Research report · buyer-guide
Which Coding Agents Have a Terminal CLI?
Learn which coding agents run from a command line, which only expose terminal features through an editor or browser, and what that means for choosing one.
On this page
What this covers
A command-line surface means the agent itself can be used from a terminal, rather than merely offering a shell inside a browser or editor. Some command-line tools also support headless or scriptable use, which can matter for automation. A product may therefore have a terminal-related feature without providing an agent that can be launched independently from a shell. The distinctions below follow each product’s command-line listing.
Which agents do it
Goose, OpenCode, Augment Code, Devin and Gemini Code Assist are marked yes for command-line support. Their terminal workflows differ in how central the CLI is and what modes are documented.
Goose has a first-class CLI alongside its desktop app. Its commands cover sessions, runs, reviews, recipes, schedules, serving and terminal integration. The CLI and desktop app share provider and extension configuration. Goose is free and open source; users choose, configure and pay for the underlying LLM provider separately. That makes it a direct fit for a terminal workflow, with provider setup and cost remaining the user’s responsibility.
OpenCode puts the terminal at the center: its default interface is a terminal UI, with subcommands for one-shot runs and server mode. Its terminal is the primary surface, while a desktop app and IDE integration provide alternatives. The core is free. OpenCode Go is $5 for the first month, then $10/month; OpenCode Zen is pay-as-you-go per token. The documented one-shot and server modes may suit buyers who need more than an interactive terminal session.
Augment Code offers Auggie CLI, installable from npm, for interactive or headless use. That distinction makes its command line relevant both to a developer working in a terminal and to a team considering automated runs. Augment’s Business plan is $100/month, up to 50 seats.
Devin provides a local terminal agent that works on the user’s own files. Devin CLI can be installed by curl script, Homebrew cask or Windows installer. This is separate from Devin’s cloud agent, which works in its own environment, so buyers should distinguish local terminal work from cloud-based task delegation. Self-serve plans include a daily and weekly usage quota covering Devin sessions, CLI and Devin Desktop. Listed pricing is Free tier available; Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo, Teams from $80/mo (full seats $40 each).
Gemini Code Assist includes Gemini CLI with both Standard and Enterprise editions; it is also preinstalled in Cloud Shell. The CLI shares its daily request quota with IDE agent mode. Agent Mode’s multi-step, multi-file capability is an Enterprise preview, not a Standard feature. Standard is from $19/user/month (billed annually) or $22.80/user/month (billed monthly); Enterprise is from $45/user/month (billed annually) or $54/user/month (billed monthly). Both include a 30-day free trial for up to 50 users.
Which do not, or only partly
Bolt is marked no for command-line support. Its browser-based Code view has a terminal for running npm commands in the sandbox, but there is no installable command-line tool that drives the agent. A buyer who needs to invoke the agent from a local terminal or script should not treat this embedded shell as a CLI. Bolt’s Free tier has a 300K-daily / 1M-monthly token cap. Pro is $25/month, with yearly billing saving up to 28%; Teams is $30/month per member; Enterprise is custom-quoted.
Zed is partial. Its zed command opens files and can be driven from scripts, but it launches the editor rather than running an agent headlessly. Agent CLIs run as Terminal Threads inside Zed. This supports an editor-centered workflow, but does not make Zed’s own agent independently launchable from a terminal. Zed offers Personal free forever, Pro $10/month and Business $30/seat/month.
Devin Desktop is partial. It installs a devin-desktop shell command for opening files, and its local agent shares the harness with Devin CLI, but the terminal agent is a separate product. Buyers evaluating the desktop IDE should not assume its shell command provides the CLI agent experience described for Devin. The listing gives an entry price of $20 USD monthly and marks a free tier available.
Zencoder is partial. Its own Zen CLI and other terminal agents, including Claude Code and Codex, are supported as runtimes, but the documentation frames them as agents hosted inside the editor rather than as a standalone Zencoder terminal product. Buyers who require Zencoder to run independently from a shell should account for that distinction. The listing gives an entry price of $45 USD monthly and marks a free tier available.
What it means for a buyer
First decide what “terminal support” needs to accomplish. For interactive coding in a shell, Goose and OpenCode have especially direct terminal positioning: Goose describes a full CLI alongside desktop use, while OpenCode’s default interface is a terminal UI. Devin offers a local terminal agent, and Gemini Code Assist includes a CLI alongside IDE and Cloud Shell access.
For automation, check whether the command line supports the required mode. Augment’s CLI is described as interactive or headless; OpenCode has one-shot and server commands; Goose’s commands include runs and schedules. These are useful distinctions from simply having a shell available. They do not establish that every workflow a buyer may need is supported.
If the work is mainly browser-based or editor-centered, a partial answer may be sufficient. Bolt’s sandbox terminal runs npm commands, while Zed and Zencoder support terminal agents within an editor workflow. But a shell inside a product, or a command that opens an editor, does not by itself show that the agent can run headlessly from an ordinary terminal.
Also compare where work happens and how usage is accounted for. Goose requires a separately configured and paid-for model provider. Gemini CLI shares its daily request quota with IDE agent mode. Devin offers local CLI work as well as a separate cloud agent. Those differences affect setup, quota use and execution environment. Choose based on whether you need an independently usable terminal agent, terminal access within an editor, or simply a shell alongside a browser-based builder.
Sources
Get the next report
New agents and articles, by email, at most once a week. One-click unsubscribe.