Coding tools
These are guests in your folder. PROJECT.md is the house rules. Prices and model names change — the dated Lab is the source, not this page.
Three doors into the same project
This site does not pick a forever winner. It teaches you to launch one agent on purpose.
Type grok in a VS Code terminal. Reads PROJECT.md. Plan first. On Windows, image paste is often Alt+V — environment dependent, not universal.
Type codex. ChatGPT chat is not Codex. Codex looks for AGENTS.md — that is an adapter, not a second brain.
Another guest. It wants CLAUDE.md in the root — copy the thin adapter, do not rewrite PROJECT.md into it. Paid Claude plans; confirm current access on the Lab.
Claude Code profile →Same job family, different feel
AI-native editor. The product is the IDE. Strong when you want the agent inside every keystroke, not only in a terminal panel.
Learn more →Completions plus an agent/CLI. The terminal hint “Type copilot” is this guest advertising itself. Not Grok. Not Codex.
Learn more →Cursor-class IDE. Names and prices have moved — confirm on the Lab before you pay.
Learn more →Bring your own key. You watch the bill. Maximum visibility into what the agent runs.
Learn more →Which door for which situation?
These are starting hunches, not rankings. Arm tools on Compare when you want the bench.
First project, empty folder
Fill PROJECT.md. Launch Grok or Codex as this site teaches. Ask for a plan. Approve one step. That is the Alchemy AI on-ramp — not a Claude-only religion.
Large existing codebase
Cursor or Windsurf if you want the editor itself to index the tree. A terminal agent still works if you keep scope tiny.
Already on GitHub / Microsoft
GitHub Copilot is the guest that already lives there. Still give it PROJECT.md. Still you approve deploy.
Want to see every command
Cline or Aider with your own key. Control is the point. The bill is yours.
Private / local-only
Local models via Ollama plus a BYOK agent. Nothing is free of judgment — read where files go before you paste them.
Prices and plan names
Not on this page. They go stale overnight. Open the Lab dossier and check lastVerified.
The kit, then the terminal
Download PROJECT.md. Open a folder. Launch one guest. Wait for a plan.