Installation & Setup

Mnethos is a CLI-based coding harness — think Claude Code, but with first-class support for many AI providers. It works equally well with cloud models, open-weight models, and models running locally.

Prerequisites

Installation

Step 1. Install the Mnethos binary

curl -fsSL https://mnethos.com/cli | sh

This works on macOS, Linux, Android, and Windows via WSL or Git Bash.

Verify the installation:

mnethos --help

Step 2. Configure the Zsh plugin

Mnethos integrates with Zsh to let you send prompts directly from your shell prompt. Run the setup wizard:

mnethos zsh setup

Follow the interactive prompts. Once complete, you must restart your terminal for the plugin to take effect. Open a new terminal window, or reload the current session:

exec zsh

Important The Zsh plugin will not be active until you restart your terminal. If the : prompt trigger isn't working, this is the most common cause.

If you're still having trouble, run the diagnostics command:

mnethos zsh doctor

This checks your environment and reports any configuration issues with the Zsh plugin.

Step 3. Log in to an AI provider

Mnethos needs access to at least one AI model. Run:

:login

This walks you through selecting a provider and entering your API key.

If you already have a ChatGPT Plus or Claude subscription, select the corresponding provider (OpenAI or Anthropic) and use that subscription's API access instead of buying a separate key.

Recommended providers

  • OpenRouter — one key, 300+ models from every major vendor
  • OpenAI — GPT Codex series
  • Anthropic — Claude Sonnet and Opus series

Recommended models

  • Proprietary: Claude Sonnet & Opus series, GPT Codex series
  • Open-source: GLM, Kimi, Minimax

After logging in, pick a model:

:model

Browse the list, type to filter, and press Enter. Mnethos remembers your choice across sessions. You can change it anytime.

Step 4. Send your first prompt

With the Zsh plugin active and the LLM provider set up, type : followed by a space and your prompt:

: Hi! What is the time?

Mnethos takes it from there.

Step 5. Explore available commands

To see all available Mnethos commands, type : and press Tab (without space):

: # then press Tab WITHOUT space

This lists every command you can run directly from your shell.

Next Steps

Once you're set up, enable Mnethos Services for enhanced codebase understanding, tool-call guardrails, and a semantic search engine — no API key required.