// HACKER NEWS — CYBERSECURITY
Autolith: A programming agent with a live runtime
Autolith runs in a terminal and works directly in your repository.
It can read and edit files, search the workspace, run commands and
tests, keep project context, and use Common Lisp without leaving the
conversation.
For developers who want an agent they can inspect, extend, and recover.
Autolith targets Linux x86-64. The binary release carries its own
SBCL, Lisp dependencies, and native helpers; it checks for newer
tagged releases and asks before updating. Nix is the recommended
route when you want the complete build pinned from the start.
Yes, piping a URL into a shell is evil. Read the installer before
running it. Nix is the better installation path.
Autolith executes model-generated code with your user privileges.
Its process boundaries protect reliability, not against hostile
code. Use it as a development agent, not as a security sandbox.
This is a captured read-only session from autolith --immutable.
The prompt asks for one repository listing; the tool output is shortened
only by Autolith's normal terminal limit.
The transcript reveals itself in order: request, tool call, bounded
result, then the assistant's answer. It is the terminal's actual
formatting, not a simulated chat window.
Autolith is a terminal programming agent, not a wrapper around another
agent process. Its Common Lisp image contains the provider
client, terminal interface, tool registry, conversation state,
persistent memories, workspace agenda, and the code that decides what
happens next.
It talks directly to the ChatGPT Codex subscription service. The Codex
CLI is neither launched nor bundled. Filesystem, shell, search,
memory, and Lisp operations remain explicit tools with visible results.
Workspace search runs in-process through
fff, a fast Rust
search library. Autolith keeps the index warm instead of starting a
new search process for every query.