Banana Code

AI coding agent CLI powered by Monkey Models. Run cloud models with 4 quality tiers, or connect Anthropic/OpenAI/OpenRouter with /connect.

What's New in v1.2.0

• Monkey Models integration - 4 branded tiers: Silverback, Mandrill, Gibbon, Tamarin
• Multi-provider support - Monkey Models (default) + Anthropic/OpenAI/OpenRouter
• Vision via cloud proxy - Images routed through Gemini Flash transparently
• Extensible prompts - Drop .md files in prompts/ for custom system prompts
• Agentic mode built-in - Tool-calling loop runs locally (read_file, list_files, search_code)
• Model shown in prompt - [mandrill] You --> so you always know what tier you're using

Prerequisites

1. Node.js 18+
2. Monkey Models token (set via BANANA_MONKEY_TOKEN env var or /connect)
3. LM Studio (optional, for local model fallback)

Installation

npm install -g banana-code

Upgrade

npm install -g banana-code@latest

Usage

cd your-project
banana

One-Shot Mode

banana "Add a dark mode toggle to the header"

YOLO Mode (auto-apply all changes)

banana yolo

Model Tiers

Switch between Monkey Models tiers:

/model              Show all models
/model silverback   Switch to Silverback (best quality, heavy coding)
/model mandrill     Switch to Mandrill (balanced, default)
/model gibbon       Switch to Gibbon (fast, quick fixes)
/model tamarin      Switch to Tamarin (budget, simple tasks)
/model anthropic:claude-sonnet-4.6   Switch to connected Anthropic model
/model openai:codex-5.3-medium       Switch to connected OpenAI Codex model
/model search gemini                 Search OpenRouter catalog and add/switch model

Connect remote providers:

/connect                   Interactive provider wizard
/connect anthropic         Connect Anthropic with API key
/connect openrouter        Connect OpenRouter with API key
/connect openai            Connect OpenAI via OAuth device code
/connect status            Show connection status

Model choice persists across sessions. The active model shows in your prompt:

[mandrill] You --> fix the auth bug
[silverback] You --> refactor this whole module

Prompt System

Banana ships with two prompts:

• base - General coding assistant (default)
• code-agent - Optimized for agentic tool-calling mode

Add custom prompts by dropping .md files in the prompts/ directory:

/prompt             Show available prompts
/prompt base        Switch to base prompt

Commands

File Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | /files | List files currently in context | | /read <path> | Add file to context (supports globs) | | /unread <path> | Remove file from context | | /tree | Show project structure | | /find <pattern> | Find files matching pattern | | /grep <text> | Search for text in files | | /image <path> | Add image (vision via Monkey Models proxy) |

Mode Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | /plan | Toggle PLAN mode (preview only) | | /ask | Toggle ASK mode (questions only) | | /yolo | Toggle YOLO mode (auto-apply) | | /agent | Toggle agentic mode (AI reads files on demand) | | /steer <message> | Steer next turn, or interrupt + redirect a running turn | | /model [name] | Show/switch model | | /connect [provider] | Connect/manage remote providers | | /prompt [name] | Show/switch system prompt |

Git, Session, Config, System

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | /git | Git status | | /diff | Uncommitted changes | | /log | Recent commits | | /clear | Clear conversation & context | | /save <name> | Save session | | /load <name> | Load session | | /config | Show configuration | | /run <cmd> | Run shell command | | /undo | Show backups | | /restore <path> | Restore from backup | | /help | All commands |

Keyboard Shortcuts

| Key | Action | |-----|--------| | Up / Down | Navigate command history | | Tab | Auto-complete | | Shift+Tab | Cycle modes (code -> plan -> ask) | | Alt+V | Paste screenshot from clipboard | | Escape | Cancel current request |

Architecture

Banana Code v1.2.0  ──────────>  Monkey Models (cloud API)
├── banana.js                     4 tiers: Silverback, Mandrill, Gibbon, Tamarin
├── models.json                 + Remote Providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter)
├── prompts/                    + LM Studio (local fallback)
│   ├── base.md
│   └── code-agent.md
└── lib/
    ├── monkeyModels.js    Monkey Models API client
    ├── lmStudio.js        Local LM Studio API client (fallback)
    ├── providerStore.js   Global provider credentials/aliases
    ├── providerManager.js Provider routing + auth handling
    ├── modelRegistry.js   Model switching
    ├── promptManager.js   Prompt loading
    ├── agenticRunner.js   Tool-calling loop
    ├── streamHandler.js   SSE processing
    ├── visionAnalyzer.js  Vision via Monkey Models proxy
    └── [9 more modules]

Vision Support

Images are sent as image_url content blocks to Monkey Models. The server transparently proxies them through Gemini Flash for analysis and injects a rich text description for the coding model.

• Clipboard paste (Alt+V) and file path (/image screenshot.png)
• Supported formats: base64 data URIs and public URLs

Project Instructions

Create BANANA.md in your project root for project-specific AI context (like CLAUDE.md for Claude Code):

# BANANA.md

This file provides project-specific instructions to Banana Code.

## Project Overview
- React 18 with TypeScript
- Use functional components
- API is in src/api/

Also supports the legacy .banana/instructions.md as a fallback.

Steering Messages

Use /steer to inject additional guidance into the next turn without editing prompts:

/steer Focus on minimal diffs and skip refactors unless requested
/steer status
/steer show
/steer clear
/steer on
/steer off

Queued steering messages are inserted as extra user guidance before your next request, then automatically consumed after a successful turn. If a turn is currently running, enter /steer <text> and press Enter to interrupt and continue with the new steering.

Environment Variables

| Variable | Purpose | Default | |----------|---------|---------| | BANANA_MONKEY_TOKEN | Monkey Models API token | -- | | BANANA_LM_STUDIO_URL | LM Studio URL (local fallback) | http://localhost:1234 | | GEMINI_API_KEY | Gemini vision fallback | -- | | ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | Anthropic API key fallback (if not saved via /connect) | -- | | OPENROUTER_API_KEY | OpenRouter API key fallback (if not saved via /connect) | -- | | BANANA_DEBUG | Enable/disable debug logging (1/0) | 1 (enabled by default) | | BANANA_DEBUG_PATH | Debug log file path | ~/.banana/logs/banana-YYYY-MM-DD.log |

By default, Banana writes debug logs to ~/.banana/logs/ on every run. Set BANANA_DEBUG=0 to turn this off.

Changelog

v1.2.0

• Rebranded from Ripley Code to Banana Code
• Monkey Models integration (4 cloud tiers: Silverback, Mandrill, Gibbon, Tamarin)
• Vision via Monkey Models Gemini proxy
• Banana yellow (#FFD60A) color scheme
• New ASCII banner and breathing glow animation

v4.0.0 (as Ripley Code)

• Direct LM Studio connection (removed AI Router dependency)
• Named model profiles with /model switching
• Auto-discovery of model IDs from LM Studio
• Local vision model support with Gemini fallback
• Extensible prompt system (drop .md files in prompts/)
• Agentic tool-calling loop runs locally

License

MIT