Crush

Charmbracelet · Terminal & CLI Agents

A terminal-native agentic AI coding assistant designed to help developers write, refactor, and navigate codebases directly from the command line. Built with the Charm stack, it provides a 'glamourous' TUI that integrates seamlessly with existing CLI workflows and terminal environments.

Key Features

Multi-model provider support including OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq, and local models via Ollama
Deep context awareness through LSP (Language Server Protocol) and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations
Session-based conversation management with mid-session model switching and context preservation

Who It's For

✓ Best For

Terminal-focused developers and CLI enthusiasts who want a powerful, agentic AI assistant without being locked into a specific IDE or subscription service.

✗ Not Ideal For

Developers who prefer graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or built-in IDE extensions, or those who find manual API key management and credit monitoring cumbersome.

Pricing

Open-source

Free and open-source; requires users to provide their own LLM API keys (Bring Your Own Key model).

Recent Updates

Recent May 2026 updates introduced enhanced AWS Bedrock support, fixes for model 'Thinking' and reasoning toggles for Copilot and Anthropic models, and integration with the MCP Registry for easier tool extension.

Verdict

Crush is a premier open-source terminal coding agent that combines aesthetic design with professional-grade AI capabilities, making it a top choice for command-line power users seeking an alternative to commercial assistants.