gpt-engineer

What it is for

gpt-engineer is an MIT CLI that turns a prompt into a repo: you describe an app, it writes the files, and you iterate from the generated tree. Use it when the job is a local code-generation loop you run yourself.

The software is $0. The GitHub repository is archived (read-only, April 2026). Lovable is the hosted successor the README points to.

What makes it unique: the official GitHub example still (see the cover) is the generated workspace — file tree (server.py, snake.py, main.js) plus the code the CLI wrote.

Key features

• Prompt-to-repo — put instructions in a prompt file; gpte writes the project tree (README).
• Improve existing code — gpte <project_dir> -i against a folder you already have.
• Clarifying questions — the official example asks about rules, then writes files.
• Preprompts — override the agent identity with --use-custom-preprompts.
• Vision input — pass --image_directory for a vision-capable model.
• Backends — user guides cover OpenAI, OpenRouter, Azure, and local models.

Who it's for

Best fit: builders who want the original CLI and will run it from the archived tree, or who are moving the same workflow to Lovable.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) from gpt-engineer.readthedocs.io and github.com/AntonOsika/gpt-engineer (MIT, archived).

• CLI — $0. MIT.
• Tokens — billed by the model vendor you connect.
• Lovable — hosted successor; see Lovable for live seat dollars.

Limitations / costs

• The upstream repo is archived. Docs stay up as the public install path.
• $0 is the CLI. Generated runs still spend vendor tokens.
• Cover is the official GitHub example still of the generated workspace in the editor.
• Hosted product dollars live on Lovable.

Alternatives

• Lovable — hosted prompt-to-app with a live preview.
• Bolt — prompt-to-full-stack in the browser.
• OpenCode — MIT TUI/desktop/IDE still in active development.

Official tutorial

Written Welcome to GPT-ENGINEER’s Documentation plus the Quickstart (install, API key, gpt-engineer).

Website

https://gpt-engineer.readthedocs.io

Repository

https://github.com/AntonOsika/gpt-engineer

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is a still from the official gpt-engineer example on the README (generated snake workspace in the editor). Software $0 MIT; tokens billed by the vendor you connect. Lovable is the hosted successor named on the archive banner.

Last verified

2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.