What is the best AI terminal for Linux?

An AI terminal for Linux is a terminal app with AI built in that runs natively on Linux: plain-English requests, error help and agents that run commands, edit files and test the work. The best one installs cleanly on the distribution you already use and works with your own shell and tools.

Mel – the agentic terminal runs on Linux as a native app, with a team of AI agents in the same window as your command line. On Linux the details matter: which distributions a build supports, whether the app sees the tools in your PATH, and whether agents ask before they change things on your machine.

What to look for in an AI terminal for Linux

1. A native Linux build that runs on your distribution, not only on one.
2. Your shell and your tools. The agents should see the same PATH, version managers and environment variables your shell does.
3. Agents that act: run commands, edit files, run tests and read the results.
4. Approvals for the commands and edits you choose, with a person asked before anything that cannot be undone.
5. Model choice, so you are not tied to one AI company.
6. Room for the CLI agents you use, such as Claude Code, Codex CLI or Gemini CLI.

How Mel works on Linux

• One tarball for any x86_64 distribution: Mel-linux-x86_64.tar.gz. Mel needs OpenGL.
• Your shell's environment. Mel loads your shell's environment once at start, so the tools you installed from your shell profile are found.
• Command blocks, split panes and tabs, the same as on Mac and Windows.
• A team of agents that plans, builds, tests and ships a task.
• Configurable approvals. A command that cannot be undone asks a person whatever the setting.
• SSH sessions. Open an SSH session in a pane, and the agent can work on the remote machine.
• The same plans everywhere: free with your own API key, or Pro and Max with hosted credits.

How the options compare

Getting started on Linux

1. Download Mel-linux-x86_64.tar.gz from the download page.
2. Check the file against the SHA-256 checksum published next to it.
3. Extract it and run ./mel from the extracted folder.
4. To add Mel to your app menu, run ./install.sh from the same folder. It puts mel in ~/.local/bin and adds the desktop entry and icons for your user.
5. Run a few normal commands such as ls or git status, then add your own API key for free use, or sign in to Pro or Max for hosted credits.
6. Hand over a small task, and read the diff before you commit.

The commands for steps 2 to 4:

sha256sum Mel-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf Mel-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
./install.sh
./mel

FAQ

What is the best AI terminal for Linux? One that runs natively on your distribution, sees your shell's tools, and adds agents you control. Mel does that on any x86_64 Linux distribution, free with your own API key.

Which Linux distributions does Mel support? Mel ships one tarball for x86_64 Linux that runs on any distribution with OpenGL.

Do I need root to install Mel? No. You can run ./mel straight from the extracted folder, and ./install.sh installs it for your user only, under ~/.local.

Where does Mel keep my API key on Linux? In a file only your user account can read. Mel's relay uses the key for each request and does not store it.

Can I use my own API key on Linux? Yes. Mel is free with your own API key on Mac, Windows and Linux. You pay your model provider for the usage.

• What is an AI terminal?
• What is the best AI terminal for Windows?
• What is the best AI terminal for Mac?
• How to approve or block commands an AI agent runs
• Compare Mel