npm install -g @just-every/code
code

2. Authenticate

You can use Code CLI with:

• ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscription (recommended)
• OpenAI API key (usage-based billing)

3. Choose Autonomy Level

Read/Write Mode (default - full capabilities):

code

Read-Only Mode (safer, no file modifications):

code --read-only

Example Usage

# Start an interactive session
code

# Run with a specific prompt
code "refactor this function to use async/await"

# Analyze code without making changes
code --read-only "explain the authentication flow"

# Adjust reasoning effort
/reasoning high  # More thorough analysis
/reasoning low   # Faster responses

Common Tasks

• Debug code: "Why is this function returning null?"
• Add features: "Add error handling to all API calls"
• Refactor: "Convert this class to use TypeScript"
• Explain: "How does the authentication system work?"
• Generate tests: "Write unit tests for the user service"

Configuration

Configuration file location: ~/.code/config.toml (or set CODE_HOME environment variable)

Basic Configuration

# Model selection
model = "gpt-5"

# Approval settings
approval_policy = "ask"  # ask | automatic | never

# Feature flags
hide_agent_reasoning = false

Environment Variables

• CODE_HOME or CODEX_HOME: Override default config directory
• OPENAI_API_KEY: Use OpenAI API directly
• OPENAI_BASE_URL: Use alternative API endpoints

Enhanced Image Support

The fork adds comprehensive image handling:

1. Drag and drop images directly into the terminal
2. Paste images from clipboard
3. Reference image files by path: "analyze screenshot.png"

Using the /reasoning Command

Dynamically adjust the AI's reasoning effort:

/reasoning high   # Detailed analysis, slower
/reasoning medium # Balanced (default)
/reasoning low    # Quick responses

System Requirements

• Operating Systems: macOS, Linux, Windows (WSL recommended)
• Node.js: Version 20 or higher
• Terminal: Modern terminal with UTF-8 support
• Memory: 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended

Command Line Options

code [options] [prompt]

Options:
  --model <name>     Override the model (e.g., gpt-5, claude-opus)
  --read-only        Prevent file modifications
  --no-approval      Skip approval prompts (use with caution)
  --config <key=val> Override config values
  --help            Show help information
  --version         Show version number

Advanced Features

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Code CLI supports MCP for extended capabilities:

• File system operations
• Web browsing
• Database connections
• Custom tool integrations

Project Documentation

Create a CODEX.md file in your project root to provide context:

# Project Overview
This is a React application using TypeScript...

## Key Components
- Authentication: src/auth/*
- API Client: src/api/*

Non-Interactive Mode

For CI/CD pipelines:

code --non-interactive "update all dependencies"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Installation fails: Ensure Node.js 20+ is installed

node --version  # Should be v20.0.0 or higher

Authentication issues: Re-run the login flow

code --login

Performance problems: Adjust model or reasoning level

code --model gpt-5-turbo
# or use /reasoning low during conversation

Contributing

We welcome contributions! This fork maintains compatibility with upstream Codex while adding new features.

Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/just-every/code.git
cd code

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Run locally
./codex-rs/target/release/code

Submitting Changes

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

Differences from Original Codex

Feature	Code CLI (Fork)	Original Codex
Command	code	codex
Config Directory	~/.code	~/.codex
NPM Package	@just-every/code	@openai/codex
Image Support	✅ Enhanced	Basic
/reasoning Command	✅ Available	Not available
Environment Variables	CODE_HOME + CODEX_HOME	CODEX_HOME only

License

Apache 2.0 - See LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

This project is a fork of OpenAI Codex CLI. We maintain compatibility while adding community-requested features.

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Need help? Open an issue on GitHub or check the original Codex documentation.