Codealta
Your efficient agentic AI coding CLI assistant
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What is Codealta?
CodeAlta is a keyboard-first, terminal AI coding workspace designed for managing projects, model providers, durable sessions, plugins, and delegated agents. It provides a terminal-based user interface (TUI) that brings together tabs, a prompt editor, project sidebar, command discovery, model selectors, context status, and an inspectable timeline cards—all in one efficient terminal space.
Key features include provider-neutral model setup supporting Codex, Copilot, xAI Grok, OpenAI/Azure OpenAI/Alibaba APIs, Anthropic, Gemini/Vertex, and custom endpoints. It offers context-aware prompts where you can attach files and folders with @, search GitHub issues with #, paste images when the model supports them, and inspect what context was sent. The tool provides durable agent sessions with project-scoped history in CodeAlta-owned journals that can be reopened independently of provider startup, plus queued prompts on busy sessions and the ability to steer running work.
CodeAlta is designed for developers who work extensively with AI coding assistants and need to manage multiple projects and AI model providers from the terminal. It is particularly suited for C# and .NET developers since it is built natively in .NET and requires .NET 10. The tool is ideal for users who prefer keyboard-first workflows and want transparent, inspectable AI code execution with actionable error handling.
The workspace includes trusted local extension points for source plugins, Agent Skills-compatible skill folders, and an in-session alta live tool for automating local workflows while keeping provenance visible. It also features model/provider tests, startup config recovery, usage details, logs, modified-file summaries, and tool input/output dialogs built directly into the workspace.
Codealta pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
CodeAlta is free and open-source software released under the BSD-2-Clause license. There is no paid tier or subscription required. The tool is installed as a free .NET global tool via dotnet tool install -g CodeAlta. Users only pay for the AI model API calls separately (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, Gemini APIs) when using hosted providers. Subscription-backed providers like Codex, Copilot, and xAI Grok require their own subscriptions but use the same provider workflow in CodeAlta.
Codealta pros
- Keyboard-first terminal workflow for efficient coding
- Single TUI with tabs, prompt editor, project sidebar, and timeline
- Provider-agnostic supporting 10+ model providers and endpoints
- Durable agent sessions with project-scoped history persistence
- Context-aware prompts with @ file attachment and # GitHub search
- Image paste support for models that accept visual input
- Inspectable timeline cards showing what context was sent
- Built-in model/provider testing functionality
- Startup config recovery if configuration breaks
- Trusted local plugins with visible provenance
- Native .NET foundation for C# developers
- Usage details and logs built into workspace
- Modified-file summaries for tracking AI changes
- Queued prompts when sessions are busy
- Agent Skills-compatible skill folder support
Codealta cons
- Requires .NET 10 (latest version constraint)
- Pre-release software (0.9.9) with potential breaking changes before 1.0
- Configuration may change before stable 1.0 release
- Requires Nerd Fonts patched font for proper icons/trees
- Terminal-only interface (no GUI/IDE integration yet)
- Logo and screenshots may change in future versions
- Extension APIs may change before 1.0 release
- Limited to models that support terminal-based interaction
Frequently asked questions about Codealta
What is CodeAlta?
CodeAlta is a keyboard-first, terminal AI coding workspace for managing projects, model providers, durable sessions, plugins, and delegated agents. It brings model-provider setup, project navigation, prompt attachments, durable sessions, delegated work, and trusted local plugins behind the alta command in a compact terminal UI.
How do I install CodeAlta?
Install .NET 10 first, then run dotnet tool install -g CodeAlta to install the global tool. The installed command is alta. Alternatively, use dnx --yes CodeAlta to install, update, and run in a single command. Update existing installations with dotnet tool update -g CodeAlta.
What model providers does CodeAlta support?
CodeAlta supports Codex, Copilot, xAI Grok, OpenAI/Azure OpenAI/Alibaba APIs, Anthropic, Gemini/Vertex, and custom endpoints. It provides a provider-neutral workflow where hosted APIs, subscription-backed providers, cloud providers, and compatible endpoints are configured the same way.
What is the difference between CodeAlta and aider?
CodeAlta is a .NET-native terminal workspace focused on durable sessions, multiple provider management, and keyboard-first TUI with tabs and timeline. Aider is a Python-based AI pair programmer with git integration, codebase mapping, and voice-to-code. CodeAlta emphasizes session persistence and provider switching; aider emphasizes automatic git commits and linting/testing.
How do durable sessions work in CodeAlta?
Durable agent sessions keep project-scoped history in CodeAlta-owned journals that can be reopened independently of provider startup. Prompts can be queued on busy sessions, and you can steer running work where supported. Long agent-runtime conversations can be compacted to manage token usage.
What keyboard shortcuts are most important?
Key shortcuts include: F1 or /help for help, Ctrl+O or /open to open project, @ to attach files in prompt, Ctrl+G Ctrl+R to open model providers, Ctrl+G Ctrl+O or /models to browse models, Ctrl+G Ctrl+L or /logs to open logs, Ctrl+G Ctrl+G to toggle navigator, Ctrl+Alt+Left/Right to switch tabs, and Ctrl+G Ctrl+S/Ctrl+G Ctrl+P to focus sidebar/prompt.
Why do icons look wrong in my terminal?
CodeAlta expects a current Nerd Fonts patched font in your terminal profile. If icons or tree glyphs look wrong, update to the latest Nerd Fonts release, remove stale older font copies, and select the refreshed Nerd Font family such as CaskaydiaCove Nerd Font.
Can I attach files and images to prompts?
Yes. Type @ in the prompt to attach project files and folders. You can also paste images when the selected model supports them. GitHub issues can be searched with # in GitHub repositories. You can inspect exactly what context was sent to the model.
Is CodeAlta safe to use for production work?
CodeAlta is pre-release software (version 0.9.9) under BSD-2-Clause license. Configuration, screenshots, and extension APIs may change before 1.0. It includes actionable errors that turn failures into repair paths, trustworthy local plugins with visible provenance, and config recovery if startup breaks, but treat it as experimental until 1.0 releases.
Who built CodeAlta?
CodeAlta was authored by Alexandre Mutel, also known as xoofx. It is developed as an open-source project on GitHub and is verified on the AI Agents marketplace with 161 stars.