A practical guide to the tools bringing AI into your terminal.
AI CLI tools are changing how developers write code. Instead of switching to a browser or IDE extension, you stay in your terminal and work with an AI that can read your codebase, edit files, and run commands. Here is a practical overview of the major options.
Claude Code is Anthropic's AI coding assistant. It runs in your terminal, reads your project files, and can create, edit, and delete files with your approval. It is an agentic tool — you give it a task and it works through it step by step.
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Multi-file changes, refactoring, building new features, understanding unfamiliar codebases. Claude Code excels at tasks that require reading many files and making coordinated changes.
Codex is OpenAI's CLI agent. Like Claude Code, it operates directly in your terminal and can read, write, and execute within your project.
npm install -g @openai/codex
Developers already in the OpenAI ecosystem. Similar capabilities to Claude Code with a different model underneath.
Gemini CLI is Google's entry into the AI CLI space. It brings Gemini's capabilities to the terminal.
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
Developers in the Google ecosystem or those who want to compare Gemini's output against Claude or GPT for their specific use cases.
Vibe CLI focuses on rapid prototyping and creative coding. It takes a more conversational, exploratory approach compared to the task-oriented style of Claude Code and Codex.
Quick prototyping, exploration, and developers who prefer a lighter-weight interaction style.
Regardless of which tool you use, your terminal setup matters:
The most important setup. Run the AI tool in one pane and keep a regular shell in the other. You can check files, run tests, and verify changes while the AI works. Most terminals support this — split vertically so the AI gets the wider pane.
AI CLI tools produce a lot of output. Make sure your terminal has enough scrollback to review what the AI generated. At least a few thousand lines.
All of these tools benefit from context about your project. Claude Code uses CLAUDE.md files, and most tools will read README files and project structure. The more context the AI has, the better its output.
Most terminals treat AI CLI tools as regular processes — they run, but the terminal does not know or care what they are. Yaw is an exception: it detects when you launch Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, or Vibe CLI and automatically opens a companion pane in the same directory. Yaw also includes a built-in file editor, so you can review and edit files the AI modifies without leaving your terminal.
| Tool | Provider | File Editing | Command Execution | Context Files |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Anthropic | Yes | Yes | CLAUDE.md |
| Codex | OpenAI | Yes | Sandboxed | Project files |
| Gemini CLI | Yes | Yes | Project files | |
| Vibe CLI | Various | Yes | Yes | Project files |
Try yaw on Windows
Free, no account required. Install from PowerShell:
irm https://yaw.sh/install-win.ps1 | iex