CodeRabbit CLI - free AI code reviews in your CLI

by
Edgar Cerecerez

Edgar Cerecerez

September 16, 2025

4 min read

Cover image

CodeRabbit started with AI-powered code reviews in pull requests. In May, we brought that same intelligence to VS Code, Cursor, and Windsurf. Now, we're extending the AI code reviews developers love into the command line with CodeRabbit CLI. In case you’re wondering, that makes us the most comprehensive AI code review tool available. We work everywhere you work.

CodeRabbit CLI helps devs perform self-reviews of code directly in their terminal. By providing automated, intelligent code analysis capabilities, it empowers developers to catch issues early, maintain consistent code standards, and make coding autonomous through seamless integration with AI coding agents in the CLI.

Vibe checking your code – now in CLI

CodeRabbit CLI delivers the same comprehensive analysis that makes our PR and IDE reviews effective at catching bugs early. CodeRabbit CLI is free to use with rate limits but with a Pro plan you can enjoy much higher limits and additional features, including:

  • Context-aware analysis: Leverages your Git integration to synthesize insights from 40+ sources including static analysis tools, security scanners, and our codegraph relationship feature for the most comprehensive reviews.

  • Pre-commit reviews: Analyze changes before they leave your machine for multi-layered reviews.

  • One-click fixes: Apply simple fixes instantly or send complex issues to AI agents with full context hand-off.

  • Coding guidelines: Auto-detects agent.md, claude.md, Cursor rules, and other coding agent configuration files.

CodeRabbit CLI: Works everywhere, with everything

Terminal-native means CodeRabbit CLI works with:

  • Any Terminal App/IDE: iTerm2, Ghostty, Neovim, Lazyvim

  • Any AI Coding CLI agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, OpenCode and more

How to use CodeRabbit CLI with AI Coding Agent CLI

The CodeRabbit CLI opens up new integration possibilities with AI coding agents. Here's how it works with Claude Code:

  1. While working on a coding task, you can prompt Claude Code to use CodeRabbit and to fix any issues it finds. This is particularly useful if it’s coding from a PRD, or a tasklist.
Please implement phase 7.3 of the planning doc and then run coderabbit --prompt-only, let it run as long as it needs (run it in the background) and fix any issues.

CodeRabbit CLI - Free AI code reviews in your CLI

2. Claude Code will carry on the coding task and run coderabbit --prompt-only in the background. It may setup a timer interval to check on CodeRabbit. Alternatively, you can also prompt Claude to check if CodeRabbit is complete.

CodeRabbit CLI - Free AI code reviews in your CLI

CodeRabbit running in the background within Claude Code

3. Claude Code will then read the output of CodeRabbit which, by using the --prompt-only flag, provides the output as plain text with prompts for AI agents to read. Claude will then create a tasklist addressing each of the issues surfaced by CodeRabbit.

CodeRabbit CLI - Free AI code reviews in your CLI

CodeRabbit CLI - Free AI code reviews in your CLI

For Claude Code integration and automated workflows, check the CLI documentation for setup.

The CLI has two modes: interactive and plain response , making it easy to integrate into automated workflows or pass results to other tools.

Getting started

CodeRabbit CLI is available now. Install and try your first review:

#install CodeRabbit
curl -fsSL https://cli.coderabbit.ai/install.sh | sh

#Run a review in interactive mode
coderabbit
CR_Flexibility.

Frequently asked questions

What is CodeRabbit CLI?

CodeRabbit CLI is a command-line tool that brings AI-powered code reviews directly into your terminal. It integrates with agentic coding workflows like Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Cursor to review code as it's generated, before it reaches a pull request.

How do I install CodeRabbit CLI?

Run curl -fsSL https://cli.coderabbit.ai/install.sh | sh to install CodeRabbit CLI. It's also available via Homebrew. After installation, authenticate with cr auth login and a browser window opens automatically to complete sign-in.

Is CodeRabbit CLI free?

CodeRabbit CLI is free to use with a CodeRabbit account, with a limit of 3 reviews per hour on the free tier. For unlimited CLI reviews in agentic coding loops, the Usage-Based Add-On provides pay-as-you-go access at $0.25 per file reviewed.

What review modes does CodeRabbit CLI support?

The CLI has three modes: plain mode (default) for detailed feedback with fix suggestions in the terminal; agent mode (cr --agent) for structured JSON output designed for AI coding agent integrations; and interactive mode (cr --interactive) for a terminal UI where you can browse and apply suggestions manually.

What kinds of bugs does CodeRabbit CLI catch?

The CLI detects race conditions and missing locks on shared state, memory leaks such as unclosed streams in error paths, SQL injection and other security vulnerabilities, null pointer and logic errors, missing imports, and syntax errors. Paid plans extend this with codebase-aware analysis that understands your team's patterns and architecture.

Can I use CodeRabbit in my IDE instead of the CLI?

Yes. CodeRabbit offers a VS Code extension that works in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any VS Code-based IDE. It reviews uncommitted changes in real-time, offers one-click fixes, and integrates directly with AI agents including Copilot, Claude Code, Cline, and Roo Code. It also automatically detects team coding standards from files like claude.md and .cursorrules.

Can CodeRabbit CLI be used in CI/CD pipelines?

Yes. The CLI's plain text and agent-optimized output modes make it well-suited for CI/CD pipelines, allowing automated code review to run as part of your build process before changes are merged.

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