TeenyCode

A tiny code‑editing agent in TypeScript (200 LOC) — a minimal, hackable CLI that talks to OpenAI and can read, list, and edit files in your working directory.

This repository is for educational purposes, to demonstrate the core elements of a minimal CLI coding agent.

It's adapted from How to build an agent by Amp.

Features

• Chat-based CLI that calls OpenAI and uses tool calls
• File tools: read_file, list_files, edit_file (single, unique replacement or create new file)
• Prefers reading files over guessing; makes the smallest edit that satisfies a request
• Minimal dependencies and simple code you can tweak

[!NOTE] No bash tool added since this is just for educational purposes, you can easily add it yourself.

Requirements

• Node.js 22+
• npm for npx teenycode, or Vite+ (vp) for local development
• An OpenAI API key

Quickstart

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
npx teenycode

Or put OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... in a .env file in the directory where you run npx teenycode.

If you prefer a one-liner:

OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... npx teenycode

If OPENAI_API_KEY is missing, the CLI prints setup instructions and exits.

Local development

vp install
cp .env.example .env
# edit .env and set your API key
vp run start

You'll see a prompt like Chat with <model>. Type your requests. Quit with exit, quit, :q, or Ctrl‑C.

How it works (quick tour)

• src/index.ts: Entry point; checks OPENAI_API_KEY, starts the agent
• src/agent.ts: Chat loop, tool routing, and message state
• src/tools.ts: Three built-in tools implemented with Node fs APIs

The agent uses OpenAI Chat Completions with function/tool calling. Tool inputs are validated with Zod, and schemas are exported to JSON Schema for the model.

Example

➜  teenycode git:(main) ✗ OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... npx teenycode

Chat with gpt-5 (type 'exit' or 'quit' or use Ctrl-C to quit)

You: What is this repo about?

tool: list_files({"path": ""})

tool: read_file({"path":"README.md"})

tool: read_file({"path":"package.json"})

tool: read_file({"path":"src/index.ts"})

tool: read_file({"path":"src/agent.ts"})

tool: read_file({"path":"src/tools.ts"})

Agent: TeenyCode is a tiny, hackable CLI coding agent written in TypeScript (~200 LOC) for educational purposes. It chats with OpenAI and can operate on your local files via three tools:
- read_file: read a file’s contents
- list_files: list files/dirs at a path
- edit_file: make a single, unique text replacement or create a new file

Tools

The agent exposes three file tools:

• read_file (path: string): Reads and returns the text contents of a file at a relative path.
• list_files (path: string): Lists files and directories at the given path (use "." for the current dir).
• edit_file (path: string, old_str: string, new_str: string): Replaces exactly one occurrence of old_str with new_str in the given file.

Conventions:

• All paths are relative to your current working directory.
• The agent prefers reading over guessing and aims to make the smallest possible change.

Notes

• Edits are surgical by design. Keep your work in git and commit often.
• The agent operates relative to your current working directory.

Quality checks

vp check
vp lint --fix
vp fmt
vp test
vp build

Acknowledgements

Adapted from How to build an agent by Amp.