A terminal coding agent with a multi-model org chart

Built atop the pi-mono SDK, this interactive CLI gives you a coding assistant that explores codebases, plans changes, writes patches, and reviews its own output. Instead of locking you into a single LLM, it lets you assign different models—or pools of models—to distinct roles like orchestrator, builder, and reviewer.

The interesting bit The orchestrator reads model descriptions and tiers to decide who handles what: a lightweight model for broad codebase scans, a heavy hitter for complex algorithms, and a fresh agent context for independent code review. It even persists multi-session projects via “Ferment,” a state-machine-driven planner that survives crashes and reboots by rehydrating from an append-only event log.

Key highlights

• Role-based model routing: Assign specific models or candidate pools to roles like orchestrator, builder, reviewer, and explorer; the orchestrator picks the best fit per task.
• Ferment mode: A cross-session project manager with a deterministic state machine (draft → planned → running → complete) that persists plans, decisions, and memories in .kimchi/ferments/.
• Phase tracking & tagging: Every LLM request is labeled with a work phase (explore, plan, build, review, research) and customizable tags for cost attribution and analytics.
• Remote teleport (preview): Multiplex remote sandbox sessions from a local TUI home base, spawning and re-attaching to workers without restarting the agent.
• Recovery by audit log: Session and ferment state are stored as append-only logs with pre/post hashes, letting you resume exactly where a crashed session left off.

Caveats

• Requires an API key for Kimchi’s hosted LLM infrastructure; not a fully offline or self-hosted option.
• Remote teleport is explicitly marked as a preview feature.

Verdict Developers who want granular control over which LLM handles which part of a coding task—and who value resumable, auditable project sessions—will find Kimchi compelling. If you prefer a single-model, fire-and-forget assistant or need a fully offline tool, this isn’t your flavor.