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What is San?
San functions as a versatile agent platform that operates directly in the terminal environment. Users can switch between language models, integrate different search tools, and apply custom personas defined in markdown files. The system also accommodates skills, plugins, and subagents without requiring modifications. Built as a minimal binary around twelve megabytes in size, San achieves rapid startup and low memory usage across diverse hardware. It runs consistently on laptops, cloud instances, and constrained edge devices while maintaining compatibility with existing agent components from other frameworks. The runtime includes automatic session saving and a background process that refines memory and skills over time. This design allows the agent to improve progressively based on ongoing work without manual intervention.
Key features
Open by design with swappable layers at runtime
Multi-LLM provider support (Anthropic to Z.ai)
Pluggable search (Exa, Tavily, Brave, Serper)
Skills, plugins, MCP servers, and subagents (Claude Code compatible)
Markdown-defined personas for system prompt, skills, and config
Native Go binary with 12 MB size and ~0.01s startup
Self-evolving with background reviewer for memory and skills
What you can use San for
Terminal-Based Agent Workflows
San runs as a single binary in the terminal to handle coding and agent tasks with support for session persistence and automatic context management.
Flexible LLM and Tool Switching
Users can switch between multiple LLM providers and search services at runtime using simple commands without any vendor lock-in.
Lightweight Edge and CI Deployment
The Go-based runtime deploys unchanged across laptops, cloud VMs, ARM devices, containers, and air-gapped environments for consistent agent execution.
How to use San
- 1Run the curl install command from the repository
- 2Launch the San binary in your terminal
- 3Choose an LLM provider using the /model command
- 4Select or create a persona with the /persona command
- 5Begin agent interactions for coding or search tasks
San pricing
Pricing model: Open Source. Plan details are indicative — check the site for current prices.
Apache 2.0
Free
- Full source access
- Unlimited use
- No runtime dependencies
Editor's verdict
Pros
- +5-8× smaller and faster than Claude Code on same tasks
- +Runs anywhere as single ~12 MB binary with zero runtime dependencies
- +Open-source under Apache 2.0 with session persistence
Cons
- –Terminal-only interface
- –macOS and Linux support only (no Windows mentioned)
Our take: San is a solid coding & dev choice. It's valued for 5-8× smaller and faster than claude code on same tasks and runs anywhere as single ~12 mb binary with zero runtime dependencies. The main trade-off is terminal-only interface. A good pick if you want capable AI without a high upfront cost.
Frequently asked questions
San is released under the Apache 2.0 license as an open-source project.
Summary
San is a solid coding & dev choice. It's valued for 5-8× smaller and faster than claude code on same tasks and runs anywhere as single ~12 mb binary with zero runtime dependencies. The main trade-off is terminal-only interface. A good pick if you want capable AI without a high upfront cost.
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