dm-code

DM Code

Agentic AI coding assistant for your terminal — powered by Annihilator

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DM Code is a free, open-source Claude Code alternative that runs from your terminal on macOS, Linux, and Windows. Choose your engine from 11 free models across 4 providers — Anthropic, Google, Groq, and Mistral — and switch between them at any time.

Quick Install

git clone https://github.com/Dipendu27/dm-code.git
cd dm-code
npm install
npm link

Note: npm link registers dmcode, dm, dm-code, and annihilator as global commands. On macOS/Linux you can also run: npm install -g dm-code

That's it. Now type dmcode from any directory on any device:

dmcode              # start interactive session
dm                  # shorthand — also works
dm-code             # also works
annihilator         # also works

First-time setup

dmcode setup        # guided model + API key configuration

How to Update

Already have DM Code installed? Pull the latest and re-link:

cd dm-code
git pull
npm install
npm link

Check your version:

dmcode --version

Changelog

v1.3.4 — Latest

Bug Fixes

• Google API Compatibility: Updated Google Gemini model endpoints from gemini-2.0-flash-thinking-exp to gemini-2.5-pro and gemini-3.5-flash to resolve a 404 Not Found API breakage caused by Google deprecating experimental endpoints.

v1.3.3

Major Features

• IDE Diff Viewer: DM Code now automatically opens a side-by-side diff in your IDE (VS Code or Cursor) whenever it modifies a file using the edit_file or write_file tools.
• Backend Thought Blocks: Added native terminal rendering for <think> blocks. When models like DeepSeek R1 or Gemini Thinking emit thought processes, they are now neatly formatted in a dimmed ▶ Backend thought block in real-time.

v1.3.2

Major Features

• New input validation layer prevents directory traversal & injection attacks
• Enhanced error handling with retry logic, exponential backoff, and timeouts
• Structured logging system with DEBUG support for diagnostics
• New utility modules: validation.js, errors.js, logger.js

Security Improvements

• Path traversal prevention for all file operations
• Improved command injection pattern detection
• Better dangerous command classification with explanations

Performance & Reliability

• Configurable request timeouts (60s default)
• Exponential backoff with jitter for retries (capped at 30s)
• Optimized streaming response parsing
• Better session cleanup and MCP schema management

See full CHANGELOG

v1.1.2

Critical Bug Fixes

• Fixed Anthropic model IDs — claude-haiku-3-5 → claude-haiku-4-5, claude-sonnet-4-5 → claude-sonnet-4-6 (previous IDs caused "model not found" API errors)
• Updated Claude Sonnet 4.6 context window from 200K → 1M tokens (matches Anthropic docs)
• Updated global MAX_CONTEXT_TOKENS ceiling to 1M to match largest supported model
• Added DEBUG=1 env var support for diagnosing silent errors in session/memory persistence

v1.1.1

Ctrl+C Interrupt Fix

• Ctrl+C now always works — even while the AI is processing or streaming
• Fixed on Windows: readline is no longer paused, so SIGINT stays alive on all platforms
• Added process-level SIGINT fallback for Windows terminal edge cases
• Abort signal now passed to API calls for instant network cancellation
• Fixed double "Goodbye!" message on exit (debounced duplicate SIGINT handlers)

v1.1.0

Exit & Interrupt Fixes

• exit, quit, and q now work directly — no need to type /exit
• Double Ctrl+C now reliably exits the app (fixed race condition)

Animated Thinking Spinner

• New braille-animated spinner with fun rotating status messages while the AI is processing
• Shows elapsed time so you always know something is happening
• Messages cycle through: "Cooking up a response…", "Diving deep into the code…", "Weaving some magic…" and more

v1.0.1

• Initial streaming support across all 4 providers
• /save command for session export
• Automatic rate-limit fallback across providers
• Session persistence and restore
• Context window auto-compaction

v1.0.0

• Initial release with 11 free models across 4 providers
• 12 built-in tools (read, write, edit, run, search, etc.)
• Interactive model picker and API key management

Free Models Available

FREE = permanently unlimited free
FREE* = free with monthly quota (generous for personal use)
✦ = recommended picks

Requirements

Installation

Option 1: npm global install (recommended)

npm install -g dm-code
dmcode setup

Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows. The dmcode command becomes available system-wide immediately.

Option 2: Platform-specific installers

git clone https://github.com/Dipendu27/dm-code.git
cd dm-code
bash install.sh

git clone https://github.com/Dipendu27/dm-code.git
cd dm-code
.\install.ps1

Option 3: Manual install (developers)

git clone https://github.com/Dipendu27/dm-code.git
cd dm-code
npm install
npm link           # makes dmcode available system-wide
dmcode setup       # guided model + key setup

Getting Free API Keys

You only need one key to get started. All are free with no credit card required.

Google AI Studio (recommended — truly unlimited free)

1. Go to https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
2. Sign in with your Google account → Create API Key
3. Run: dmcode keys set google YOUR_KEY

Groq (fastest inference, truly free)

1. Go to https://console.groq.com/keys
2. Sign up → Create Key
3. Run: dmcode keys set groq YOUR_KEY

Anthropic (Claude models)

1. Go to https://console.anthropic.com
2. Sign up → API Keys → Create Key
3. Run: dmcode keys set anthropic YOUR_KEY

Mistral

1. Go to https://console.mistral.ai/api-keys
2. Sign up → Create Key
3. Run: dmcode keys set mistral YOUR_KEY

Usage

Start interactive session

dmcode

On first run, the interactive model picker appears — choose your engine and paste your API key. Every subsequent run starts immediately.

Switch your engine at any time

# Interactive picker (beautifully formatted table):
dmcode model

# Or from inside the REPL:
/model

# Or override for a single session:
dmcode --model gemini-2.0-flash "refactor my auth module"

# Or by model ID:
dmcode --model llama-3.3-70b-versatile "write unit tests for utils.py"

List all models

dmcode models

Manage API keys

dmcode keys                            # show status of all keys
dmcode keys set google AIzaSy...       # save a key
dmcode keys set groq gsk_...
dmcode keys clear groq                 # remove a key

Slash Commands (inside the REPL)

Tools Available to Annihilator

Project Structure

dm-code/
├── bin/
│   └── dm.js                   ← CLI entry point
├── src/
│   ├── repl.js                 ← Main REPL orchestrator
│   ├── agent/
│   │   ├── loop.js             ← Agentic loop (multi-provider)
│   │   ├── providers.js        ← Anthropic / Google / Groq / Mistral clients
│   │   ├── session.js          ← Session persistence ✨ new in v1.3
│   │   └── mcp-manager.js      ← MCP schema management ✨ new in v1.3
│   ├── tools/
│   │   └── executor.js         ← All 12 tool implementations
│   ├── ui/
│   │   ├── renderer.js         ← Terminal UI (Claude Code visual style)
│   │   ├── input.js            ← Readline REPL handler
│   │   └── model-picker.js     ← Interactive model selection UI
│   ├── config/
│   │   ├── constants.js        ← MODELS registry, theme, system prompt
│   │   └── settings.js         ← Persistent config (per-provider API keys)
│   └── utils/                  ← Shared utilities ✨ new in v1.3
│       ├── validation.js       ← Input validation & security checks
│       ├── errors.js           ← Custom error types & handling
│       └── logger.js           ← Structured logging
├── test-smoke.mjs              ← Smoke tests for session + MCP ✨ new in v1.3
├── install.sh                  ← macOS / Linux installer
├── install.ps1                 ← Windows PowerShell installer
├── CHANGELOG.md                ← Version history
├── .npmignore                  ← npm publish exclusions
├── .env.example                ← Environment variable template
├── package.json
└── README.md

Session Persistence

DM Code automatically saves every session with a unique ID shown at startup:

ℹ Session ID: 3eb85a0c  (use /resume <id> to restore)

To restore a previous session:

/resume 3eb85a0c

Sessions persist your conversation history and working directory across restarts. They are stored locally in your config directory and are never sent to any server.

CLI Reference

dmcode                               # start interactive REPL
dmcode "your prompt"                 # single prompt, non-interactive
dmcode --model <id> "prompt"         # override engine for this run
dmcode --cwd /path/to/project        # set working directory
dmcode --auto-approve                # skip all confirmation prompts
dmcode --verbose                     # show full tool output

dmcode models                        # list all 11 free models
dmcode model                         # interactive model picker
dmcode keys                          # show API key status
dmcode keys set PROVIDER KEY         # save an API key
dmcode keys clear PROVIDER           # remove a key
dmcode config                        # show all settings
dmcode setup                         # guided first-time setup
dmcode version                       # detailed version info

Note: dm, dm-code, and annihilator are aliases — all work identically.

Environment Variables

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
export GOOGLE_API_KEY="AIzaSy..."
export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_..."
export MISTRAL_API_KEY="..."
export DM_MODEL="gemini-2.0-flash"   # default engine override
export DEBUG=1                       # enable debug logging
export DEBUG=verbose                 # extra verbose debug output

Environment variables always take priority over saved config.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Troubleshooting

dmcode: command not found

# Re-link globally:
npm install -g dm-code

# Or from the project directory:
cd dm-code && npm link

# Windows: You may need to restart your terminal after install

No API key error

dmcode keys set google AIzaSy...    # fastest to get, truly free
dmcode keys                          # verify status

Node.js too old

# macOS:
brew upgrade node

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Windows:
winget upgrade OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

# nvm (any platform):
nvm install 22 && nvm use 22

Model not responding

Try a different provider — if Groq is rate-limiting, switch to Google:

dmcode model   # interactive picker

Enable Debug Logging

For diagnostic information, run with DEBUG enabled:

DEBUG=1 dmcode

Or for very verbose logging:

DEBUG=verbose dmcode

Publishing to npm

For maintainers:

npm login
npm publish --access public

Users can then install globally with npm install -g dm-code.

Security & Privacy

• File Operations: All file paths are validated to prevent directory traversal
• Command Execution: Dangerous commands are flagged and require confirmation
• API Keys: Keys are stored in OS config and never logged
• Sessions: Session files are stored in ~/.dmcode/sessions (local machine only)
• No Telemetry: DM Code collects no usage data

License

MIT — free to use, modify, and distribute.

Built by Dipendu Mukherjee.
Inspired by Claude Code by Anthropic.