Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@bentman
Last active August 9, 2025 07:31
Show Gist options
  • Save bentman/e8ace906ca80fcc1f774f59fa3c5bc18 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Save bentman/e8ace906ca80fcc1f774f59fa3c5bc18 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.

Command Line Agentic Code Assistants on Windows

All Require NodeJS:

  • Node.js 18+ (install via winget install OpenJS.NodeJS)
  • Internet connection

Claude Code (Anthropic)

Installation:

  • npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
  • Navigate to project directory
  • Run claude
  • Complete OAuth authentication (requires subscription or api billing)

Authentication:

  • Sign in CLaude Code with Claude Pro/Max Subscription
  • Or purchase API at Anthropic Console console.anthropic.com

Structure:

  • Config: ~\.claude
  • Binaries: ~\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\@anthropic-ai\claude-code
  • Operations: ~\AppData\Roaming\Claude
  • Prompt instructions: ~\.claude\claude.md (global) or .\claude.md (project-specific)

Gemini CLI (Google)

Installation:

  • npm install -g @google-ai/gemini-cli
  • Navigate to project directory
  • Run gemini
  • Use a generated API key (requires API billing)

Authentication:

  • Generate an API key at ai.google.dev/aistudio
  • Add the key to a .env file in your project directory: GEMINI_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"

Structure:

  • Config: ~\.gemini
  • Binaries: ~\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\@google-ai/gemini-cli
  • Operations: ~\AppData\Roaming\Gemini
  • Prompt instructions: ~\.gemini\gemini.md (global) or .\gemini.md (project-specific)

GROK CLI (xAI)

Installation:

  • npm install -g @vibe-kit/grok-cli
  • Navigate to project directory
  • Run grok
  • Use generated API key (requires subscription or api billing)

Authentication:

  • Generate API key at console.x.ai/api
  • Sign in with Grok/SuperGrok subscription
  • Or purcahse API key without login
  • Set GROK_API_KEY environment variable, use --api-key flag, or save to ~/.grok/user-settings.json

Structure:

  • Config: ~\.grok
  • Binaries: ~\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\@vibe-kit\grok-cli
  • Operations: ~\AppData\Roaming\GROK
  • Prompt instructions: ~\.grok\GROK.md (global) or .\GROK.md (project-specific)

Copilot Codex CLI (via GitHub CLI)

Installation:

  • GitHub CLI (winget install GitHub.cli)
  • gh extension install github/gh-copilot
  • Navigate to project directory
  • Authenticate via gh auth login (GitHub token with Copilot access)
  • Navigate to project directory
  • Run gh copilot to begin interaction

Authentication:

Structure:

  • Config: ~\.config\gh\copilot-cli.json
  • Binaries: ~\AppData\Local\GitHubCopilotCLI or ~\AppData\Local\GitHub\CLI\extensions
  • Operations: Local interaction via gh copilot [prompt] or interactive shell
  • Prompt instructions: Uses inline CLI or external *.md prompt templates (optional)

Codex CLI (OpenAI)

Installation:

  • Requires Window Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) with Node.js (v14+) installed
  • From your WSL2 terminal, run npm install -g @openai/codex
  • Navigate to your project directory: pushd ~/projects/my-codex-app
  • Set API key export OPENAI_API_KEY="<YourKeyHere> (see below for details on obtaining an API key)
  • Run codex

Authentication:

Structure:

  • Config: ~/.codex/config.toml — includes model settings, timeout, and CLI behavior
  • Binaries: ~/.npm-global/bin/codex or /usr/local/bin/codex
  • Prompt instructions: ~/.codex/instructions.md (global) or ./CODEX.md (project-specific)
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment