![\"JustCode\"](\"assets/images/logo.png\"){kind=logo}
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\n A lean, transparent terminal coding assistant where you control every token.\n
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\n Website ·\n Contributing ·\n Releasing ·\n Issues\n
\n\n\n Free and open source (MIT) — and open to contributions.\n
\n\n---\n\nMost AI coding tools quietly inflate every request with huge hidden prompts you\ncan't see or change — GitHub Copilot can spend ~27k tokens on a single \"hey,\"\nand other tools routinely send ~7k. JustCode sends roughly **~550 tokens per\nrequest**, and most of that is a **system prompt you can read and edit** to be\nexactly what you want. No hidden bloat, no wasted spend — your context, your\nrules.\n\n## Why JustCode\n\n- **~550 tokens per request** — no hidden bloat inflating every call.\n- **A system prompt you can read and edit** — no black box.\n- **Bring your own provider & key** — OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Qwen\n (Alibaba Cloud), Ollama, LM Studio, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.\n- **Claude subscription support** — connect the \"Claude Code\" provider to use\n your Claude Pro/Max plan through the official\n [Claude Agent SDK](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sdk). JustCode never\n handles your Anthropic credentials: the SDK runs the official Claude Code\n runtime, which authenticates with your own `claude /login` session, and usage\n draws from your plan's limits. Requires\n [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) installed and signed in.\n- **Self-contained binary** — ships with its runtime embedded; end users need\n no Node, no Bun, and no `node_modules`.\n- **File-backed sessions** — conversations are saved under `~/.cache/justcode/sessions`\n so you can resume, branch, and revisit past work.\n- **MCP servers**, **chat modes** (Build / Ask / Plan + custom), and a\n **VS Code extension** sharing the same lean engine.\n\n## Install\n\nOnce a release is published, install through any channel (all fetch the same\nself-contained binary — no runtime prerequisites):\n\n```bash\n# curl\ncurl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kingeke/justcode/main/scripts/install.sh | sh\n\n# npm / bun / pnpm\nnpm install -g justcode-cli\n\n# Homebrew\nbrew tap kingeke/justcode && brew trust kingeke/justcode && brew install justcode\n```\n\nTo uninstall a curl-installed binary (keeps the cache in `~/.justcode`):\n\n```bash\ncurl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kingeke/justcode/main/scripts/uninstall.sh | sh\n```\n\nSee [release.md](release.md) for how binaries are built and published.\n\n## Quick start\n\n1. Run `justcode`.\n2. Use `/connect` to add a provider (paste an API key or sign in), then\n `/models` to pick a model.\n3. Start chatting. Type `/` to see every command; resume past work with\n `/sessions`.\n\n## Tools, commands & modes\n\nJustCode gives the model a focused toolset — read / write / edit files, run\n`bash`, `grep`, `glob`, fetch and search the web, plan work, and more — and can\nload extra tools on demand to keep requests lean. Everything is driven from the\nprompt with ~23 slash commands (`/connect`, `/models`, `/mode`, `/sessions`,\n`/manage-tools`, `/reasoning`, …), across three modes plus your own:\n\n- **Build** — implement changes with the full toolset (the default).\n- **Ask** — read-only Q&A about your codebase; explains without editing.\n- **Plan** — produce a reviewable plan first, then implement on approval.\n- **Custom** — define your own mode and system prompt via `/mode`.\n\nThe full, always-current list of tools and commands is on the\n**[website](https://justcodeapp.dev/)**.\n\n## Skills\n\nSkills are installable packs of slash commands, distributed as plain GitHub\nrepositories. Installing one registers its commands in the CLI and the VS Code\nextension automatically — and it doesn't have to be built for JustCode:\nrepos following the shared ecosystem conventions (Claude plugins, `SKILL.md`\nskills, `commands/*.md`) install and work as-is:\n\n```bash\njustcode skill add test/skill # asks: [l]ocal / [g]lobal?\njustcode skill add test/skill --local # this project only (.justcode/skills/)\njustcode skill add test/skill --global # every project (~/.cache/justcode/skills/)\njustcode skill list # installed skills, labelled (local)/(global)\njustcode skill update test-skill\njustcode skill remove test-skill\n```\n\nA local skill shadows a global one of the same name, so a project can pin its\nown version of a shared skill.\n\nEach command is a markdown file whose body runs as the system prompt for that\nturn — e.g. installing a skill that ships `commands/explain.md` gives you\n`/explain` in the chat. See **[docs/skills.md](docs/skills.md)** for a\nfive-step walkthrough of creating your own skill, plus the manifest reference,\ncommand authoring, and publishing.\n\n## Develop locally\n\nBuilding requires [Bun](https://bun.sh) (`curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash`).\nBun is only needed to build — the produced binary runs on its own.\n\n```bash\nnpm install # install dependencies (once)\nnpm run install:local # compile the host binary and symlink it as `justcode`\n```\n\n`install:local` compiles a self-contained binary\n(`dist-bin/justcode-