Code Assistant

What is Code Assistant?

Code Assistant is an AI-powered coding assistant built in Rust that provides both command-line and graphical interfaces for autonomous code analysis and modification. It integrates with various LLM providers and supports multiple interface modes including GUI, terminal, MCP server, and ACP agent mode.

How to use Code Assistant?

Build the binary from source using cargo build --release, then configure providers and models in ~/.config/code-assistant/. Launch with code-assistant for GUI mode, code-assistant --tui for terminal mode, code-assistant server for MCP server mode, or code-assistant acp for ACP agent mode. Always cd into your project's root directory before starting.

Key features of Code Assistant

• Multi-modal tool execution with pluggable invocation modes
• Real-time streaming interface with smart filtering
• Session-based project management with persistent state
• Multiple interface options: GUI, terminal, MCP server, ACP
• Agent Client Protocol (ACP) support for editor integration
• Session compaction and auto-loaded repository guidance

Use cases of Code Assistant

• Autonomous code analysis and modification in any project
• Integration with MCP-compatible clients like Claude Desktop
• Connection with ACP-compatible editors such as Zed
• Multi-provider AI coding assistance with configurable models

FAQ from Code Assistant

What dependencies are required to build and run Code Assistant?

Rust toolchain via rustup is required. On Linux, system libraries including pkg-config, libssl-dev, and Wayland/X11 dependencies are needed. On macOS, the Metal toolchain must be installed.

How do I configure Code Assistant with my LLM provider?

Create providers.json and models.json in ~/.config/code-assistant/ referencing environment variables like ${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY} for credentials. Tools requiring external API keys are configured in tools.json.

What interface options does Code Assistant offer?

Code Assistant provides a graphical GUI mode (default), a terminal TUI mode (--tui flag), an MCP server mode (server subcommand), and an ACP agent mode (acp subcommand) for editor integration.

How does Code Assistant handle session context limits?

Before running out of context space, the agent generates a session summary and continues work via session compaction, ensuring long-running conversations can persist.

What is the Agent Client Protocol (ACP) support?

ACP is a standard for editor-agent communication. Code Assistant runs as an ACP-compatible agent via the acp subcommand, enabling integration with editors like Zed that support the Agent Client Protocol.