Codewhale
by Hmbown
Open-source coding agent for your terminal, built in Rust and on a journey of continuous community improvement. Issues and PRs welcome.
40,888stars
3,539forks
Rust
Added 9/2/2026
⚠️ Third-Party Software Notice
This skill is third-party open-source software developed and hosted independently on GitHub. SkillsLLM is an informational directory and does not control or maintain the underlying repository.
Any security checks, ratings, or warnings displayed by SkillsLLM are automated and limited in scope. They do not constitute a security certification or guarantee that the software is safe, error-free, or free from malicious code, vulnerabilities, compromised dependencies, or prompt-injection risks.
Review the source code, permissions, dependencies, and configuration before installing or running any third-party skill. Use is at your own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, SkillsLLM is not liable for losses arising from third-party software.
AI Agentsagent-orchestrationai-agentclicoding-agentlocal-firstmcpmulti-agentmulti-modelopen-sourcerusttui
Installation
# Add to your Claude Code skills
git clone https://github.com/Hmbown/CodewhaleGetting Started
Guides for using ai agents skills like Codewhale.
- Caveman: Cut Claude Token Use by 65%How agent-side prompt compression works, when to use it, and when not to.
- What is an AI Skills Marketplace?Definitions, how marketplaces work, and how to choose between them in 2026.
- Getting Started with AI SkillsFirst-time install walkthrough for Claude Code, Codex CLI, and ChatGPT.
Security ReportVerified
Last scanned: 9/2/2026
{
"issues": [],
"status": "PASSED",
"scannedAt": "2026-09-02T08:24:55.375Z",
"npmAuditRan": true,
"pipAuditRan": true,
"promptInjectionRan": true
}Codewhale
Codewhale is an open source coding agent for your terminal, built in Rust and improved in public with the people who use it.
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Install
npm install -g codewhale
codewhale
The first run helps you connect a provider or stay offline. Codewhale also supports Cargo, Docker, Nix, Scoop, prebuilt archives, Android/Termux, and a CNB mirror. See the installation guide.
Tab completion is one command per shell — codewhale completion bash|zsh|fish|powershell|elvish.
See shell completions.
Use
Talk to Codewhale the same way you would talk to a teammate:
Fix the failing tests and explain what changed.
Or run a task without opening the TUI:
codewhale exec "fix the failing tests and explain what changed"
Codewhale can read your repository, edit files, run commands, inspect results, and keep working toward a goal. You decide how much access it has.
Why Codewhale
- Use the model you want. Connect hosted providers or local models through
Ollama, vLLM, or SGLang. Switch provider and model with
/model. - Stay in control. Plan is read-only. Ask, Auto-Review, and Full Access make
approval behavior visible.
/undoreverts the last turn and/restorereturns the workspace to an earlier snapshot. - Keep long work organized. Save sessions, set a durable
/goal, review workflows before they run, and coordinate agents without turning their internal instructions into your transcript. - Extend the agent you already have. Connect MCP servers and skills, configure hooks, and keep agent roles as readable files in your project or personal settings.
Run /help in the TUI for commands and keyboard shortcuts.
Safety
Codewhale runs on your machine with the access you grant it. Approval modes and repository rules limit what the agent may do; optional OS sandboxing adds a stronger execution boundary where supported. Unknown model prices stay unknown instead of being reported as free.
Read authorization order for the exact policy stack and configuration for local settings.
Documentation
- Providers and local models
- Agent teams
- MCP, hooks, and configuration
- Local web client
- All documentation
Join the community
Codewhale gets better when people use it, report what feels wrong, and help fix it. If a provider is missing, a workflow is awkward, or the terminal UI gets in your way, open an issue. If you know how to improve it, open a pull request. First contributions are welcome, and contributors keep credit for the work that lands.
Join the Discord, or add Hunter on WeChat
(hunterbown) and ask to join the Whale Brothers group.
Project history
Codewhale began as deepseek-tui and still preserves that configuration and
session compatibility. It is now provider-neutral and independently maintained;
it is not affiliated with any model provider.
Thanks to every contributor and to the open source communities that helped the project grow. See the contributor record.
License
MIT. Portions adapted from other open-source projects are recorded in third-party notices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Codewhale?
Codewhale is an open-source ai agents skill for AI coding assistants such as Claude Code, Codex CLI, and ChatGPT, built by Hmbown. Open-source coding agent for your terminal, built in Rust and on a journey of continuous community improvement. Issues and PRs welcome. It has 40,888 GitHub stars.
Is Codewhale safe to use?
Yes. Codewhale passed SkillsLLM's automated security scan — a dependency vulnerability audit plus prompt-injection heuristics — with no high-severity issues. You can read the full report in the Security Report section on this page.
How do I install Codewhale?
Clone the repository with "git clone https://github.com/Hmbown/Codewhale" and add it to your Claude Code skills directory (see the Installation section above).
What programming language is Codewhale written in?
Codewhale is primarily written in Rust. It is open-source under Hmbown on GitHub, so you can review or fork the full source.
Are there alternatives to Codewhale?
Yes. SkillsLLM lists many other AI Agents skills you can browse and compare side by side. Open the AI Agents category from the badge at the top of this page, or use the Related Skills and comparison links further down to weigh Codewhale against similar tools.
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