Qoder CLI vs Mirror CLI

Qoder CLI

A closed-source terminal agent with a documented headless mode, an ACP server, typed TypeScript and Python SDKs and near-daily releases. Permission rules and modes are detailed, but no local sandbox is documented, usage statistics are on by default, and security fixes appear only as one-line release notes with no advisories or disclosure policy.

Mirror CLI

Mirror CLI is Apache-2.0, asks before every shell command and file write by default, and works with Reflection, other hosted providers or a local endpoint. It is a one-day-old 0.1.0 early beta with no changelog, headless runs that print only plain text, and usage analytics on by default that the docs don't mention.

Qoder CLI

1. Set QODER_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN in CI. The browser sign-in can't complete in a headless run
2. Pass --permission-mode with --allowed-tools in headless runs. Every ask is denied, and --yolo removes all checks
3. Set --max-turns on unattended runs, and branch on exit codes 41 (authentication) and 53 (turn limit)
4. Set privacy.usageStatisticsEnabled and aiCodeStatistics.enabled to false in ~/.qoder/settings.json if usage data must stay local
5. Don't pass --model lite. The Lite tier was removed on 18 September 2026 and headless requests naming it fail

Mirror CLI

1. Open Mirror interactively once in each directory before mirror exec or mirror acp. Both refuse to run until the usage and folder notices are accepted
2. Pass --approval-mode auto to mirror exec only inside a container or VM. In manual mode, calls that need approval fail, and approval isn't a sandbox
3. Set --max-iterations on unattended runs. Turns are unlimited by default
4. Check the result with your own tests. exec returns 0 whenever it prints an answer
5. Never share logs recorded with --log-level debug. The docs say they contain request headers with the API key