explaingit

gitlawb/openclaude

📈 Trending★ 27,063TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5ActiveSetup · moderate

TLDR

Open-source CLI AI coding assistant that works with any AI model provider, OpenAI, Gemini, local Ollama, or others, giving you Claude-like code help without vendor lock-in.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Read and write files
      Run shell commands
      Search codebases
      Multi-step tasks
    How to use
      Install via npm
      Configure API key
      Terminal interface
      VS Code extension
    AI providers
      OpenAI
      Google Gemini
      Local Ollama
      GitHub Models
    Use cases
      Code writing help
      File editing
      Web research
      Cost optimization

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Write and edit code in the terminal with AI assistance without paying for a specific service.

USE CASE 2

Run local AI models via Ollama to keep your code private and avoid cloud uploads.

USE CASE 3

Use cheaper models for quick exploration and more capable ones for complex tasks to reduce costs.

USE CASE 4

Integrate AI coding help into your existing terminal workflow or VS Code editor.

Tech stack

TypeScriptNode.jsnpmVS Code

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires an API key from at least one AI model provider (OpenAI, Gemini, Ollama, etc.) to function.

License could not be detected automatically. Check the repository's LICENSE file before use.

In plain English

OpenClaude is an open-source command-line AI coding assistant that works like Anthropic's Claude Code tool but lets you plug in any AI model provider you prefer, OpenAI, Google Gemini, local models running on your own machine via Ollama, GitHub Models, and many others. The name plays on "Claude Code" but the core value is provider flexibility rather than being tied to Anthropic's service. This is aimed at developers who want an AI assistant that helps them write, edit, and navigate code directly in the terminal, without being locked into paying for one specific AI service. If you already have credits with OpenAI, or want to run a local model for free without sending your code to any cloud service, OpenClaude lets you do that with the same familiar interface. The tool handles the full coding-assistant workflow: reading and writing files, running shell commands, searching codebases, browsing the web for information, and carrying out multi-step tasks where it needs to use several tools in sequence. You can even configure different AI models for different types of tasks, using a cheaper, faster model for exploration and a more capable one for complex planning, to optimize for cost. Setting up requires installing it via npm (a package manager developers use to install JavaScript tools) and configuring your chosen AI provider's API key. There's also a VS Code extension for integration with the popular code editor. Beginner-friendly setup guides are included for Windows, Mac, and Linux. For developers comfortable in the terminal, it installs in seconds.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Set up OpenClaude with my OpenAI API key and show me how to start using it in the terminal.
Prompt 2
Configure OpenClaude to use a local Ollama model instead of a cloud provider.
Prompt 3
How do I use OpenClaude to search my codebase and get AI suggestions for refactoring?
Prompt 4
Install the OpenClaude VS Code extension and connect it to my preferred AI model.
Prompt 5
Set up different AI models in OpenClaude, a fast cheap one for exploration and a powerful one for complex tasks.
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.