IDE / EDITOR-CENTERED
CursorWindsurfGitHub Copilot
CLI / TERMINAL-CENTERED
Claude CodeGemini CLIOpenCodeAider
14 · Coding Agents & AI Development Tools
How AI Tools Help Build Software
This module maps coding agents and AI development tools by how they interact with code, repositories, terminals, IDEs, and development workflows.
Understand the difference between a coding model, a coding agent, an IDE-integrated assistant, and a CLI tool.
The Big Picture · coding tool landscape
AGENTIC CODING PRODUCTS
CodexClineRoo Code
These categories describe primary interaction style, not strict product boundaries.
Workflow Map
DEVELOPER GOAL
READ REPOSITORY → UNDERSTAND CONTEXT → PLAN CHANGE
EDIT CODE → RUN COMMANDS / TESTS → REVIEW DIFF
HUMAN ACCEPTS / REVISES
Different coding tools cover different parts of this workflow.
Key Distinctions
Codex≠GPT model
Cursor≠LLM
Coding Agent≠Code Generation
IDE Assistant≠Autonomous Agent
Terminal Access≠Unlimited Permission
How to Compare
Interaction modeRepository awarenessFile editingTerminal accessTool callingPlanningReview / diffHuman controlModel choiceLocal / cloud
Module Takeaway
Coding tools differ mainly in how deeply they participate in the development workflow, not simply which language model they use.