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Plandex

Open-source terminal AI coding agent for planning and making large, multi-file code changes.

GitHub Download cli/v2.2.1
Stars
15.9k
Forks
1.2k
Licence
MIT
Language
Go
Last update
1.1 years ago
Type
CLI

No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.

What it is

Plandex is a terminal-based AI coding tool that plans and carries out coding tasks spanning many steps and many files. It keeps AI-generated changes in a diff review sandbox separate from your project until you approve them, and it can run commands and debug their output. Developers use it when AI tools struggle with larger projects.

  • Plan and implement a feature that touches dozens of files, then review the cumulative diff before applying it
  • Ask the project-aware chat mode questions about an unfamiliar codebase
  • Let it run build, lint, or test commands and debug the failures automatically
  • Generate git commit messages or make automatic commits

Great for

  • Developers working in large codebases who want an AI agent to handle multi-file changes
  • People comfortable working in a terminal
  • Developers who want to choose or compare different model providers
  • Teams that want to self-host the server with Docker

Not ideal for

  • Windows users without WSL, because the README says it only works correctly in the WSL shell, not CMD or PowerShell
  • People who want a point-and-click graphical interface, since it is terminal-based
  • Anyone expecting Plandex Cloud, since the README says it is winding down and no longer accepts new users
Step-by-step guide: how to use PlandexInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs
Plandex alternativesPlandex vs Repomixjcode vs PlandexPlandex vs ShellGPT

How to get it

  1. 1

    See the README

    You'll need: WSL if you are on Windows · Docker, only if you want to self-host the server in local mode

    Install the CLI (macOS/Linux, per README)

    curl -sL https://plandex.ai/install.sh | bash

    Set an OpenRouter API key (if using OpenRouter)

    export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=...
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Run the install command from the README
    • Set the API key for your model provider
    • cd into a project directory
    • Run plandex to start the REPL in that project and begin a task
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use the chat mode to plan ideas before moving to implementation
    • Adjust autonomy settings to choose between full auto and step-by-step review
    • Use branches in version control to compare different models on the same task
    • Use Git integration with commit message generation and optional automatic commits
    • Use the CLI for scripting or piping data into context

Downloads

Source code (.zip)main branch · straight from GitHubRelease cli/v2.2.16 files incl. plandex_2.2.1_darwin_amd64.tar.gzOfficial website & docsplandex.ai

Strengths

  • Keeps AI-generated changes in a diff review sandbox until you approve them
  • Offers both fully automatic and step-by-step review modes
  • Supports version control of plan updates, including branches for comparing models

Trade-offs

  • Requires API keys or a provider account, and the README notes Plandex Cloud is no longer accepting new users
  • Full autonomy can run commands on your machine, so careful review and configuration matter

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
plandex (this)15.9kCLIintermediate1.1 years agoDevelopers working in large codebases who want an AI agent to handle multi-file changes
opencodex18.2kDev toolintermediate4 days agoDevelopers who already use Codex or Claude Code and want to try other model providers
ai-website-cloner-template38.4kAppintermediate17 days agoDevelopers who want a working Next.js starting point for a site they already own
gpt-engineer55kCLIintermediate1.5 years agoDevelopers who want to experiment with AI-written code from a simple prompt
repomix29.1kCLIbeginner5 days agoDevelopers who want to ask an AI assistant questions about a whole project
shell_gpt12.3kCLIbeginner4 months agoDevelopers who often forget shell or command-line syntax

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.