# tokenworm

> tokenworm is the systems-language agent SDK — an MIT-licensed AI coding agent written in Zig 0.16 that ships as a 960KB native binary with zero runtime dependencies. The same agent core is exposed as a CLI, a C ABI library (libtokenworm.so / .dylib), and idiomatic SDKs for Python, TypeScript, and Go. The README reports an 8ms cold start, 2.4MB idle memory, and a binary .tworm session format that is 5x smaller and 20x faster to parse than JSONL.

tokenworm is a neul-labs project. The product surface is small on purpose: six built-in tools (read, write, edit, bash, grep, glob), five LLM providers (OpenCode Zen, Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama, MiniMax), 18 lifecycle hooks, SKILL.md skills, MCP integration (stdio and SSE), and OS-native sandboxing via bubblewrap on Linux and sandbox-exec on macOS.

## Docs

- [Home](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/): Overview, install, quickstart, six tools, five providers, architecture
- [Features](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/features/): The full feature set — native binary, six tools, five providers, C ABI + SDKs, hooks/skills/MCP, sandboxing, .tworm sessions
- [How it works](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/how-it-works/): The C ABI architecture — one Zig core, thin SDK bindings, agent loop, providers, tools, sandbox, sessions
- [Quickstart](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/quickstart/): Install, set a provider key, run your first task from the CLI or Python SDK
- [Providers](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/providers/): The five LLM providers (OpenCode Zen, Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama, MiniMax) and runtime switching
- [Glossary](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/glossary/): Definitions — C ABI, native binary, MCP, SKILL.md, hooks, sandboxing, agent loop, .tworm sessions
- [FAQ](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/faq/): Why Zig, binary size, providers, tools, sandboxing, MCP, multi-language, license
- [About](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/about/): Why a systems language, why a C ABI, what is in and out of scope

## Use cases

- [Use cases index](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/use-cases/): Where tokenworm fits — three walkthroughs
- [Embed an agent in a native app](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/use-cases/embedded-agent-in-c-app/): Drive the agent from C/C++/Rust via the C ABI — no runtime to bundle
- [A coding agent in CI](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/use-cases/ci-coding-agent/): Run an agent step without an npm/pip install of a heavy runtime
- [One agent across Python, TS, and Go](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/use-cases/multi-language-sdk/): One Zig core, thin idiomatic bindings, portable sessions

## Blog

- [Blog index](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/blog/): Long-form notes on native-binary AI agents
- [Why a 960KB binary changes the AI agent deployment story](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/blog/why-a-960kb-binary-changes-the-ai-agent-deployment-story/): How binary size, 8ms cold start, and 2.4MB idle memory unlock deployment shapes that 200MB Node/Python runtimes cannot
- [C ABI as the universal AI SDK boundary](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/blog/c-abi-as-the-universal-ai-sdk-boundary/): Why making the C ABI (src/lib/ffi.zig) the source of truth is the load-bearing decision behind every SDK
- [When systems languages start winning the agent layer](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/blog/when-systems-languages-start-winning-the-agent-layer/): The case for systems languages at the agent layer — the shift from first-wave Python/Node to second-wave native binaries

## Compare

- [Compare index](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/compare/): README-grounded comparisons with other agent SDKs
- [vs Claude Agent SDK](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk/): Per-row comparison on runtime dependency, binary size, cold start, sandbox, providers, sessions, and tool dispatch — sourced from the README's vs-table
- [vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/compare/openai-agents-sdk/): The same per-row comparison applied to the OpenAI Agents SDK columns from the README's vs-table

## Project

- Source: https://github.com/neul-labs/tokenworm
- Documentation: https://docs.neullabs.com/tokenworm/
- License: MIT
- Language: Zig 0.16

## Optional

- [RSS](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/rss.xml): Blog feed
- [llms-full.txt](https://tokenworm.neullabs.com/llms-full.txt): Full single-page index of every public route