Crush represents Charmbracelet’s entry into the AI coding assistant space, bringing their signature terminal-first philosophy and “glamourous” design aesthetic to AI-powered development. Built as a native terminal application, Crush distinguishes itself through its exceptional multi-model support, flexible configuration options, and deep integration with developer workflows through LSP and MCP protocols.

Core Features

Terminal-First Design

• Native CLI Experience: Fully optimized for terminal workflows with keyboard-driven interaction
• Cross-Platform Support: First-class support on macOS, Linux, Windows (PowerShell and WSL), FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD
• Minimal Resource Footprint: Lightweight Go-based implementation with fast startup and response times
• Session Management: Multiple work sessions with context preservation per project

Multi-Model Architecture

• Provider Flexibility: Choose from Anthropic, OpenAI, Groq, OpenRouter, Google Gemini, Cerebras, HuggingFace, VertexAI, Amazon Bedrock, and more
• Custom Provider Support: Add your own OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible APIs
• Model Switching: Switch LLMs mid-session while preserving context and conversation history
• Cost Tracking: Built-in cost tracking and token usage monitoring

Enhanced Context Awareness

• LSP Integration: Uses Language Server Protocol for additional context, just like modern IDEs
• MCP Support: Extensible via Model Context Protocol (stdio, http, and sse transport types)
• Project Initialization: Analyzes codebase and creates context files for future sessions
• Git Integration: Native support for version control workflows with attribution options

Technical Specifications

• Language: Go (98%) with minimal Smarty templating
• Installation: Homebrew, NPM, Winget, Scoop, Arch Linux, Nix, Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL, or direct binary download
• Configuration: JSON-based with project-local and global options
• License: FSL-1.1-MIT (Fair Source License)
• Repository: 15.4k+ stars, 883+ forks on GitHub
• Release Cadence: Regular updates with 75+ releases

Installation Methods

Package Managers

# Homebrew
brew install charmbracelet/tap/crush

# NPM
npm install -g @charmland/crush

# Winget (Windows)
winget install charmbracelet.crush

# Scoop (Windows)
scoop install crush

# Arch Linux
yay -S crush-bin

# Nix
nix run github:numtide/nix-ai-tools#crush

System Package Installation

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://repo.charm.sh/apt/gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/charm.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/charm.gpg] https://repo.charm.sh/apt/ * *" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/charm.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install crush

# Fedora/RHEL
echo '[charm]
name=Charm
baseurl=https://repo.charm.sh/yum/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://repo.charm.sh/yum/gpg.key' | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/charm.repo
sudo yum install crush

Direct Installation

# Go install
go install github.com/charmbracelet/crush@latest

Configuration

Quick Setup

Crush runs great with no configuration. Simply set an API key for your preferred provider:

# Environment variables
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key-here"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key-here"
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="your-key-here"

Advanced Configuration

Create crush.json with custom settings:

{
  "$schema": "https://charm.land/crush.json",
  "providers": {
    "openai": {
      "type": "openai",
      "api_key": "$OPENAI_API_KEY",
      "models": [
        {
          "id": "gpt-4",
          "name": "GPT-4",
          "context_window": 128000
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "lsp": {
    "go": { "command": "gopls", "enabled": true },
    "typescript": { "command": "typescript-language-server", "args": ["--stdio"] },
    "nix": { "command": "nil" }
  },
  "mcp": {
    "filesystem": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/mcp-server.js"]
    }
  },
  "options": {
    "initialize_as": "AGENTS.md",
    "attribution": {
      "trailer_style": "co-authored-by",
      "generated_with": true
    }
  }
}

Unique Advantages

Terminal-Optimized Workflow

Crush’s native terminal design makes it ideal for developers who spend most of their time in the command line. Unlike browser-based AI assistants, Crush integrates seamlessly with existing terminal workflows without breaking focus or requiring context switching between applications.

Model Provider Flexibility

The ability to switch between different LLM providers and even add custom OpenAI-compatible APIs gives developers unprecedented flexibility. This is particularly valuable for teams that need to use specific models for compliance, cost, or performance reasons.

Developer Tool Integration

With built-in LSP support and MCP protocol compatibility, Crush can leverage the same language intelligence tools that developers already use in their IDEs. This creates a more consistent and powerful development experience.

Use Cases

• Terminal-Centric Development: Perfect for developers who live in the command line and want AI assistance without leaving their terminal
• Multi-Provider Environments: Organizations using multiple AI providers or requiring custom model configurations
• IDE-Agnostic Workflows: Developers who switch between different editors but want consistent AI assistance
• Cost-Conscious Development: Built-in token tracking and cost monitoring for budget-aware development
• Privacy-Sensitive Projects: Local model support via Ollama, LM Studio, and other OpenAI-compatible local servers

Getting Started

1. Installation: Choose your preferred installation method from the options above
2. API Key Setup: Set environment variables for your preferred provider or configure in crush.json
3. Project Initialization: Run crush in your project directory to let it analyze your codebase
4. First Session: Start coding with AI assistance - Crush will prompt for permissions on tool usage
5. Configuration: Customize LSP servers, MCP connections, and providers as needed
6. Session Management: Use multiple sessions for different contexts or projects
7. Advanced Features: Explore custom providers, local models, and attribution settings

External Links

• Official Website →
• GitHub Repository →
• Documentation →
• Charm Discord →
• Provider Database (Catwalk) →
• Back to Vibe Coding Overview →

This tool overview is part of our comprehensive guide to vibe coding tools . Last updated: November 27, 2025.

Website: charm.sh