How popular is nanocode on GitHub?

1rgs/nanocode has 2,736 stars and 270 forks on GitHub, and gained 30 stars in the last 7 days.

1rgs/nanocodePublic

Minimal Claude Code alternative. Single Python file, zero dependencies, ~250 lines.

AI summary: A minimal, zero-dependency alternative to Claude Code contained in a single 250-line Python file.

Star on GitHub

Stars: 2.7K; +3 today
Forks: 270
Watchers: 14
Open issues: 4
Open PRs: 6
Contributors: ~2
Commits: 11
Branches: 1

PythonNo licenseCreated Jan 11, 2026Last push 8mo ago+30 stars this week+173 this month

Quick answers

What is nanocode?: A minimal, zero-dependency alternative to Claude Code contained in a single 250-line Python file.
What does nanocode do?: nanocode is an ultra-lightweight coding assistant that provides a full agentic loop directly in your terminal. It is implemented entirely within a single Python script of about 250 lines and requires zero external dependencies to run. The agent can use built-in tools to read, write, edit, and grep files, as well as execute bash commands to interact with the local filesystem. By supporting Anthropic and OpenRouter API keys, it allows users to connect to various LLMs for automated coding tasks without complex setups.
Who is nanocode for?: Developers who want a transparent, minimal AI coding assistant without the bloat of traditional agent frameworks. It is especially useful for users who need a portable script that can be dropped into any environment with Python installed.
How do I get started with nanocode?: export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key" && python nanocode.py
How popular is nanocode on GitHub?: 1rgs/nanocode has 2,736 stars and 270 forks on GitHub, and gained 30 stars in the last 7 days.

Star history

since Jul 28, 2026

2.7K stars as of Oct 3, 2026. Measured daily since Jul 28, 2026; GitHub no longer exposes earlier star timestamps.

Contribution activity

commits per day, last 52 weeks

9 commits in the last yearLessMore

What nanocode does

nanocode is an ultra-lightweight coding assistant that provides a full agentic loop directly in your terminal. It is implemented entirely within a single Python script of about 250 lines and requires zero external dependencies to run. The agent can use built-in tools to read, write, edit, and grep files, as well as execute bash commands to interact with the local filesystem. By supporting Anthropic and OpenRouter API keys, it allows users to connect to various LLMs for automated coding tasks without complex setups.

Developers who want a transparent, minimal AI coding assistant without the bloat of traditional agent frameworks. It is especially useful for users who need a portable script that can be dropped into any environment with Python installed.

Zero dependencies: Runs as a single Python file without requiring complex package installations or virtual environments.
Full agentic loop: Operates autonomously using a continuous loop of reasoning and tool execution.
Built-in file tools: Provides native capabilities to read, write, edit, glob, and grep files directly.
Bash execution: Allows the agent to run arbitrary shell commands to compile code or navigate the workspace.
OpenRouter support: Connects to a wide variety of models through OpenRouter simply by changing an environment variable.

Where teams use it

Lightweight code assistance

Run an autonomous AI coding assistant on remote servers without installing bulky Node.js or Python packages.

Agentic prototyping

Experiment with the core mechanics of an agentic loop by modifying a simple, easily understandable codebase.

Multi-model development

Switch between Anthropic Claude and various OpenRouter models instantly to compare their coding capabilities.

Automated codebase refactoring

Delegate file editing and bash execution tasks to an AI agent directly from the command line.

Getting started: export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key" && python nanocode.py

README

master branch

nanocode

Minimal Claude Code alternative. Single Python file, zero dependencies, ~250 lines.

Built using Claude Code, then used to build itself.

Features

Full agentic loop with tool use
Tools: read, write, edit, glob, grep, bash
Conversation history
Colored terminal output

Usage

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key"
python nanocode.py

OpenRouter

Use OpenRouter to access any model:

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your-key"
python nanocode.py

To use a different model:

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your-key"
export MODEL="openai/gpt-5.2"
python nanocode.py

Commands

/c - Clear conversation
/q or exit - Quit

Tools

Tool	Description
`read`	Read file with line numbers, offset/limit
`write`	Write content to file
`edit`	Replace string in file (must be unique)
`glob`	Find files by pattern, sorted by mtime
`grep`	Search files for regex
`bash`	Run shell command

Example

────────────────────────────────────────
❯ what files are here?
────────────────────────────────────────

⏺ Glob(**/*.py)
  ⎿  nanocode.py

⏺ There's one Python file: nanocode.py

License

MIT

View on GitHub

Recent activity

commits and pull requests

feat: add request error printClosed
#8 by Grin1024 · updated 5mo ago
fix: typo `pat` to `path`Closed
#12 by vinzloh · updated 6mo ago
Add OpenAI-compatible provider support with NANOCODE_PROVIDER selecti…Open
#15 by greatbody · updated 7mo ago
fix: use context managers and explicit encoding for file operationsOpen
#14 by haosenwang1018 · updated 7mo ago
added adapted scripts. added supports for both gpt and open-weights models. added supported for web search and better markdown rendering.Open
#4 by jaaack-wang · updated 8mo ago
Refactored the code, adding simple tool registration and multi-agent loops Open
#11 by jllike · updated 8mo ago
to completions and ...Closed
#10 by high-u · updated 8mo ago
Add error recovery to prevent tool failure loops. Closed
#9 by josepha-mayo · updated 8mo ago
Merge pull request #2 from charlesrockhead-OR/openrouter-integration
1rgs committed b009d3d · 8mo ago
Merge pull request #3 from charlesrockhead-OR/fix/stream-bash-output
1rgs committed cf1eda5 · 8mo ago
Update README example model to gpt-5.2
charlesrockhead-OR committed 5279d43 · 8mo ago
Rename _OR to OPENROUTER_KEY and add MODEL env var support
charlesrockhead-OR committed 68a29af · 8mo ago

Recent open issues

view all

OrcaRouter provider support for nanocode
#18 · 26d ago · by martinzudergaming-a11y
MIT license used but no LICENSE file
#16 · 5mo ago · by freedevgraph
Model 未调用工具，返回 "I don't have direct access to your file system"
#13 · 8mo ago · by HodenX · 1 comments
Why use Claude when you can use local?
#5 · 8mo ago · by oliverbob · 2 comments

Commits per week

last 52 weeks

9 commits in the last 52 weeks.

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Commit volume by weekday and hour (UTC). Larger dots mean more commits.

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