Zero

Zero is an AI coding agent for your local terminal. It can inspect a repository, edit files, run commands, use browser/terminal helpers, and keep durable local sessions while you choose the model and the permission level.

zero
zero exec "fix the failing test in ./pkg"
zero exec --output-format stream-json < turns.jsonl

Why Zero

• Use the model you want. Bring OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Mistral, xAI, Qwen, Kimi, GitHub Models, Ollama, LM Studio, or any OpenAI-/Anthropic-compatible endpoint.
• Stay in control. File writes, shell commands, network access, and out-of-workspace writes go through Zero's permission and sandbox policy.
• Works in the terminal. The TUI has model/provider pickers, image input, slash commands, live plan/tool rendering, scrollback, themes, and resume/fork support.
• Works without the TUI. zero exec is scriptable, supports text/JSON/ stream-JSON I/O, isolated worktrees, spec-first runs, and meaningful exit codes for CI.
• Keeps context local. Sessions are stored on disk, searchable, resumable, and never uploaded as telemetry by Zero.
• Extensible when you need it. Use MCP servers, skills, plugins, hooks, and specialist subagents from the same CLI.

Install

npm

npm install -g @gitlawb/zero
zero

The npm package is a small wrapper whose platform build (Linux and macOS on x64/arm64, Windows on x64 — including the browser/terminal control helpers) installs as an optional dependency straight from the npm registry — no install scripts, no downloads outside npm. Bun, pnpm, and yarn work the same way with no trust or approval steps. Installs that skip optional dependencies (--omit=optional) still work: the wrapper fetches the binary from the matching GitHub Release whenever it is missing. Windows on ARM runs the x64 build under emulation. See docs/NPM_PACKAGING.md for how the package is put together.

Install scripts

Linux/macOS:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Gitlawb/zero/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShell:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Gitlawb/zero/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

From source

Source builds require Go 1.26.5+.

git clone https://github.com/Gitlawb/zero.git
cd zero
go run ./cmd/zero

Release installers and the npm wrapper require published GitHub Release assets. If you are testing before the first public release, build from source:

go build -o zero ./cmd/zero

On Linux, build the sandbox helper too if you want native sandboxing:

go build -o zero-linux-sandbox ./cmd/zero-linux-sandbox
go build -o zero-seccomp ./cmd/zero-seccomp   # optional compatibility wrapper

Put zero and zero-linux-sandbox in the same directory on PATH (~/.local/bin is a good default). macOS does not need an extra helper binary. Windows source builds can use the main zero.exe as their sandbox helper; release archives still ship standalone Windows helper executables.

More install details: docs/INSTALL.md.

First Run

Start the TUI:

zero

The setup wizard helps you pick a provider and model. You can also configure providers from the command line:

zero setup
zero providers list
zero models list
zero doctor

For API providers, set the matching environment variable before setup or enter the key in the wizard:

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=...
export GEMINI_API_KEY=...
export AIMLAPI_API_KEY=...
export LONGCAT_API_KEY=...
export MINIMAX_API_KEY=...
export MINIMAXI_API_KEY=...

To configure AI/ML API directly, run:

zero providers setup aimlapi --set-active

To configure Meituan LongCat (LongCat-2.0) directly, run:

zero providers setup longcat --set-active

MiniMax presets use the Anthropic-compatible endpoints for the global and China regions:

zero providers add minimax --set-active
zero providers add minimaxi-cn --set-active

To use the OpenAI-compatible endpoints instead, add a custom compatible profile for the required region:

zero providers add custom-openai-compatible \
  --name minimax-openai \
  --model MiniMax-M3 \
  --base-url https://api.minimax.io/v1 \
  --api-key-env MINIMAX_API_KEY \
  --set-active

zero providers add custom-openai-compatible \
  --name minimax-cn-openai \
  --model MiniMax-M3 \
  --base-url https://api.minimaxi.com/v1 \
  --api-key-env MINIMAXI_API_KEY \
  --set-active

For local models, run Ollama or LM Studio and then use zero setup or zero providers detect.

Daily Use

Interactive TUI

zero

Useful controls:

Common slash commands:

Headless exec

zero exec "explain internal/agent/loop.go"
zero exec --model claude-sonnet-4.5 "refactor the config loader"
zero exec --use-spec "add rate limiting to the API client"
zero exec --worktree "try the migration in an isolated worktree"
zero exec --resume
zero exec --fork <session-id> "try the other approach"

Programmatic use:

zero exec --input-format stream-json --output-format stream-json < turns.jsonl

The stream-JSON contract is documented in docs/STREAM_JSON_PROTOCOL.md.

Safety Model

Zero is designed to make side effects visible.

• Workspace reads are allowed by default.
• File writes are limited to the workspace unless you grant another directory.
• Shell commands, network access, destructive commands, and elevated actions are permission-gated.
• --add-dir <path> and /add-dir <path> grant additional write roots without giving the agent the whole filesystem.
• Unsafe/autonomous modes are explicit opt-ins.
• Secrets are redacted from tool output and logs where Zero controls the surface.

Example:

zero --add-dir ../docs-site
zero exec --add-dir ../shared "update both repos"

Sandbox behavior can be inspected with:

zero sandbox policy
zero sandbox grants list

Web And Local Control

Zero includes local file/search/edit/shell tools, web_fetch for public URLs, and MCP support for additional tools.

For local dev servers, use shell commands such as curl through exec_command so the normal sandbox and permission policy applies. Long-running commands stay attached to a background terminal session and can be listed or stopped from the TUI.

The npm package also includes browser and terminal helper packages used by local browser/terminal tools. Source builds can use the same helpers when they are on PATH or configured in Zero's local-control settings.

Common Commands

zero                  interactive TUI
zero exec             one-shot or scripted agent run
zero setup            first-run provider setup
zero auth             OAuth/login helpers for supported providers
zero models           model registry and capabilities
zero providers        provider profiles and detection
zero doctor           setup, key, and connectivity checks
zero context          context-budget report
zero repo-map         deterministic repository map
zero repo-info        local repository summary
zero search | find    search local session history
zero sessions         inspect, resume, fork, and rewind sessions
zero spec             manage spec-mode drafts
zero specialist       manage specialist subagents
zero skills           manage markdown instruction skills
zero plugins          manage plugins
zero hooks            manage lifecycle hooks
zero mcp              manage MCP servers and tools
zero serve --mcp      expose Zero tools over MCP stdio
zero sandbox          inspect sandbox policy and grants
zero worktrees        prepare isolated git worktrees
zero verify           detect and run local verification checks
zero changes          inspect and commit local git changes
zero usage            token usage and estimated cost
zero cron             scheduled agent jobs
zero update           check for newer releases

Extending Zero

Project and personal instructions

Zero appends project-specific guidance to the system prompt from the first AGENTS.md, ZERO.md, or .zero/AGENTS.md file found in each directory from the git root down to your current working directory (checked in that order per directory). Files are injected general-to-specific, capped at 8 KiB per file and 32 KiB total.

A personal ZERO.md under config.UserConfigDir()/zero/ZERO.md ($XDG_CONFIG_HOME/zero/ZERO.md or ~/.config/zero/ZERO.md on Linux/macOS, %AppData%\Roaming\zero\ZERO.md on Windows) applies across every workspace, ahead of any project guidelines.

Plugins

Plugins are discovered from ~/.config/zero/plugins/<name>/plugin.json (user scope — $XDG_CONFIG_HOME or ~/.config on every OS, independent of the config.UserConfigDir() path used above) and <cwd>/.zero/plugins/<name>/plugin.json (project scope — resolved from the current working directory, not the repo root), and managed with zero plugins. A manifest can declare:

• tools — custom tools (command, args, inputSchema, and a permission of prompt or deny; allow is honored only when manifest tool auto-approval is enabled)
• hooks — commands run on beforeTool, afterTool, sessionStart, or sessionEnd
• prompts and skills — additional prompt/skill files

MCP servers (zero mcp) and standalone markdown skills (zero skills) use the same extension points and can also be wired up outside of a plugin manifest.

Appearance And Accessibility

Meaning does not rely on color alone; diffs, permissions, and statuses also use text or glyph markers.

Development

go test ./...
go run ./cmd/zero-release build
go run ./cmd/zero-release smoke
go run ./cmd/zero-perf-bench

Experimental: ZERO_OPENAI_TURN_SESSION=1 enables the optimized OpenAI turn session (background connection prewarm + request-prefix telemetry) for headless zero exec runs against official OpenAI profiles. Off by default; 0/false disable. A/B-benchmark it by running the same zero-perf-bench suite with the variable unset and set.

Code Quality and Security Checks

Before committing any changes, ensure all Go code quality and security checks pass. Pinned go run commands matching CI constraints can be used directly without prior installation:

1. Formatting: Run go fmt ./... (or make fmt).
2. Vetting: Run go vet ./... (or make vet).
3. Linting: Run go run github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/[email protected] run --enable-only unused,ineffassign,staticcheck ./....
4. Vulnerability Scan: Run go run golang.org/x/vuln/cmd/[email protected] ./....

If you prefer to install these tools globally on your path, you can run:

# Install golangci-lint
go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/[email protected]

# Install govulncheck
go install golang.org/x/vuln/cmd/[email protected]

The installed binaries land in $GOBIN when it is set, otherwise in $GOPATH/bin (default ~/go/bin). That directory must be on your PATH to run them directly. If it isn't, add it:

gobin="$(go env GOBIN)"; [ -z "$gobin" ] && gobin="$(go env GOPATH)/bin"
case ":$PATH:" in *":$gobin:"*) ;; *) export PATH="$PATH:$gobin" ;; esac

Cross-Compile Examples

go run ./cmd/zero-release build --goos linux --goarch amd64
go run ./cmd/zero-release build --goos windows --goarch amd64 --output dist/zero.exe

Documentation

• Install
• Update flow
• Themes
• Stream-JSON protocol
• Specialists
• GitHub Action
• Benchmarks
• Performance
• Agent evals

Community

Questions, setup help, ideas, and sharing all live in GitHub Discussions:

For a good Q&A answer fast, include zero --version, your OS and install method, the provider/model in use, and zero doctor output. See SUPPORT.md. Bugs belong in issues; security reports follow SECURITY.md, never a public thread.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Read CONTRIBUTING.md, run the relevant tests, and open a focused pull request.

Security reports should follow SECURITY.md.

License

Zero is released under the MIT License.