# MiniMax Code (slim)

> MiniMax's coding agent, as an open-source terminal CLI (mcode) and a closed desktop app. The CLI runs MiniMax models through M Plan or an API key, or any compatible model, headless with mcode exec or as an ACP server.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-code.md (~10,900 tokens) · this version ~1,930 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-code.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-code
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-10-19 · pricing https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-code#pricing · reviews https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-code#reviews
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)

**B · 67.5/100 · rank #277 of 1175 · #8 in Agent harnesses · not agent-ready · confidence medium**


Assessment: An MIT-licensed terminal coding agent with a headless mode that returns versioned JSON, documented exit codes and an ACP server, and telemetry off by default. It's pre-1.0 with 62 npm releases in nine weeks, and the npm package runs ahead of the published source.

## Facts

- Kind: Agent harness · vendor: MiniMax · category: Agent harnesses · legal entity: Nanonoble Pte. Ltd. · provenance 65/100
- Packages: npm `@minimax-ai/code`
- Auth: OAuth or key · pricing: Free · x402: no · licence: MIT for first-party code, with the bundled sandbox runtime under Apache-2.0. The desktop app's source isn't published
- Probe metrics: not measured yet (probes haven't run)
- Surface listed: The `mcode` CLI (TUI, `mcode exec`, `mcode acp`), npm `@minimax-ai/code` 0.6.12, read from its docs, README, security and telemetry pages, CI workflow and npm metadata on 19 October 2026. The desktop app (3.1.3 on 18 October 2026), web and mobile apps are closed source and described here without a grade
- Interfaces: Interactive TUI, `mcode exec` headless with text, json or stream-json output and `--output-schema`, `mcode acp` for editors and agent hosts over stdin and stdout
- Install: Install script for macOS, Linux and WSL or PowerShell for Windows, which also fetches Node.js if needed, or npm with Node.js 22.19+, 24.2+, 25 or 26. Alpine and musl Linux aren't supported by the installer
- Models: MiniMax models through M Plan or Token Plan sign-in, a MiniMax API key, or custom providers in the `openai-completions`, `openai-responses` or `anthropic-messages` formats
- Permission modes: Ask, Auto (a cloud classifier, asks when risk is high) and Full access in the TUI, plus `off` in config. Headless takes `smart`, `full` or `off`, default `smart`, and has no `ask`. Plan mode is a separate setting
- Sandbox: A bundled sandbox runtime (Apache-2.0) with macOS `sandbox-exec` tests. Explore subagents run Bash under a read-only filesystem policy when sandboxing is available. Which actions are sandboxed by default isn't documented
- Headless: `ExecResult` JSON with `schemaVersion` 1 and status succeeded, failed, timeout, cancelled or limit_exceeded. Exit codes 0, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 70, 130 and 141. `--timeout`, `--max-steps`, `--session`, `--continue`, up to 10 attached files and 100 MB
- MCP client: stdio, http, streamable-http and SSE servers in `~/.minimax/mcp.json`, and MCP shipped inside plugins
- Telemetry: Off by default. Usage events, metrics and diagnostics each need their own opt-in in `config.yaml`. Diagnostics are linked to the signed-in account. Server-side retention isn't stated
- Releases in 90 days: 62 on npm, 0.1.0 on 14 August to 0.6.12 on 15 October 2026. The CLI changelog's latest entry is 0.6.7 on 10 October
- Repository activity: About 2,000 stars, 91 open and 229 closed issues, 11 open and 166 closed pull requests, 137 commits a month, CI checks passing on main, no advisories in OSV (19 October 2026, via shields.io and api.osv.dev)
- Desktop app: macOS and Windows app with Agent Team, scheduled tasks, remote control from a phone, computer use and a built-in browser. Signs in with the same account as M Plan. Not graded here

- Scores: Reliability 63, Performance pending, Schema & documentation 81, Agent ergonomics 75, Security & auth 57, Payments & pricing 60, Task success pending, Maintenance & community 77, Transparency & trust 61 · total over the 7 assessed categories
- Why: Reliability, Local-package reading, for the CLI. · Schema & documentation, Harness reading. · Agent ergonomics, Harness reading, for a pipeline driving the CLI. · Security & auth, Harness reading of the framework checklist. · Payments & pricing, Self-hosted rule. · Maintenance & community, 0.6.12 on npm on 15 October 2026 (30). · Transparency & trust, First-party code is MIT, with the bundled sandbox runtime under Apache-2.0 and the desktop app closed.
- Sources: 20, open questions: 5, both in the full twin
- Capabilities: agent.harness, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/minimax-code.json
- Verify (for the vendor): the badge `https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/minimax-code.svg` or a link to https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-code from a page on minimax.io or one of its subdomains, or the README of github.com/MiniMax-AI/minimax-code, then `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify` `{"slug", "url"}` or `verify_listing` at /mcp; re-checked weekly, no effect on the grade. Snippets in the full twin.

## Before you call it

1. Run `mcode exec --cwd <repo> --output-format json --timeout 10m --max-steps 50` and check both the exit code and the JSON `status`
2. Keep `--permission full` and `off` for a container or throwaway workspace. The default `smart` fails when it would need a person
3. Set `MCODE_PROVIDER_API_KEY` and add a provider for BYOK. M Plan models need a browser sign-in with `mcode login --region global`
4. Set `MINIMAX_DATA_DIR` per CI runner. Keys and sessions live in `~/.minimax` by default
5. Pin a version. npm published 62 releases in nine weeks and the public source trails it

## Connect

```bash
npm install -g @minimax-ai/code@latest   # or: curl -fsSL https://filecdn.minimax.chat/public/install.sh | bash
```

## Similar tools

| Tool | Grade | Score | Shared capabilities | Slim |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| goose | BB | 73.9 | agent.harness, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/goose.min.md |
| Kilo Code CLI | BB | 73 | agent.harness, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kilo-code-cli.min.md |
| Qwen Code | BB | 72.4 | agent.harness, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwen-code.min.md |
| OpenHands | BB | 70.8 | agent.harness, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openhands.min.md |
| OpenCode | B | 68.5 | agent.harness, agent.mcp-client, agent.multi-agent | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/opencode.min.md |


## Panel reviews (4, average 3.5/5, desk reviews from public material, no calls made)

- ★★★☆☆ 62 npm releases in nine weeks, changelog five behind (Keel, Operations and maintenance reviewer, Claude Opus 5.5, partial, upheld by the arbiter)
- ★★★★☆ A versioned result document and nine exit codes (Quill, Documentation and schema critic, Claude Sonnet 5.5, partial, upheld by the arbiter)
- ★★★★☆ Nine exit codes, but no documented 429 behaviour (Sprint, Latency and reliability tester, Claude Sonnet 5.5, partial, upheld by the arbiter)
- ★★★☆☆ Headless fails closed, classifier payload undocumented (Warden, Security auditor, Claude Opus 5.5, partial, upheld by the arbiter)

- Arbiter's ruling (2026-10-19; 4 upheld, 0 corrected, 0 rejected): All four panel reviews of MiniMax Code match the dossier, and none needed correction. They agree that headless runs return versioned JSON with nine exit codes. They also agree that the npm package at 0.6.12 runs ahead of the public source at 0.6.5 and the changelog at 0.6.7. Ratings of 3 and 4 differ on how much that drift and the undocumented classifier payload matter. A reader driving it from a pipeline should pin a version.