Zero runtime dependencies
TypeScript run straight from source on Node 24 via native type stripping. No build step, no bundler, no node_modules at runtime.
running locally · macOS · Node 24+
A coding agent
A coding agent
that lives in your terminal.
flashlite streams chat and runs an agent loop with filesystem and terminal tools — against any OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible endpoint. Zero runtime dependencies. Your keys never leave your machine.
npm i -g flashlite
the flashlite startup glyph
❯ find the flaky test and fix it
✓ read_file 2x · test/loop.test.ts · test/tools.test.ts · 0.4s
✓ grep · "flaky" · test/ · 0.2s
● edit_file · test/loop.test.ts — preview
18 18 | function backoff(n) {
-19 19 | return TIMEOUT * n;
+19 19 | return clock.now() + TIMEOUT;
✓ edit_file · test/loop.test.ts +2 −3
✓ run_command · npm test · 2.4s → 47 passing
Fixed: the retry test assumed a fixed backoff, then asserted an
elapsed time. It now drives a fake clock, so the assertion is
deterministic instead of racing the scheduler.
Verified with npm test — 47 passing, 0 failing.
ϟ opencode/deepseek-v4-pro
⟡ boost
mode auto
effort high
ctx 18% 18k/100k
What's inside
An agent that actually does the work
Not a chat window bolted onto a shell. flashlite inspects your files, makes focused changes, runs the checks, and tells you what it verified.
Any compatible endpoint
OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible chat. Point flash at your router or provider and pick a model from the live catalog.
A real streaming REPL
Bottom-anchored composer, live agent cards, anchored scrolling, markdown and token-colored diffs, reverse-i-search — all in raw-mode TTY.
Filesystem tools
Read, write, edit, search, copy, move and remove — with byte pages, bounded previews, and unified-diff previews before anything changes.
Terminal commands
Builds, tests and scripts through /bin/zsh -f -c, with bounded output, timeouts, process-group cancellation and honest truncation.
Four permission modes
From prompt-for-everything to fully unguarded. Cycle modes with Shift+Tab; catastrophic deletions are refused outright.
Boost
For substantial requests, Boost starts independent read-only investigation helpers while the main agent works — then folds their findings back in.
Context you can see
A live context meter with token counts, colour-coded as it fills, plus /compact checkpointing so long sessions stay coherent.
Images & memory
Ctrl+V queues a clipboard screenshot for a vision model. Memory files, custom slash commands, hooks, todos and /undo round it out.
Permissions
Start cautious. Loosen on purpose.
Modes are session-only and switched live with /mode or Shift+Tab. Each one is an explicit choice — never a hidden default.
Every action asks
Each file mutation and every terminal command needs a separate yes. The default for a first run in unfamiliar code.
File changes flow
Writes, edits, copies, moves and removals run without prompting. Terminal commands still ask, one by one.
Guarded auto
Arbitrary commands run unprompted — except five categories that still ask: network, installs, sudo, paths outside the project, destructive Git.
Whole drive, every command
No approval prompts and no ask list. Only recognizable catastrophic deletion or disk-erasure is still gated. Use only when you trust the task.
Deletion is permanent.
remove_path uses fs.rm with no recovery store — git, or a copy made first, is the only undo. Commands are never sandboxed; a classifier is not proof of safety.
The toolbelt
Thirteen tools, one policy engine
Reads are free. Mutations and commands follow the active permission mode. Every call is scoped, bounded and reported with what it acted on.
| Tool | What it does | Approval |
|---|---|---|
read_file | Read text with UTF-8-safe byte pages up to 256 KiB and continuation metadata | no |
read_files | Read 1–20 files with per-file errors and a shared content budget | no |
file_info | Inspect type, size, permissions and modification time — no content | no |
list_dir | Sorted directory pages via offset and limit | no |
find_files | Find paths by literal substring, files and/or directories | no |
grep | Bounded literal text search with snippets and honest partial-result metadata | no |
write_file | Create or overwrite text, including missing parents, up to 1 MiB | yes |
edit_file | Replace a nonempty, unique exact match; result up to 1 MiB | yes |
make_dir | Create folders and missing parents | yes |
copy_path | Copy a file or directory tree — never overwrites a destination | yes |
move_path | Move or rename — never overwrites a destination | yes |
remove_path | Permanently delete a file or directory. No recovery store | yes |
run_command | Noninteractive terminal command, bounded output and time | per mode |
Get started
Running in about two minutes
macOS and Node 24 or newer. One global npm install, zero runtime dependencies.
Install the CLI
# zero runtime dependencies npm install -g flashlite flash --version
Connect your endpoint
flash # first launch asks for your endpoint URL, # then an API key with masked input
Verify and start working
flash --check # connectivity + model catalog flash # the REPL flash -p "explain this code: …"
Your key is yours. On first launch,
flash asks for the endpoint URL and then the API key with masked input,
saving both to ~/.config/flashlite/config.json (chmod 600). Keys are never printed, logged, or committed — not even masked.
Nothing is bundled with the package or baked into the binary.
Command line
One-shot, headless, or interactive
flash # interactive REPL flash -p "explain this code: …" # text-only one-shot flash --agent -p "inspect this repo" # headless, read-only flash --agent --auto -p "fix the tests" # guarded commands flash --absolute # unguarded auto
flash --model <id> --debug # pin a model flash --effort high # auto … max flash --image ./shot.png -p "explain this" flash --resume latest # continue a saved session flash --check # endpoint diagnostic flash --no-color # plain output
Questions
The short answers
Does it only work with one provider?
No. flashlite speaks both the OpenAI Chat Completions and Anthropic Messages dialects, so any compatible endpoint works — a hosted provider, your own router, or a local gateway. You choose the model with /model or --model.
Is my API key safe?
Your key lives only in ~/.config/flashlite/config.json with chmod 600. It is never printed, logged or committed — not even in masked form — and the endpoint is stored beside it. Commands run with a minimal environment allowlist, and known router credentials are redacted from output before it reaches history.
Is it sandboxed?
No, and it says so plainly. File tools confine paths in ask, files and guarded auto, but terminal commands are not sandboxed and can touch the wider machine and network. Guarded auto still asks before network access, installs, sudo, paths outside the project and destructive Git; unguarded auto only gates recognizable catastrophic deletion or disk erasure.
What happens if I delete something by mistake?
remove_path is permanent — there is no recovery store. Git, or a copy made first, is the only recovery. /undo is separate and only reverses prior file-tool writes from in-memory original bytes; it never restores deletions or shell side effects.
Which platforms are supported?
macOS only for v1 — the raw-mode TTY handling and ANSI output assume a macOS terminal. It runs on Node 24 or newer and has zero runtime dependencies.
Can I automate it in CI?
Yes. flash --agent -p "…" enables tools headlessly and defaults to read-only, ignoring saved permissions. Add --auto-approve for file changes or --auto for guarded commands. Denied tools or unfinished turns produce a non-zero exit code.