Banana Code

Banana Code is a fast, local AI coding agent for the terminal. It is powered by Monkey Models out of the box and ships with a Banana-flavored TUI, BANANA.md project instructions, MCP support, LSP-aware tools, and build/plan agents for real software work.

Install

npm install -g banana-code

Equivalents: bun add -g banana-code · pnpm add -g banana-code · yarn global add banana-code.

Or run without installing (uses npm's cache):

npx banana-code

Launch

After install, two commands are available — pick whichever you like, they both launch Banana Code:

banana            # primary command
bananacode        # alias

Run inside any project:

cd your-project
banana

Useful Subcommands

banana --version            # check version
banana --help               # see all subcommands
banana auth login           # auth a model provider (anthropic/openai/etc.)
banana mcp list             # list configured MCP servers
banana mcp add              # interactive MCP add wizard
banana mcp debug <name>     # probe a remote MCP server
banana upgrade              # self-upgrade

For upgrade notes, legacy v1 fallback, and feature changes, read the v2 release notes.

Monkey Models

Banana Code works immediately with the bundled public Monkey Models token:

• monkey/silverback is the default model.
• monkey/silverback is the high-capability tier.
• monkey/tamarin is the lightweight tier.

You can override the bundled token with BANANA_MONKEY_TOKEN. To route through your own OpenRouter key, set BANANA_OPENROUTER_KEY.

Instructions

~/.bananacode/.banana.md is created during install if it is missing. Use it for global instructions that apply across your Banana Code sessions.

Create a BANANA.md file at your project root to give Banana Code repo-specific instructions. After the hidden base prompt and global instructions, Banana loads project instruction files in this order:

1. BANANA.md
2. AGENTS.md
3. CLAUDE.md
4. CONTEXT.md

Slash Commands

Banana Code includes the upstream command system plus Banana commands:

• /banana shows the Banana Code wordmark.
• /joke drops a quick Banana one-liner.
• /peel asks for concise Banana help.
• /ripen summarizes the session for continuation.
• /monkey reports Monkey Models status.
• /instructions shows the loaded Banana instruction files.

Configuration

Banana Code stores data under the banana app namespace:

• Config: ~/.config/banana
• Data: ~/.local/share/banana
• State: ~/.local/state/banana
• Temp: system temp banana

BANANA_* environment variables are preferred. Legacy OPENCODE_* variables are read as a temporary compatibility fallback during the v2 cutover.

Credits

Banana Code is a hard fork built on MIT-licensed OpenCode internals, reworked as Banana Code by Matt Johnston and powered by Monkey Models.