A Claude Code alternative that runs on the model you pick

Claude Code vs octomind

How to switch from Claude Code

1. 1

   Install octomind and pick a model

   One script installs the binary to ~/.local/bin on macOS or Linux; Homebrew and cargo work too. Export a key for any provider you use. For a model on your own machine, use local: and no key.

   curl -fsSL https://octomind.run/install.sh | bash
   
   export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=sk-...        # or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, OPENROUTER_API_KEY
   # local model: Ollama on localhost:11434, nothing to export
   # octomind run developer:general -m local:qwen3-coder

2. 2

   Bring your AGENTS.md and MCP servers over

   Run git mv CLAUDE.md AGENTS.md. Claude Code v2.1.277+ reads AGENTS.md when no CLAUDE.md exists, so both tools share one file. Copy each server from .mcp.json into a TOML file in the octomind config directory, and auto_bind it to the agent you run. Hooks, commands and subagents under .claude/ do not carry over.

   # ~/.local/share/octomind/config/mcp-playwright.toml
   # was in .mcp.json: "playwright": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"] }
   [[mcp.servers]]
   name = "playwright"
   type = "stdio"
   command = "npx"
   args = ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]
   timeout_seconds = 30
   tools = []
   auto_bind = ["developer:general"]

3. 3

   Run your first job, with a spend stop

   Run octomind run developer:general in the repo for an interactive session. For scripts and CI, pipe the task in. The -c flag caps each request in US dollars, and a run that hits the cap exits with 75 so your script can tell a budget stop from a failure.

   cd ~/your/project
   octomind run developer:general -m deepseek:deepseek-flash      # interactive
   
   echo "The test suite fails. Find the bug, fix it, run the tests." \
     | octomind -c max_request_spending_threshold=0.50 \
         run developer:general -m deepseek:deepseek-flash --format plain
   echo "exit $?"                                                # 75 = spend stop

Other options worth a look

• opencode↗

  An MIT-licensed terminal coding agent that connects 75+ providers through Models.dev, local models included. It suits you if you want open source and a wide provider list.

• Codex CLI↗

  OpenAI's Apache-2.0 terminal agent. You sign in with a ChatGPT plan or use an API key. It suits you if you already pay for ChatGPT and want GPT models.

• Aider↗

  A pair programmer in the terminal that works with almost any LLM, local ones included, and commits each change to git with a message. It suits you if you want every edit as a commit.

Where Claude Code is better

• No diff review and no rewind

  Octomind writes edits straight to disk from a plain line prompt. Claude Code shows diffs in the IDE and restores earlier states with /rewind. Commit before a big task and review with git diff. Read more →

• No approval prompts before tools run

  Tools run without asking. Policy lives in .agents/guardrails.toml as guards that block matching calls, and --sandbox limits writes on Linux and macOS. The sandbox is off by default and does nothing on Windows. Read more →

• Editor support is ACP only

  There is no VS Code extension or JetBrains plugin. Octomind speaks the Agent Client Protocol, and the docs show a Zed setup. In ACP mode it sends no permission requests and writes files itself, not through the editor. Read more →

• -m changes only the main model, and some defaults are hosted

  Supervisor and compression calls stay on octohub:auto until you set [supervisor.model] and [compression.model]. Telemetry is on by default. The first run of developer:general clones the agent registry and installs its tool binaries, so it needs the network. Read more →

• Your .claude/ setup does not come with you

  Octomind reads AGENTS.md only from the directory you start in, not CLAUDE.md or parent folders. Claude Code hooks, slash commands, subagents and skills need rebuilding as guardrails, tap agents or .agents/skills/. Read more →

Questions

More comparisons

• OpenClaw alternative A personal agent you self-host as one binary, or hand to octos on Cloud
• opencode alternative Same open model as opencode: 24 of 25 tasks solved to its 19, at about half the cost.
• Hermes Agent alternative Lessons only from your corrections, as plain files you can edit, on your box or on Cloud
• Claude Cowork alternative Hand off the job once or daily, on any model; the result lands in Telegram, Slack or email
• Manus alternative Sourced reports and live pages from a cloud machine, on one balance that stops
• Codex alternative Keep your ChatGPT plan, add any other model, and stop a request at a dollar limit.
• Cursor alternative The agent without the editor: any model, your own keys, open source, next to any IDE.
• GitHub Copilot alternative The open-source agent for terminal and CI, on any model, billed by your own provider.
• Antigravity alternative An open-source terminal agent for Gemini, Claude or local models, no Google sign-in.
• DeepSeek Harness alternative DeepSeek models in a terminal and CI agent with tagged releases and a spend stop.

Reading

• Octomind vs Claude Code, side by side
• Coding agent benchmark on real pull requests
• Claude Code rate limits in 2026