Andrew Dorokhov
Code agents are AI tools that can read a repository, edit files, run commands, and carry out multi-step development tasks — not just autocomplete a line or answer a question in chat.
Below is a list of the main agents worth knowing about.
IDE and editor agents
Tools that live inside your editor or as a dedicated coding environment:
- open_in_new Cursor — AI-native IDE with Agent mode, background agents, and deep codebase context.
- open_in_new GitHub Copilot — GitHub’s coding assistant; includes Copilot Chat and agent-style workflows in VS Code and other editors.
CLI and terminal agents
Agents you run from the shell alongside your existing editor and git workflow:
- open_in_new Claude Code — Anthropic’s terminal agent for navigating repos, editing code, and running commands.
- open_in_new OpenAI Codex CLI — OpenAI’s local CLI agent for coding tasks in the terminal.
- open_in_new OpenCode — open-source terminal coding agent with support for multiple models and providers.
- open_in_new Gemini CLI — Google’s command-line agent for coding tasks, repository navigation, and multi-step automations.