Xal is an open-source terminal coding harness with a headless agent core where every capability, including the interface, is a plugin. It gives coding agents the tools to inspect repositories, edit files, run commands, use language servers, connect to MCP servers, and complete real development work from a terminal.
The default terminal interface ships as one compiled binary for macOS, Linux, and Windows. Xal supports multiple AI providers, reusable skills and commands, persistent sessions, background jobs, sub-agents, worktree isolation, code review, and project-specific instructions without requiring a JavaScript runtime after installation.
Xal starts with a small headless agent loop. Everything around it is a plugin: the terminal interface, AI providers, tools, language servers, MCP bridge, memory, skills, code review, and workflow hooks. Built-in features use the same plugin API available to project and user extensions, so the default harness is a starting point rather than a fixed product boundary.
Teams can add or replace individual capabilities, define custom modes and commands, register a different interface, and shape Xal around their own development process. Plugins remain independent by design and may not depend on one another, which keeps each customization removable and prevents the harness from turning into a tightly coupled framework.
Xal is currently in beta and is developed in public under the MIT License. Read the Xal documentation, inspect the source code, review developer resources, or use the official CLI installation guide to get started.