Codebuff review

Q: How do I install Codebuff?

Run npm install -g freebuff. It needs Node.js >=16. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Codebuff is an open multi-agent framework for coding agents. It powers the orchestration, tools, and SDK of the Freebuff coding agent.

Updated Nov 1, 2026. Review written Oct 25, 2026 from the project's own sources; usage data refreshed every Monday.

TL;DR

Codebuff is the open multi-agent framework behind Freebuff, an ad-supported coding agent for the terminal, desktop, browser, and GitHub repositories. It is for developers who want agents that find files, edit code, and run checks. It splits each task across specialized agents instead of sending it through one model and one prompt.

13.9kGitHub stars
+179new stars, week of Oct 25
~1.2kdownloads a week, −12% vs 4-week avg
#61in Coding agents this week

Codebuff at a glance

Category: Coding agents
Maintained by: Freebuff (organization, @CodebuffAI on GitHub)
License: Apache 2.0
Language: TypeScript, JavaScript, Shell
Repository: github.com/CodebuffAI/freebuff
Website: freebuff.com
npm package: codebuff 1.0.688
Latest release: codebuff 1.0.688 on npm, Sep 8, 2026
First published: Jul 9, 2024

What Codebuff does

Codebuff-based Freebuff finds the relevant files in a project, makes changes, and runs the checks that matter for that project.
Codebuff orchestrates specialized agents that gather context, plan, edit or research, run tools, and review the result.
Codebuff file-finding agents map the relevant parts of a project before editing.
Codebuff agents can investigate documentation and test applications in a real browser.
Codebuff lets developers create custom agents or embed them in another application through the @codebuff/sdk package.
Freebuff Desktop isolates concurrent agents in separate workspaces and can run locally installed Claude Code and Codex agents.
Freebuff Web and Cloud provide sandboxes, previews, terminals, and deployment workflows, and Cloud runs agents on GitHub repositories.

How it works

Codebuff is the framework that runs Freebuff's agents. You install the Freebuff CLI with npm, change into a project directory, run freebuff, and describe what you want. Freebuff is also available as a desktop app, a web app builder, a cloud service connected to GitHub repositories, and a chat product. A curated model catalog is included, and text ads support access to those models.

How to install and start using Codebuff

Freebuff CLI with npm

npm install -g freebuff

From source (contributors)

git clone https://github.com/CodebuffAI/freebuff.git

Requirements

The codebuff npm package requires Node.js 16 or later.
Freebuff does not require a subscription, credits, or an API key.
Local development of the project requires Bun, Docker, and a configured .env.local file.
Freebuff Desktop runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The mobile app is on Android, with iOS listed as coming soon.

First steps

Install the Freebuff CLI globally with npm.
Change into your project directory, for example cd ~/my-project.
Run freebuff in the project directory.
Describe what you want, then review the files Freebuff changes and the checks it runs.

Who Codebuff is for

Developers who want a terminal coding agent without a subscription or an API key.
Teams that want to build custom agents or embed agents in their own apps with an SDK.
Developers who want to run several coding agents in parallel on a local machine.
Developers who want hosted sandboxes to build and deploy full-stack apps from a browser.

Limitations to know

Freebuff funds its included models with text ads and may use your data to personalize ads and train ad models.
Codebuff-based Freebuff gives limited model access to users outside supported regions and to VPN users.
Freebuff model availability and limits depend on your access tier, product, and current capacity. Some models require paid plans.
Freebuff may serve models from a quantized (Q8_0) build.

Is Codebuff growing? Usage data

In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Codebuff ranked #164 on the Devtoolwatch Board and #61 in Coding agents, with a momentum score of 49 out of 100. Its main package had about 1.2k downloads that week, −12% against its own 4-week average.

New GitHub stars per week for the last 12 weeks, from GitHub's stargazer history (today's stargazers by the week they starred).

Show the weekly numbers

New GitHub stars per week for Codebuff
Week of	New stars
Aug 9, 2026	890
Aug 16, 2026	942
Aug 23, 2026	639
Aug 30, 2026	526
Sep 6, 2026	302
Sep 13, 2026	432
Sep 20, 2026	399
Sep 27, 2026	384
Oct 4, 2026	298
Oct 11, 2026	196
Oct 18, 2026	172
Oct 25, 2026	179

On Hacker News

Show HN: A free CLI coding agent, powered by ads, 7 points and 7 comments (Jun 17, 2026)

The Board ranks tools by four signals each week: new stars, new stars for the repo's size, added downloads and download growth beyond the market. How the ranking works.

Codebuff alternatives

Other AI coding agents on the Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum:

Coding agents ranked by momentum, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026
Rank	Tool	Stars	Downloads/wk
#1	CindyCindy is an open-source AI agent app for desktop and mobile that combines Claude Code, Codex and Pi across your connected devices.	8.8k	–
#2	OpenMausBotOpenMausBot is an open-source desktop chat app where each contact is a local Claude, Codex, or Grok CLI agent with its own computer.	9.6k	–
#3	OrcaOrca is a desktop agent development environment for running Claude Code, Codex, and other CLI coding agents in parallel, each in its own…	111.7k	–
#4	OpenBotOpenBot is an open-source, self-hosted template for AI coworkers that each get their own browser, files and granted tools, with every…	9.1k	–
#5	Agent ReachAgent Reach is a Python CLI that lets AI agents search and read platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, GitHub, Bilibili and…	107.2k	–
#6	Skill RecorderSkill Recorder is a desktop app that records your on-screen work session and turns it into a reusable agent Skill or Automation.	5.6k	–

All AI coding agents, ranked

Recent Codebuff releases

v1.0.420-beta.185 (pre-release), Oct 21, 2025
v1.0.420-beta.184 (pre-release), Oct 21, 2025
v1.0.420-beta.180 (pre-release), Oct 19, 2025
v1.0.420-beta.179 (pre-release), Oct 19, 2025
v1.0.420-beta.178 (pre-release), Oct 19, 2025

Codebuff FAQ

Is Codebuff free and open source?

Yes. Codebuff's source code is on GitHub (CodebuffAI/freebuff) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free.

How do I install Codebuff?

Run npm install -g freebuff. It needs Node.js >=16. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Is Codebuff still maintained?

Yes. The CodebuffAI/freebuff repository was last updated on Oct 25, 2026, and the latest release, codebuff 1.0.688 on npm, came out on Sep 8, 2026.

How popular is Codebuff?

Codebuff has 13.9k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 179 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 447 a week. Its main package had about 1.2k downloads that week, −12% against its own 4-week average. That made it #61 among AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board.

Codebuff vs Claude Code: how do they compare?

Codebuff and Claude Code are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Codebuff has 13.9k GitHub stars and Claude Code has 154.1k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Codebuff's main package had 1.2k downloads and Claude Code's had 11.6M. Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and handles git workflows through natural language. Claude Code review.

Codebuff vs OpenCode: how do they compare?

Codebuff and OpenCode are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Codebuff has 13.9k GitHub stars and OpenCode has 223.6k. OpenCode is an open source AI coding agent that helps you write and run code in a terminal, desktop app, or IDE extension. OpenCode review.

What are the best alternatives to Codebuff?

Other AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: Cindy (#1), OpenMausBot (#2), Orca (#3), OpenBot (#4), Agent Reach (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

What is the difference between Codebuff and Freebuff?

Codebuff is the open multi-agent framework that provides the orchestration, tools, and SDK. Freebuff is the ad-supported product built on Codebuff. Freebuff comes as a CLI, a desktop app, a web builder, a cloud service, and a chat product.

Is Codebuff safe to use with my code?

Freebuff, which is built on Codebuff, says it does not give project files or connected repositories to advertising providers. It does use messages, agent traces, and files to run the service and personalize ads. Some models or features may use your data for AI training, and Freebuff shows a notice before that applies.

Does Codebuff read files outside my project?

Freebuff says no, with a few exceptions. The exceptions are files an agent reads in the conversation, files you share, and settings such as your agent instructions and skills.

Can I build my own agents with Codebuff?

Yes. Codebuff supports creating custom agents and embedding them in another application. The README points to the Codebuff documentation and the @codebuff/sdk npm package.

Can Codebuff work with Claude Code or Codex?

Yes, through Freebuff Desktop. The desktop app can run locally installed Claude Code and Codex agents using your existing provider account. Those connected models are separate from Freebuff's included model catalog.

Sources

Codebuff README badge

Maintainers can show the tool's weekly Board rank in their README:

[![Devtoolwatch](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/badge/codebuff.svg)](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/codebuff/)

How this page is made: Devtoolwatch writes each review from the project's README, releases, package metadata and website, with an AI model, then checks every claim against the source it cites and drops what the sources don't support. The numbers come from Devtoolwatch's daily GitHub snapshots, GitHub's stargazer history, and the npm and PyPI download APIs. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].