Overview
Dropstone CLI is an agentic coding tool that runs in your terminal. Ask it to read code, run commands, plan changes, and edit files, all from your shell.
Dropstone is the fastest path to agentic coding if you live in the terminal. This page gets you installed, signed in, and into your first conversation.
Prerequisites
- A modern terminal emulator. Any will do; we test against WezTerm, Alacritty, Ghostty, and Kitty.
- A Dropstone account. Sign up at dropstone.io to use the built-in model lineup (Fast, Pro, Heavy).
Install
Homebrew (recommended):
brew tap blankline-org/dropstone-cli
brew install dropstone
Or the install script:
curl -fsSL https://dropstone.io/install | bash
Both methods drop a single dropstone binary on your PATH. No Node, no runtime dependencies.
Verify the install:
dropstone --version
Sign in
Move into any project directory and start Dropstone:
cd /path/to/your/project
dropstone
On first launch you will be prompted to sign in. Two options:
- Continue in browser (recommended). Opens dropstone.io/login, signs you in, and hands the token back to the CLI automatically. Uses PKCE so the token never appears in your browser URL bar.
- Paste a token. For SSH or headless sessions. Get a token at dropstone.io/account and paste it in.
Run /login from inside Dropstone to switch accounts later.
Pick a model
Dropstone ships three model tiers. All three are hosted on US infrastructure and tuned for coding.
| Tier | Model | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fast | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Quick edits, scaffolding, single-file refactors. The default tier. |
| Pro | DeepSeek V4 Pro | Multi-file refactors, cross-cutting changes, broader reasoning. |
| Heavy | Kimi K2.6 | Architecture decisions, large migrations, ambiguous or research-heavy debugging. |
Switch tiers during a session with /effort low, /effort medium, /effort high, or /effort xhigh. Ctrl+T cycles through them. See Models for more.
Initialize a project
Inside a project root, run:
/init
Dropstone scans your project structure and creates an AGENTS.md file at the repo root. Commit it to git: this is where you encode the project conventions, build commands, and gotchas Dropstone should know on every prompt.
See Rules (AGENTS.md) for the full format.
First conversation
You are ready. Ask questions, request changes, or plan features.
Ask about the code
How is authentication handled in @src/auth/session.ts?
Use @ to fuzzy-search for files and pin them into the prompt.
Plan before building
Press Tab to switch into Plan mode. In Plan mode, Dropstone cannot edit files; it only describes what it would do.
Add a "deleted_at" column to the notes table. Then build a screen that
lists recently deleted notes with restore and permanent-delete buttons.
Iterate on the plan. When you are happy, press Tab again to return to Build mode and tell it to go.
Direct edits
For small changes, skip the plan:
Add auth to /settings the same way it is handled in /notes.
Undo and redo
/undo
/redo
/undo reverts the previous edit cycle and re-displays your prompt so you can tweak it. Run it multiple times to walk back further. /redo replays an undone step.
Usage and limits
Type /usage to see your weekly usage, plan tier, and reset countdown. Type /upgrade to open the pricing page if you want more headroom.