MiniCode
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MiniCode is a lightweight terminal coding assistant for local development workflows.
It provides Claude Code-like workflow and architectural ideas in a much smaller implementation, making it especially useful for learning, experimentation, and custom tooling.
Overview
MiniCode is built around a practical terminal-first agent loop:
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accept a user request
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inspect the workspace
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call tools when needed
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review file changes before writing
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return a final response in the same terminal session
The project is intentionally compact, so the control flow, tool model, and TUI behavior remain easy to understand and extend.
Core Authors
Summaries are based on the main repository and multi-language branch commit history. For the broader contributor list, please refer to the repository commit history.
Multi-language Versions
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TypeScript (this repo): MiniCode
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Rust version: MiniCode-rs
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Python version: MiniCode-Python
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Go version: MiniCode-go
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Java version: MiniCode4j
Product Showcase Page
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Open docs/index.html in a browser for a visual product overview.
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GitHub Pages (recommended):
https://liumengxuan04.github.io/MiniCode/
Why MiniCode
MiniCode is a good fit if you want:
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a lightweight coding assistant instead of a large platform
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a terminal UI with tool calling, transcript, and command workflow
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a small codebase that is suitable for study and modification
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a reference implementation for Claude Code-like agent architecture
Core Capabilities
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Multi-step tool execution in a single turn, forming a
model -> tool -> modelloop. -
Up to 3 concurrent read-only sub-agents; the root agent owns all code changes and can wait for or close workers.
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Full-screen terminal UI with input history, transcript scrolling, slash command menu, and approval flows.
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Per-project session persistence with resume, rename, fork, and compact commands.
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Provider-usage-first context stats with tail estimates, auto-compact, context collapse, and snip compact.
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Built-in tools for files, search, editing, command execution, web fetch/search, and clarification prompts.
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Local skills discovered through
SKILL.md, plus MCP tools/resources/prompts over stdio or remote HTTP. -
Review-before-write file edits with path and command permission checks.
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Oversized tool results are stored on disk and replaced in context with a short preview and file path.
Full command references, configuration examples, session details, and Skills/MCP usage have moved to the Usage Guide.
Installation
cd mini-code
npm install
npm run install-local
The installer asks for the model name, ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL, and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN. Configuration is stored in:
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~/.mini-code/settings.json -
~/.mini-code/mcp.json
You can override the config directory with MINI_CODE_HOME and the launcher directory with MINI_CODE_BIN_DIR. See Installation Details for more.
Quick Start
Run the installed launcher:
minicode
Run in development mode:
npm run dev
Run in offline demo mode:
MINI_CODE_MODEL_MODE=mock npm run dev
Common Entry Points
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/help: show interactive help. -
/tools: list available tools. -
/skills: list discovered skills. -
/mcp: show MCP connection status. -
/status: show session and context status. -
/init: scaffold.mini-code/andMINI.mdfor the current project. -
/memory: inspect the layered memory files loaded for the current turn. -
/model//model <name>: inspect or switch the model. -
/resume: open the session picker. -
/compact: manually compact the context.
Management commands include minicode mcp ... and minicode skills .... See Commands for the full reference.
Documentation
Star History
Development
npm run check
npm test
MiniCode is intentionally small and pragmatic. The goal is to keep the architecture understandable, hackable, and easy to extend.