What is Step Code
Step Code is an open-source terminal launched by StepFunprogrammingagent, licensed under the MIT License, capable of directly completing code writing, debugging, execution, and delivery in the terminal. The agent tied for first place with an 80.9% pass rate on the Terminal Bench 2.1 evaluation, with the lowest token consumption among the tied entrants; it also ranked first on the self-built Multi-Frame long-horizon benchmark. Step Code has built-in StepPage one-click static site publishing capability, enabling development and delivery to be closed-loop in the terminal.
Main Features of Step Code
-
Terminal Programming Agent: Directly completes the entire process of code writing, debugging, execution, and delivery in the terminal, with no need to switch development environments.
-
Efficient Long-Horizon Task Execution: By optimizing context management and the tool invocation chain, it reduces redundant information and ineffective calls, allowing long tasks to be completed stably.
-
Low Token Consumption: The lowest token cost among agents that meet the pass-rate target, significantly saving actual usage costs at the same capability level.
-
StepPage One-Click Publishing: After the local static page is built, one command can publish it as an accessible online website.
-
Multi-Platform Support: Supports macOS, Linux, and WSL, with a PowerShell beta version available for Windows.
Follow WeChat and reply “Open Source” to join theAI Open Source Project Communication Group
How to Use Step Code
- Install: On macOS/Linux/WSL, run
curl -fsSL https://static-openapi.stepfun.com/stepcode/install.sh | bash, and on Windows run with PowerShellirm https://static-openapi.stepfun.com/stepcode/install.ps1 | iex。 - Verify Installation: After reopening the terminal, run
step --versionto confirm the installation was successful. - Log In: Run in the terminal
step login, or enter after entering the TUI/login, log in to the Step Plan subscription through browser OAuth, or setSTEP_API_KEYto use an API Key for pay-as-you-go billing. - Enter the project directory and start:
cd /path/to/your/projectthen runstepto enter the interactive TUI. - Describe the Task: In the TUI, directly describe requirements in natural language (such as analyzing project structure or modifying code); for script/CI scenarios, use
step -p "任务描述"for non-interactive execution. - Initialize Project Guidance (Optional): Enter
/initto generateAGENTS.md, an existingCLAUDE.mdcan take effect directly. - Manage Permissions: Use
Shift+Tabto switch among the four permission levels: Ask / Read Only / Bypass / Autopilot. Dangerous commands are separately confirmed in any mode. - Resume Session:
step -cto continue the most recent session,step -rto browse historical sessions and choose one to resume; within the TUI, you can use/resume。 - Common Interactions:
@to reference project files,!命令to directly execute Shell and hand it to the model,EscInterrupt task,/hotkeysView all shortcuts.
Step Code's Core Advantages
- Leading Benchmark Results: Terminal Bench 2.1 pass rate 80.9%, tied for first; on the self-built Multi-Frame long-horizon benchmark, 73.3% pass rate, ranking first.
- Lowest Token Cost: Token consumption in both benchmarks is the lowest among peers in the same tier (long-horizon tasks average 5.09M tokens), saving more money at equivalent capability.
- Reliable on Long-Horizon Tasks: Optimized for long-chain tasks in real-world development, with task completion stability superior to most frontier Agent Harnesses.
- Efficient Context Management: By optimizing context management and the tool-calling chain, it reduces redundant information and ineffective calls, keeping Tokens more focused on advancing the task.
- Built-in One-Click Publishing: The StepPage capability lets a static site go live with a single command after building, enabling a development-debugging-delivery loop within the terminal.
Step Code's Project Address
- GitHub Repository:https://github.com/stepfun-ai/Step-Code
Comparison of Step Code with Similar Competing Products
| Comparison Dimension | Step Code | DeepSeek-TUI |
|---|---|---|
| Tech Stack | Not publicly emphasized (Agent Harness architecture) | Written in Rust, keyboard-driven ratatui full-screen TUI |
| Open Source License | MIT License | MIT License |
| Supported Models | StepFun Step series models | Deeply bound to DeepSeek V4 (v4-pro/v4-flash), 1 million Token context |
| Benchmark Results | Terminal Bench 2.1 pass rate 80.9%, tied for first; Multi-Frame long-horizon benchmark first | No official public benchmark results |
| Token Cost | Lowest in the same tier, long-horizon tasks average 5.09M tokens/task | Auto mode automatically switches between Flash/Pro based on task complexity, dynamically controlling cost |
| Interaction Mode | Four permission levels: Ask / Read Only / Bypass / Autopilot | Three modes: Plan (read-only) / Agent (approval) / YOLO (fully automatic) |
| Featured Features | Built-in StepPage one-click publishing of static sites | LSP diagnostic integration, workspace rollback, sub-agent parallelism (up to 10), real-time cost tracking |
| Extensibility | Open source and co-buildable, ecosystem just getting started | Supports MCP protocol extensions, HTTP/SSE runtime API |
| Installation Method | One-line curl script (macOS/Linux/WSL), Windows via WSL | npm / Cargo / Homebrew / Scoop / Docker / Release binaries, native Windows support |
Step Code's Application Scenarios
-
Getting Started with an Existing Project as a Beginner: For an unfamiliar codebase, directly use natural language to have Step Code analyze the project structure and sort out the logic, lowering the barrier to reading.
-
Feature Development and Bug Fixing: Describe requirements in the terminal (e.g., "add a captcha to the login API"), and it automatically completes code writing, debugging, and execution, suitable for improving daily development efficiency.
-
Long-Chain Refactoring Tasks: Use its long-horizon task capabilities and low token advantage to complete large-scale refactoring across multiple files and multiple steps, with controllable costs.
-
Automation scripts and CI integration: Via the
step -p "任务描述"non-interactive mode, integrate into CI/CD pipelines or scheduled tasks to achieve scripted automated development. -
Rapid static website delivery: After building pages locally, publish them online with a single StepPage command, suitable for rapid delivery scenarios such as personal homepages, documentation sites, and event pages.