English documentation · runtime 7.24.4 · SDK 2.6.7. Content is maintained with runtime development; see each guide's scope and review date.

Start Here

Status: Active Scope: current-state Last reviewed: 2026-09-16 Owner: ax-code runtime

If the root README is the fastest way to install AX Code, this page is the fastest way to understand it.

Editions and availability

Start with AX Code Standard, the open-source edition that is free for personal and commercial use. Use local or cloud models; AX Engine provides a native local inference path on supported Apple Silicon Macs. Existing permissions, change review, and local execution evidence remain core capabilities.

Business is a planned proprietary offering for organization governance through AX Trust and business workflows through AutomatosX. Using Standard at work does not itself require a Business license. See Standard and Business for details.

Signed installers and runtime archives are available anonymously from download.ax-code.com. Read the installation guide and upgrade and recovery guide. Public technical documentation is hosted at ax-code.app/en/docs/, independently of source access. Already installed? Open a terminal in your project, run ax-code, then use /connect inside the TUI to choose a provider. Begin with a question about the project, request a small change, and review the diff and project checks before committing. Use ax-code doctor if the installed runtime needs diagnosis.

What AX Code Is

AX Code is an AI coding runtime. It combines:

• agents for different coding tasks
• explicit tool execution
• model and provider selection
• persistent session state
• configurable isolation and permissions
• integration surfaces such as the TUI, SDK, server mode, and MCP

That matters because AI coding is only useful in real repositories when you can control what the agent is allowed to do, preserve context across sessions, and reuse the same workflow outside a single chat window.

Where the Value Comes From

AX Code optimizes the moment after the agent finishes: deciding whether to keep what it produced.

• Evidence. Every session is recorded as a typed event log plus file snapshots, so ax-code graph, compare, replay, risk, and audit can reconstruct what happened after the conversation ends.
• Verification. Where a gate is enforceable — arena candidates, gated refactor application — your repository’s own typecheck, lint, and test commands decide whether a result is accepted.
• Reversibility. Snapshots are recoverable per step, not only per session, from a Git object store kept outside your repository.
• Your decision. AX Code ranks, scores, and reports. It does not merge for you.

Supporting these: explicit tools with permission rules and isolation modes, durable sessions, AGENTS.md for repository conventions, provider portability, and one runtime behind the TUI, CLI, VS Code extension, SDK, headless server, and MCP integrations. Those are foundations rather than the reason to choose AX Code — see Why AX Code.

For the commands themselves, see Execution Evidence.

Mental Model

Think of AX Code as five layers:

1. Provider layer: choose the model backend you want to run against.
2. Agent layer: pick the right agent for the task, or let routing help.
3. Tool layer: the agent acts through explicit tools rather than hidden capabilities.
4. Session layer: the conversation, decisions, and state persist.
5. Control layer: isolation, permissions, and audit behavior define the boundary.

The rest of the documentation maps onto those layers.

Choose the Next Path

I want to try it quickly

• Start with the root README for install and first launch.
• Supported install paths use the compiled runtime:
  • Bash release installer for macOS Apple Silicon and Linux: curl -fsSL -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.raw+json" "https://api.github.com/repos/defai-digital/ax-code/contents/install?ref=main" | bash
  • Homebrew alternative for macOS CLI: brew tap defai-digital/tap && brew trust defai-digital/tap && brew install defai-digital/tap/ax-code
  • GitHub release installer for Windows PowerShell: powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "irm https://download.ax-code.com/install.ps1 | iex"
• The Bash installer is not the canonical Windows setup path.
• npm packages are no longer supported install or upgrade channels. See Installation and Runtime Channels for platform policy, runtime labels, and the local launcher matrix.
• Use /connect or ax-code providers login to set a model. See Supported Providers and Models for Cloud API providers, CLI providers, AX Engine, and model IDs. For a no-cost evaluation path, use the Free-Tier API Quickstart.
• Run ax-code init after opening a real project so AGENTS.md captures local conventions.
• If you want tighter safety boundaries, enable Sandbox Mode before broader edits.

I want to use it safely in a team or company repo

• AX Code starts with autonomous mode on and sandbox mode off: full-access with unrestricted filesystem and network access.
• For team, company, untrusted, or unattended work, enable --sandbox workspace-write (or read-only) before starting the task.
• Read Sandbox Mode for execution boundaries.
• Read Autonomous Mode if the agent will run unattended.
• Read Security Policy for threat model and credential storage details.
• Read Semantic Layer if provenance and replay matter for your workflow.

I want to embed or automate it

• Use @defai-digital/ax-code-sdk headless or gRPC entry points for TypeScript app integration.
• Use HTTP and OpenAPI Compatibility for a service boundary, generated clients, and the authoritative OpenAPI contract.
• Use ax-code mcp add when the agent needs external tools or services.

I want to understand the repo or contribute feedback

• Read the Documentation Hub for the rest of the public docs.
• Read CONTRIBUTING.md for the current external contribution policy.

When AX Code May Not Fit

AX Code is intentionally more than autocomplete or a hosted chat box. It may be too much if:

• You only need inline code suggestions and do not want agents executing tools.
• You need a hosted SaaS-only experience with no local runtime.
• You do not need session persistence, replay, SDK/server integration, or repository-level instructions.
• You are working in an environment where no local CLI process is allowed.

In those cases, a lighter editor assistant may be simpler. AX Code is strongest when the agent needs to operate inside real development workflows with control, continuity, and integration boundaries.

Common First Commands

ax-code
ax-code providers login
ax-code models
ax-code run --model qwen -- "Review this change"
ax-code init
ax-code index
ax-code mcp add
ax-code doctor

Grok runs exclusively through Grok Build CLI. Select grok-build-cli in /connect; AX Code invokes the local grok command and reuses its CLI login/session. The former direct xai cloud API provider is no longer supported.

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