Overview
term2 is an open-source AI assistant that works with files and tools in your terminal or over SSH. It helps you investigate a project, make a change, and check the result in the same conversation.
Start with a concrete task
Section titled “Start with a concrete task”- Explore a repo: “Trace how a request reaches the database. Show me the relevant files.” Use read-only Plan mode before making changes.
- Fix a small bug: “Find the cause of this error, propose a fix, and run the focused test.” Review the diff and shell approval requests.
- Investigate over SSH: Connect to a remote working directory and ask the agent to inspect the service or project there.
- Continue later: Resume a saved conversation or fork it to explore another approach.
Follow installation, then the first-run guide for authentication, model selection, and a first read-only task.
How a session works
Section titled “How a session works”Start term2 in the directory you want to work on. Select a model, describe the outcome you want, and inspect the work. Under default interactive settings, shell commands need approval and use a sandbox. Valid local workspace edits can apply without a prompt, so review the resulting diff. You can change those settings; check the active policy before unattended work.
Sessions are saved for resumption and branching. Hosted models receive the context and tool results used for the request; a local terminal interface does not make hosted inference local. Provider billing and account limits apply.
Choose your setup
Section titled “Choose your setup”OpenAI, ChatGPT/Codex, Grok, and OpenRouter are built in. Direct Anthropic, Gemini, and local endpoints are configured through /providers. See provider setup for the distinction between authentication and adding a provider.
When you need more than a single-agent session, explore operating modes, subagents, and SSH. The private term2 serve gateway is an integration service used by external clients, including the separate web-client/ app; this documentation site is built from website/.
Project instructions and skills
Section titled “Project instructions and skills”term2 discovers AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md in the project and parent directories. It also looks for skills in .term2/skills, .agents/skills, and .claude/skills in project and user scope. A skill is a directory containing a SKILL.md file.
Release or main?
Section titled “Release or main?”This site tracks main. Check term2 --version for your installation and npm view @qduc/term2 version for the latest published release. See what’s new before relying on newer features.