Tools cheat sheet¶
Five tools, one pattern. Paths and features change monthly; check /help in the version you install.
| Claude Code | OpenCode | Codex CLI | Cursor | Kilo Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | terminal, VS Code, desktop, web | terminal TUI, VS Code | terminal, VS Code, web | IDE (VS Code fork) + CLI | VS Code / JetBrains extension + CLI |
| Models | Anthropic | any provider, incl. local | OpenAI | several, routed | hundreds, bring your own key / local |
| Instructions | CLAUDE.md (+ .claude/rules/) |
AGENTS.md (reads CLAUDE.md too) |
AGENTS.md (+ ~/.codex/) |
.cursor/rules/*.mdc |
rules + Memory Bank |
| Skills | .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md |
.opencode/skills, .claude/skills, .agents/skills |
.codex/skills, .agents/skills |
own format | custom modes |
| Memory | auto-memory MEMORY.md + /memory |
AGENTS.md + session |
AGENTS.md + session |
codebase index | Memory Bank (Markdown in repo) |
| Enforcement | hooks + permission rules | allow / ask / deny config | sandbox + approval modes | rules only | rules only |
| Licence | proprietary | open source | open source (CLI) | proprietary | open source (MIT) |
Same move, three keystrokes¶
| Move | Claude Code | Codex CLI | OpenCode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft the instructions file | /init → CLAUDE.md |
/init → AGENTS.md |
/init → AGENTS.md |
| Read-only planning | Shift+Tab → plan mode |
/plan |
Tab → Plan agent |
| Undo the agent's changes | Esc Esc → /rewind (code, chat or both) |
git; inspect with /diff |
/undo, /redo (git-backed) |
| Free up context | /compact <what to keep>, /clear |
/compact, /new |
/compact, /new |
| Shell output into context | !uv run pytest -x |
!uv run pytest -x |
!uv run pytest -x |
| Attach a file | @path |
@path or /mention path |
@path |
| Reusable procedure | .claude/skills/x/SKILL.md → /x |
.agents/skills/x/SKILL.md → $x |
.opencode/commands/x.md → /x |
| Pick up yesterday's session | claude -c, /resume |
codex resume, /resume, /fork |
opencode -c, /sessions |
| Parallel sessions, one per worktree | claude -w <name> -n <name> |
git worktree add, then codex in each |
git worktree add, then opencode in each; resume with opencode -s <ses_id> |
| Headless / CI | claude -p "…" |
codex exec "…" |
opencode run "…" |
| No prompts at all (sandbox only) | --dangerously-skip-permissions |
--yolo (or -a never -s workspace-write) |
--auto (deny rules still apply) |
No-prompt modes
Run without approval prompts only inside a sandbox, container or scratch clone — never on a shared allocation or production data.