Mel – the agentic terminal
The AI terminal for teams.
Learn · agentic coding for Mac and Windows
Agentic coding on Mac and Windows
Updated
Agentic coding is handing a task to AI agents that plan it, run commands, edit files and test the result while you review. Doing it on both Mac and Windows needs a tool that runs natively on each and understands each system's shell, paths and commands.
Mel – the agentic terminal runs on macOS, Windows and Linux with the same agents, the same approvals and the same plans. Mixed teams are the norm: a Mac laptop at home, a Windows desktop at work, a Linux server in CI. An agent that only works well on one of them leaves the others behind.
What changes between Mac and Windows
| Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|
| Default shell | zsh | PowerShell or Command Prompt |
| Paths | /Users/you/project | C:\Users\you\project |
| Common commands | ls, grep, lsof | dir, findstr, netstat |
| Package managers | Homebrew, npm, pip | winget, npm, pip |
| Line endings | LF | Often CRLF |
An agent working on Windows has to write commands for the shell that will actually run them, keep a file's line endings when it edits it, and know that rm -rf is not a Windows command.
What a cross-platform agentic coding tool needs
- A native app on each system, not only a Linux build under a compatibility layer.
- The right shell. Commands passed to the shell exactly as written, with that shell's quoting rules.
- Careful edits. A file's line endings and encoding kept as they were.
- The same controls everywhere, so approvals you trust on one machine mean the same on the other.
- One account and one plan across machines.
How Mel does it
- macOS 11+ on Apple Silicon and Intel; Windows 10 and 11 (x64); Linux. Plus a VS Code extension for the editor side.
- Your shell on each. On Mac and Linux, Mel runs your login shell and reads its environment; on Windows, your typed line goes to
cmd.exeexactly as typed. - Edits that respect the file. Mel's file edits keep the file's line endings and byte-order mark.
- A team of agents that plans, builds, tests and ships, the same on every system.
- Configurable approvals, identical across platforms. A command that cannot be undone always asks.
- One plan: free with your own API key, Pro $20 a month or Max $200 a month for hosted credits, Business $50 a seat a month with shared credits on one invoice.
FAQ
Can I do agentic coding on Windows? Yes. Mel runs natively on Windows 10 and 11, with the same team of agents as on Mac.
Do I need WSL for agentic coding on Windows? Not for Mel. It is a native Windows app.
Is Mel the same on Mac and Windows? Yes: the same agents, approvals, models and plans. Shortcuts follow each system, such as ⌘ on Mac and Ctrl on Windows.
Which models can the agents use? Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen and more. Business workspaces use US providers only.
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Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Mel is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.
Mel – the agentic terminal · openmel.dev. A multi-agent, multi-model AI terminal for Mac, Windows, Linux and VS Code. Free with your own API key.