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leonardcser

leonardcser/smelt

A terminal coding agent written in Rust, scriptable and reloadable through Lua plugins, with a custom renderer and Vim-style editing.

Open-source alternative to:Claude Code

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Last commit
12 hours ago

What is it?

smelt is a coding agent that runs in the terminal, aimed at developers who want a lighter agent that is easy to change. Keymaps, commands, tools and UI behavior are written as Lua files that reload live without a restart or rebuild.

The project includes its own terminal renderer instead of relying on a general TUI framework, and the prompt and transcript share Vim motions for searching and yanking agent output. It supports subscription logins for ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot and Kimi Code via `smelt auth`, Claude Code through MCP, and any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint, including local models served by Ollama. The project publishes a benchmark comparing memory, CPU and wall time against several other coding agents on Terminal-Bench 2.1, and it is still in beta before 1.0.

Key features

  • 01Lua plugins that reload live to change keymaps, commands, tools and UI.
  • 02Custom terminal renderer designed to keep typing and scrolling responsive in long sessions.
  • 03Vim motions in both the prompt and the transcript.
  • 04Subscription login for ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot and Kimi Code via `smelt auth`.
  • 05Works with any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, including local models through Ollama.
  • 06Permission modes that cycle from Normal to Plan, Apply and Yolo.

Use cases

  • Running a coding agent against a local model served by Ollama.
  • Customizing keybindings and tools for a terminal workflow using Lua.
  • Working in long agent sessions where a heavier TUI feels slow.
  • Using an existing ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or Claude Code subscription from the terminal.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install from source with Cargo

    cargo install --locked --git https://github.com/leonardcser/smelt.git smelt-agent
  2. 2

    Log in to a subscription provider (ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or Kimi Code)

    smelt auth
  3. 3

    Run smelt

    smelt

Things to know

  • smelt is in beta until 1.0, and interfaces may change between releases.

In collections

AI coding agentsCLI & terminal tools

Topics

#agent#cli#terminal#lua#rust#llm#coding-assistant

FAQ

What is smelt?
A terminal coding agent written in Rust, scriptable and reloadable through Lua plugins, with a custom renderer and Vim-style editing. smelt is a coding agent that runs in the terminal, aimed at developers who want a lighter agent that is easy to change. Keymaps, commands, tools and UI behavior are written as Lua files that reload live without a restart or rebuild.
Is smelt free to use? What license does it have?
smelt is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is smelt still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to smelt was on Nov 6, 2026.
What can I use smelt for?
Running a coding agent against a local model served by Ollama. Customizing keybindings and tools for a terminal workflow using Lua. Working in long agent sessions where a heavier TUI feels slow. Using an existing ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or Claude Code subscription from the terminal.
How do I install smelt?
Install from source with Cargo: cargo install --locked --git https://github.com/leonardcser/smelt.git smelt-agent Log in to a subscription provider (ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or Kimi Code): smelt auth Run smelt: smelt
Where can I get smelt?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/leonardcser/smelt

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