Run Windows programs and agent tools

Ubuntu Terminal runs more than its built-in commands. Any command-line program already installed on Windows can be started from the same prompt.

Run programs that are on your PATH

PATH is the list of folders Windows searches when you type a program's name. Ubuntu Terminal uses your Windows PATH, with its own tools placed first.

If these are installed on your PC, they work by name:

Program	Example
Node.js and npm	node --version, npm install
Python and pip	python --version, pip install requests
SSH (Windows OpenSSH)	ssh user@example.com
Visual Studio Code	code . opens the current folder

To check whether a program is found, and where:

which node

If nothing is printed, the program is not installed or its folder is not on your PATH.

Good to know

A program you install while Ubuntu Terminal is open is not found until you close the app and open it again. The PATH is read when the app starts.

What is included and what comes from Windows

Comes with Ubuntu Terminal	Comes from your Windows installation
The shell and the everyday commands (ls, grep, sed, …)	ssh and ssh-keygen (Windows OpenSSH)
vi	node, npm, python, pip
git	code and other editors
	Coding-agent command-line tools

Linux programs cannot be added: there is no apt, and Windows cannot run Linux binaries. Install the Windows version of a tool, and it becomes available here.

Coding-agent command-line tools

Several coding assistants ship as command-line tools. Ubuntu Terminal does not include any of them, because each needs its own installation and its own account or key. If one is installed on Windows, it runs here like any other command.

See which are installed

Type:

agents

The command checks for eight tool names and marks each one found or not found:

Terminal agents (run here if installed on Windows):
  [ok] claude
  [--] cursor-agent
  [--] cursor
  [--] aider
  [--] codex
  [--] gemini
  [--] amp
  [--] agent

[ok] means the command is on your PATH. [--] means it was not found. Your list will differ.

Below the list, the command prints example install commands. They need Node.js and npm on Windows.

Use one

1. Install the tool on Windows, following its own instructions.

2. Close Ubuntu Terminal and open it again.

3. Type agents and check that the tool shows [ok].

4. Go to your project folder with cd and start the tool by its name.

Signing in, keys, costs and what a tool may change in your files are decided by that tool, not by Ubuntu Terminal. Read its documentation before you let it change a project, and keep your work committed in Git so that you can review and undo changes.

Next steps

• Use Git
• Reference