# V3Code Terminal

**V3Code Terminal is the command-line member of the V3Code family.** It gives you the full coding-agent workflow — ask, plan, edit, run, verify — without opening the editor, while keeping the same workspace identity, durable memory, and structural code index.

> Note:
>
> **Preview status.** The source build is usable today. Public standalone installers and the editor-bundled `v3code` command are not released yet, and voice dictation has its interaction contract finished but no connected recorder driver. Everything else on this page is live in the current build.

## What it actually does

You can ask questions about a repository, plan a change, edit files, run commands, and check the result — the same loop you'd run in the editor's chat, in a terminal.

The parts that make it V3Code rather than a generic terminal agent:

- **Durable memory.** Sessions write facts and handoffs into the shared V3Code memory contract, so what the agent learned yesterday is still there today.
- **A structural context bridge.** The agent looks up real symbols, references, and impact — not text guesses.
- **A private local index.** You choose exactly which folders get indexed. Nothing is scanned behind your back.
- **An optional editor link.** When V3Code Editor is running, the terminal finds it automatically and shares its stronger bridge services.

## Two ways to run it

### Standalone

The agent, sessions, local memory, built-in index, providers, tools, MCP clients, and the full interface all run on their own. Standalone is a supported state, not a degraded one.

### Editor-linked

The terminal discovers the editor's local endpoint by itself — there's no pairing code — and shares its bridge services and memory transport.

## Install and first run

The preview builds from source and needs Git and **Bun 1.3.14**.

```bash
git clone <v3code-terminal-repository-url>
cd v3code-terminal
bun install
bun run dev
```

`bun run dev` opens the terminal in the current directory. To work on a different project, start it from that folder or pass the path:

```bash
v3code /path/to/project
```

## Choose a provider and model

On first launch without a usable model, the terminal opens **Choose a provider**. Anthropic, OpenAI, GitHub Copilot, and Google appear first; optional third-party services keep their own names and terms. Your provider's normal OAuth or API-key flow runs, then the model selector opens.

Press `esc` to skip setup and reach the commands — incomplete setup simply returns on the next launch.

To change things later, run `/connect` for providers and `/models` for models. Outside the interface:

```bash
v3code providers list
v3code providers login
v3code providers logout <provider>
```

> Note:
>
> Your local index and memory database stay on your machine. But any code or context included in a model request goes to the provider you selected — their privacy and retention policy applies to it. See [Privacy](/account/privacy).

## Connect it to the editor

No setup required. A running V3Code Editor publishes a local endpoint and the terminal finds it. Run `/bridge` and look for:

```text
editor    bridged — a running V3Code editor was found
```

If the editor is closed, that row reads `standalone` and everything local keeps working.

## Where to go next

- [Commands and shortcuts](/terminal/commands) — every verified slash command and key.
- [Agents and subagents](/terminal/agents) — the built-in agents, and how to write your own.
- [Sessions and context](/terminal/sessions) — resuming, forking, reverting, and compaction.
- [Skills and instructions](/terminal/skills) — teach it your project's conventions.
- [Tools and MCP servers](/terminal/mcp-and-tools) — what the agent can do, and how to add more.
- [Memory and the context bridge](/terminal/memory-and-bridge) — how the agent remembers and navigates code.
- [Configuration](/terminal/configuration) — where settings live and every option worth knowing.
- [Permissions and privacy](/terminal/permissions-and-privacy) — what needs approval and what touches the network.

Shared concepts live on the editor pages: [Context Bridge](/editor/context-bridge), [Memory](/editor/memory), [Models & BYOK](/models/byok), and [MCP](/connect/mcp).

## Honest limitations

- **Distribution:** installers and a signed release pipeline are prepared, but there's no approved public standalone release yet.
- **Voice:** the hold-to-talk gesture is implemented, but no recorder driver is connected. `/voice` honestly reports `driver not connected`; no microphone opens.
- **Worktree ownership:** workspace and worktree surfaces sit behind an experimental flag.
- **Team transport:** local queueing works; cloud sync attaches through the signed-in editor. Queued is not the same as synced.
- **Beast index:** the deeper Rust sidecar is optional. Without it, symbol search still works through the built-in index; deep trace explains what's missing instead of pretending it ran.
- **Terminal variation:** color, mouse, and key-release support differ by terminal. Aim for at least 80×24.