Toad
A unified interface for AI in your terminal.
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What is Toad?
Toad is a unified terminal user interface (TUI) for AI coding agents, created by Will McGugan (maker of Rich and Textual frameworks). It provides a beautiful, single terminal application where users can find, install, and run dozens of AI coding agents including OpenHands, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex CLI, and many more ACP-enabled agents. The tool uses the Agent Communication Protocol (ACP) to standardize communication between agents, allowing them to run seamlessly within one terminal application rather than separate CLIs.
Key features include a refined UI with fuzzy search for file context (using @ character), a prompt editor with Markdown syntax highlighting as you type, beautiful Markdown streaming with support for tables and code fences, integrated shell support with full color and interactivity (using ! character for commands), tab completion inherited from shell conventions, Jupyter notebook-inspired conversation navigation, and the ability to copy content to clipboard or export to SVG. At launch it supports 12 agent CLIs with more expected to come online.
Toad is designed for developers, power users, and anyone seeking streamlined AI integration in their terminal workflow. It benefits users who want a consistent, polished experience across multiple AI coding agents without managing individual agent interfaces or environments. The current working directory is treated as the project directory, and it runs on Linux and macOS (Windows works via WSL).
The tool is released as open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license and is free to use. The creator intends to continue developing Toad full-time if sufficient user support through sponsorships is attracted. OpenHands is sponsoring the development of Toad.
Toad pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Toad is completely free and open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license. There is no paid tier or subscription. The creator Will McGugan intends to continue developing Toad full-time if he attracts sufficient user support through GitHub sponsorships. OpenHands is sponsoring the development of Toad. Installation is free via curl script (curl -fsSL batrachian.ai/install | sh) or via UV (uv tool install -U batrachian-toad --python 3.14).
Toad pros
- Unified beautiful terminal UI for 12+ AI coding agents
- Uses ACP protocol to standardize agent communication
- Fuzzy file search with @ character for context inclusion
- Markdown syntax highlighting as you type in prompt editor
- Beautiful Markdown streaming with tables and code fences
- Integrated shell with full color, interactivity, and mouse support
- ! character automatically triggers shell mode for commands
- Tab completion for commands and paths like traditional shell
- Jupyter-inspired conversation block navigation
- Copy content to clipboard or prompt with ease
- Export conversation content to SVG format
- Works with existing native LLM agent setups
- Open-source under AGPL 3.0 license - completely free
- Current directory automatically treated as project directory
- Optional web server mode with toad serve command
- Supports project directory awareness with path argument
- -a flag to skip agent screen and launch specific agent directly
Toad cons
- No native Windows support (only works via WSL)
- Currently supports only 12 agent CLIs (limited compared to potential)
- Requires Linux or macOS for optimal experience
- Recommended terminal Ghostty may not be familiar to all users
- Still under active development with missing features
- Creator on sabbatical - development paused until 2026
- Depends on users having native agent tools already set up
- ACP protocol support required for each agent (not all agents support it yet)
Frequently asked questions about Toad
What is Toad?
Toad is a unified terminal user interface (TUI) for AI coding agents. It provides a beautiful, single terminal application where you can find, install, and run dozens of AI coding agents like OpenHands, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and Codex CLI. The name comes from 'Textual Code'. It uses the Agent Communication Protocol (ACP) to standardize communication between agents.
Who created Toad?
Toad was created by Will McGugan, the maker of Rich and Textual frameworks for making Textual User Interfaces (TUI). He built Toad during his sabbatical after his startup for terminals wrapped up mid-2025 when funding ran dry.
How do I install Toad?
The easiest way to install Toad is by running: curl -fsSL batrachian.ai/install | sh. Alternatively, you can install via UV: first install UV with curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh, then run uv tool install -U batrachian-toad --python 3.14. Toad is also available on conda-forge and can be installed using pixi: pixi global install batrachian-toad.
What operating systems does Toad support?
Toad runs on Linux and macOS. Native Windows support is absent, but it works functional via WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). A recommended terminal for macOS is Ghostty for the full experience.
Which AI agents work with Toad?
At the time of writing, Toad supports 12 agent CLIs including OpenHands, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and Codex CLI. Any agent that supports the ACP (Agent Communication Protocol) can work with Toad. The creator expects many more agents to come online soon as ACP adoption grows.
How do I launch an agent in Toad?
Launch Toad by typing 'toad' in your terminal. The current working directory is assumed to be your project directory. To use a specific project directory, add the path: toad ~/projects/my-awesome-app. To skip the initial agent screen and launch a specific agent directly, use the -a flag: toad -a open-hands.
What is the ACP protocol?
ACP stands for Agent Communication Protocol. It is an open standard that decouples code editors from AI coding agents, created by Zed Industries and now community-driven. ACP communicates via JSON-RPC over stdio and allows any editor to use any AI coding agent. Toad uses ACP to standardize communication between different AI agents, allowing new tools to be added as they appear.
How do I use shell commands in Toad?
Toad uses the ! character to introduce shell commands. There is also a list of commands in settings that automatically trigger shell mode. In practice, you rarely need to explicitly introduce shell commands - just type what's on your mind. The integrated shell supports full color, interactivity, and mouse support, unlike other tools that break with interactive TUIs.
How do I add files to context in Toad?
Use the @ character to bring in files into the context. Toad provides a snappy fuzzy search that filters patterns from the project's .gitignore (if there is one). You can navigate and select with keyboard and mouse, select, cut, copy, paste, etc.
Is Toad free to use?
Yes, Toad is completely free and open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license. There is no paid tier. The creator Will McGugan hopes to make Toad his full-time gig if he can attract sufficient user support through GitHub sponsorships. OpenHands is sponsoring the development of Toad.