# Qwen Code review

> Qwen Code is an open-source AI coding agent for the terminal, with editor plugins, a desktop app, a web UI, SDKs, and chat integrations.

Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026. Canonical page: https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/qwen-code/

## TL;DR

Qwen Code is an open-source AI coding agent that runs in your terminal and also works in editors, a desktop app, a browser, and chat apps. It is for developers who want an agent that can switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Qwen, or local models. It also offers a daemon mode and Agent Arena.

## Qwen Code at a glance

- **Category:** [Coding agents](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/coding-agents/)
- **Maintained by:** Qwen (organization, [@QwenLM](https://github.com/QwenLM) on GitHub)
- **License:** Apache 2.0
- **Language:** TypeScript, Java, Rust
- **Repository:** [github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code)
- **Website:** [qwenlm.github.io/qwen-code-docs/en/users/overview](https://qwenlm.github.io/qwen-code-docs/en/users/overview)
- **npm package:** [@qwen-code/qwen-code](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@qwen-code/qwen-code) 0.26.1
- **Latest release:** [desktop-v0.26.1](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code/releases/tag/desktop-v0.26.1) on GitHub, Oct 24, 2026
- **First published:** Jun 26, 2025

## What Qwen Code does

- Qwen Code works with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and Qwen APIs, third-party providers, and local models through Ollama or vLLM, and can switch models at runtime.
- Qwen Code provides SubAgents, Agent Teams, Auto-Memory, Auto-Skills, Hooks, MCP, Plan Mode, and LSP integration.
- Qwen Code includes built-in skills such as /review, /batch, /loop, and /bugfix.
- Qwen Code runs headless with qwen -p for scripts, CI/CD, and batch jobs.
- Qwen Code offers Agent Arena, which runs several models head-to-head on the same task.
- Qwen Code connects to Telegram, DingTalk, WeChat, and Feishu through chat channels started with qwen channel start.
- Qwen Code supports Auto Mode, sandboxing, Git worktrees, and Computer Use for desktop automation.

### How it works

Qwen Code runs as the qwen command in your project directory. Inside a session, /auth sets up your model provider and API key. The qwen serve command starts an experimental daemon that clients reach over HTTP and SSE (ACP). That daemon backs the Web UI and lets several clients share one agent. TypeScript, Python, and Java SDKs drive the qwen executable from code.

## How to install Qwen Code

**Linux / macOS (standalone)**

```
curl -fsSL https://qwen-code-assets.oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/installation/install-qwen-standalone.sh | bash
```

**Windows (PowerShell)**

```
irm https://qwen-code-assets.oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/installation/install-qwen-standalone.ps1 | iex
```

**With npm**

```
npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latest
```

### Requirements

- Node.js 22 or later for the npm install.
- An API key for a supported model provider, configured with /auth, or a local model through Ollama or vLLM.
- Linux, macOS, or Windows. The desktop app is available for all three.

### First steps

1. Restart your terminal after the standalone install so the environment variables take effect.
2. Open a terminal in your project folder and run qwen to start a session.
3. Run /auth inside the session to configure your provider and API key.
4. Try a prompt such as "Explain this repository and show me where to start."

## Who Qwen Code is for

- Developers who want a terminal coding agent that is not tied to one model vendor.
- Teams that run coding agents in CI/CD or batch jobs through headless mode or SDKs.
- Developers who want to run a coding agent on local models through Ollama or vLLM.
- Users who want to work with an agent from VS Code, Zed, JetBrains, or chat apps like WeChat and Telegram.

### Limitations

- Qwen Code's Web UI and daemon mode (qwen serve) are marked experimental.
- Qwen Code's Python and Java SDKs are labeled alpha.
- Qwen Code v0.26.1 includes a breaking change to QQ Bot per-group session isolation under thread scope.

## Usage data (the week of Oct 25–31, 2026)

- Board rank: #114 overall, #48 in Coding agents, momentum score 60
- Downloads that week: 127.8k (+42% vs 4-week average)
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 237; Aug 16: 289; Aug 23: 218; Aug 30: 204; Sep 6: 170; Sep 13: 213; Sep 20: 178; Sep 27: 172; Oct 4: 144; Oct 11: 170; Oct 18: 180; Oct 25: 193

## Qwen Code alternatives

| Rank | Tool | Stars | Downloads/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | [Cindy](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/makecindy-cindy/) | 8.8k | – |
| #2 | [OpenMausBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/milind-soni-openmausbot/) | 9.6k | – |
| #3 | [Orca](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/stablyai-orca/) | 111.7k | – |
| #4 | [OpenBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/copilotkit-openbot/) | 9.1k | – |
| #5 | [Agent Reach](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/panniantong-agent-reach/) | 107.2k | – |
| #6 | [Skill Recorder](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/microsoft-skill-recorder/) | 5.6k | – |

## Qwen Code FAQ

### Is Qwen Code free and open source?

Yes. Qwen Code's source code is on GitHub (QwenLM/qwen-code) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free.

### How do I install Qwen Code?

Run `curl -fsSL https://qwen-code-assets.oss-cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/installation/install-qwen-standalone.sh | bash`. It needs Node.js >=22.0.0. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

### Is Qwen Code still maintained?

Yes. The QwenLM/qwen-code repository was last updated on Oct 25, 2026, and the latest release, desktop-v0.26.1 on GitHub, came out on Oct 24, 2026.

### How popular is Qwen Code?

Qwen Code has 28.9k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 193 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 197 a week. Its main package had about 127.8k downloads that week, +42% against its own 4-week average. That made it #48 among AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board.

### Qwen Code vs Claude Code: how do they compare?

Qwen Code and Claude Code are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Qwen Code has 28.9k GitHub stars and Claude Code has 154.1k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Qwen Code's main package had 127.8k 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](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/claude-code/)

### Qwen Code vs OpenCode: how do they compare?

Qwen Code and OpenCode are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Qwen Code has 28.9k 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](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/opencode/)

### What are the best alternatives to Qwen Code?

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.

### Is Qwen Code open source?

Yes. Qwen Code is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. The README states that both the framework and the Qwen models are open source.

### How do I use Qwen Code in VS Code?

Qwen Code has an IDE plugin for VS Code. It also has plugins for Zed and JetBrains. Setup guides for each editor are linked from the README and the documentation site.

### How do I use Qwen Code with Ollama or a local model?

Qwen Code supports local models served through Ollama or vLLM, as well as any third-party provider. Run /auth inside a session to configure the provider. The documentation includes Model Providers and Local Deployment pages.

### How does Qwen Code relate to Claude Code?

Qwen Code's README says the project aims for feature parity with Claude Code, including SubAgents, MCP, Plan Mode, hooks, and IDE plugins. It also lists features Claude Code lacks, such as multi-protocol model support, Agent Arena, daemon mode, and chat channels.

### How do I use the Qwen Code CLI?

Run qwen in your project directory to start an interactive session, and use /auth to set your provider. For scripts and CI, run qwen -p with a prompt. Run qwen serve --open to use the experimental Web UI.

### What is Qwen Code based on?

Qwen Code was originally based on Google Gemini CLI v0.8.2. Starting with Qwen Code v0.1, the project stopped syncing with upstream and is now developed independently.

## Sources

1. [QwenLM/qwen-code on GitHub](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code)
2. [Qwen Code README](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code/blob/main/README.md)
3. [@qwen-code/qwen-code on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@qwen-code/qwen-code)
4. [Qwen Code website](https://qwenlm.github.io/qwen-code-docs/en/users/overview)
5. [Release desktop-v0.26.1 (Oct 24, 2026)](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code/releases/tag/desktop-v0.26.1)
6. [Release v0.26.1 (Oct 24, 2026)](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code/releases/tag/v0.26.1)
7. [Release v0.26.0-nightly.20261023.5a0be33432 (Oct 23, 2026)](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code/releases/tag/v0.26.0-nightly.20261023.5a0be33432)
8. [Hacker News: Qwen3: Think deeper, act faster](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43825900)
9. [Hacker News: Qwen3-Coder: Agentic coding in the world](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44653072)
10. [Hacker News: Qwen2.5-VL-32B: Smarter and Lighter](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43464068)
11. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)