Gritcode
Sponsor Download
Gritcode / Linux
Linux

A native AI coding agent for Linux

Gritcode is a GUI coding agent that feels at home on the Linux desktop: native GTK widgets, a sub-1 MB .deb, and no Electron. It's free, open source and runs DeepSeek V4, or a free model with no API key.

Download .deb 0.9 MB Build from source GitHub
A real session on Debian 13 with Xfce: fast-forwarded while the agent works, slowed down whenever the app is on screen. The agent builds a wxPython video clipper from an empty folder, with a saved session open for reference on the left, and finishes with its own verification report.

Why Linux developers pick Gritcode

  • Native GTK, not a browser engine. It follows your GTK theme, including dark mode, and starts instantly.
  • Tiny. The .deb is under 1 MB, and the app uses about 70 MB of RAM on Linux, depending on session size.
  • Your shell, your tools. The agent runs commands with your login shell's environment, so your PATH, toolchains and virtualenvs just work.
  • Keys in your keyring. API keys go through the Secret Service API (GNOME Keyring and compatible providers), not a dotfile.
  • Open source, GPLv3. Build it yourself on any distribution.

Linux coding agents with a GUI in 2026

Most coding agents on Linux are terminal-first: Claude Code, Aider and Codex CLI. Desktop GUIs are arriving, but mostly as betas built on Electron:

AppLinux GUITechnologyOpen source
GritcodeStable .deb; build from source anywhereNative GTK (C++20, wxWidgets)Yes, GPLv3
Claude DesktopBeta for Ubuntu and Debian (since June 2026)ElectronNo
CursorYes (full IDE)Electron (VS Code fork)No
OpenAI Codex appmacOS and Windows only at the time of writing——

As of 14 Sep 2026. Check each vendor for current Linux support.

Install on Ubuntu or Debian

  1. Download the .deb from the button above or from GitHub Releases. It's built on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS; on older releases, build from source.
  2. Install it with apt, which pulls in the dependencies:
    sudo apt install ./gritcode-*-Linux.deb
  3. Launch Gritcode from your application menu, pick a project folder and start prompting. The free model works right away.

Build from source (Fedora, Arch and others)

On Debian and Ubuntu:

sudo apt install build-essential cmake ninja-build pkg-config \
    libwxgtk3.2-dev libgtk-3-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev \
    libsqlite3-dev libsecret-1-dev
git clone https://github.com/lszl84/gritcode.git && cd gritcode
cmake --preset release
cmake --build --preset release
./build/gritcode

On other distributions, install the equivalent development packages for wxWidgets 3.2 (GTK 3), GTK 3, libcurl, SQLite and libsecret, plus CMake and Ninja, then run the same cmake commands. Distro packages such as AUR or Flathub aren't available yet. Contributions are welcome.

Set up a model

Gritcode starts on the Kilo Free model, with no key and no sign-up. For more power, click the gear icon gear button in the bottom toolbar, add a DeepSeek API key in Settings, and choose DeepSeek V4 Pro or V4.1 Flash. More about using DeepSeek in Gritcode →

FAQ

Does Gritcode run on Linux?

Yes. Gritcode ships a .deb package for Ubuntu and Debian and can be built from source on other distributions. It uses native GTK widgets.

Is there a Claude Code GUI for Linux?

Anthropic's Claude Desktop has a Linux beta for Ubuntu and Debian. Gritcode is an open-source, native alternative that runs DeepSeek V4 or a free model instead of Claude. See Gritcode vs Claude Code.

Are there Fedora or Arch packages?

Not yet. On Fedora, Arch and other distributions, build Gritcode from source with CMake.

Where does Gritcode store my API key on Linux?

In your desktop keyring through the Secret Service API, for example GNOME Keyring, not in a plain-text file.

Bring a native agent to your Linux desktop.

Free, open source, under 1 MB to download.

Download .deb ♥ Sponsor