Alter Zero: open-source Rust terminal agent in a 24MB binary for coding and security
Hacking0912 · reddit · 2026-10-27
A developer introduces Alter Zero, an open-source (Apache-2.0) terminal agent written in Rust for coding, cybersecurity, and automation—inspired by Claude Code and Codex CLI combined. Latest release: v0.15.0, runs on Linux/macOS.
Key features:
- Works directly in your project: reads files, edits code, runs commands, checks results; can investigate failing tests, trace auth logic, or write log-summarizing scripts
- Supports subagents, reusable skills, MCP servers, session resuming; can interact with running terminal programs and keep background commands alive
- /secrets lets it use API keys without ever seeing the values
- Very light: single 24MB binary, 20–60MB RAM per session, prompt- and token-efficient
- Connects multiple model providers, local models via Ollama, or custom OpenAI-compatible APIs
The author seeks feedback on setup and terminal compatibility. Repo: github.com/linuztx/alter-zero
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