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, Atomic Chat, 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 1.26.6+.

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 FIREWORKS_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

To configure Fireworks AI directly, run:

zero providers setup fireworks --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, LM Studio, or the Atomic Chat desktop app, then use zero setup or zero providers detect. For Atomic Chat, load a model and enable its local OpenAI-compatible API (default http://127.0.0.1:1337/v1). Choose atomic-chat-local; detection includes the loaded model ID in the add command. If no usable ID is discovered, load a model and retry. Model IDs requiring shell-specific quoting use interactive setup.

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.

web_fetch refuses loopback, private and other special-use addresses: it checks the URL before asking permission, resolves the host, and dials the address it validated so a name cannot resolve to something else in between.

If HTTP_PROXY/HTTPS_PROXY is set, web_fetch and the provider connectivity probe use it, and that last step changes: the proxy is dialed and the target hostname is sent to it, so the proxy decides which address the request actually reaches. The URL is still checked and resolved locally first, but a proxy that answers differently can reach a private service. A forward proxy already sees and can rewrite every request through it, so this is the trust you accept by configuring one. Leave the variables unset for the checks to be enforced end to end.

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