aico v0.6.0

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Install

One command, nothing installed globally, no account. The web client ships inside the package, so serve works from a bare npx.

Node 22.5 or newer. aico uses Node's built-in SQLite, which arrived in 22.5. Check with node --version.

Run it

$ npx github:suhail-akhtar/aico#v0.6.0 serve

That prints a tokenised 127.0.0.1 URL and opens it. Drop serve to get the terminal interface instead.

Which version you get

SuffixWhat it follows
#v0.6.0A tag. Pinned — it will not move under you.
#release/v0.6The 0.6 line, as it gets fixes.
#mainThe development trunk. Newest, least settled.

There is a package called aico on npm and it is not this. npx aico and npm install -g aico install unrelated software. Install from GitHub with the command above.

From source

git clone https://github.com/suhail-akhtar/aico.git
cd aico
npm install
npm run build
npm run build:web
npm link          # makes `aico` available globally

First run

  1. Give it a provider

    An interactive wizard that writes to ~/.aico/settings.json:

    aico provider add

    You need a key from at least one of OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Google Gemini or Z.AI — or a local Ollama, which needs no key at all. See Providers.

  2. Point it at a project

    aico works in the directory you start it in.

    cd ~/code/my-project
aico serve

  3. Ask for something small first

    Something you can check in a minute — "what does this repo do?", or a failing test you already know about. The first task is for learning how it reports, not for saving time.

  4. Turn on Plan mode for anything bigger

    The write tools are removed for the turn, so it investigates and comes back with a plan you approve or amend. Cheaper than reviewing a change you did not expect.

In VS Code

A thin extension: it starts the server against your open folder, embeds the same workspace in a panel, and adds asking about a selection and a status bar for background work. Not on the Marketplace yet, so it is built from the repository: 

cd aico/vscode-extension
npm install
npx tsc -p ./
npx @vscode/vsce package
code --install-extension aico-vscode-*.vsix

Then reload the window — VS Code does not load a newly installed extension into windows that are already open, and a keypress in one of those does nothing at all. Run aico: Check the Setup from the command palette to confirm it is live; if that command is missing, the window still needs reloading.

It needs aico on your PATH, or aico.command pointed at it. See what it does and deliberately does not do.

The terminal, if you prefer it

aico                                   # interactive
aico -p "fix the failing tests"        # one-shot
aico -c                                # continue the last session
aico -m glm-4.6                        # pick a model for this run
aico --agent review -p "review my diff"

The model name decides the provider, overriding any configured default — -m glm-4.6 goes to Z.AI even if your default is OpenRouter.

When something is wrong

aico /doctor      # environment check
aico /status      # true context size, and how much is hidden
aico /cost        # what this session has spent

The most common setup surprise is a key in the wrong place — see where to put your key.