MiniMax Code learning map

MiniMax Code is MiniMax's first-party coding agent. The international homepage calls it "The coding harness built for MiniMax models" (minimax.io). The product docs say: "MiniMax Code is a desktop AI Agent app that brings chat, project context, file operations, terminal sessions, browser previews, skills, memory, and automation into one local workspace" (Welcome).

The same product also ships as MiniMax Code CLI. The executable is mcode (CLI Quick Start). That is not a second product.

Product family (Retrieve)

List official first-level entries first, then decide what this site writes. Every row comes from the homepage nav, About, footer, or docs index opened on 2026-08-19.

Official first-level entry	Official URL	This site
MiniMax Code	Welcome, Download, CLI	Standalone pages (this directory)
MiniMax Agent	agent.minimax.io / agent.minimaxi.com	One map line. Web general agent; full write-up is #73
MiniMax Design	design.minimax.io	One map line. Commercial content, not a coding agent
MiniMax Hub	Still used on the CN About nav (about)	One map line. Name collision with Design; no second tutorial
MiniMax Audio	minimax.io/audio	One map line. Speech and music
Hailuo / MiniMax H3	hailuoai.video, models intro	One map line. Video generation
Talkie	International Product nav (minimax.io)	One map line. Character / companion app
星野 (Xingye)	xingyeai.com	One map line. CN counterpart of Talkie
MiniMax M3 and other models	models-intro	One map line. Models are not a product tutorial
Token Plan / API	platform.minimax.io	One map line. Developer platform
Use MiniMax in AI coding tools	text-ai-coding-tools (CN twin: minimaxi.com)	One map line. Point M3 at Claude Code / Cursor. Not MiniMax Code

Sources: minimax.io, minimaxi.com, minimaxi.com/about, agent.minimax.io/docs/llms.txt, models-intro.

This directory's job: MiniMax Code only. Other MiniMax AI products do not get full tutorials here.

Names that collide:

• MiniMax Code ≠ MiniMax Agent. Changelog v3.0.33 renamed the desktop app to MiniMax Code. The web product is still Agent. The docs site is still branded "MiniMax Agent Docs".
• mcode ≠ the minimax shortcut in that changelog. The official CLI command is mcode.
• Putting MiniMax-M3 inside Claude Code ≠ installing MiniMax Code.
• Coding / Work are desktop modes, not products.

See the glossary.

Decision tree

What do you need?
├── Edit a local repo / fix bugs / inspect diffs / run commands
│   └── → MiniMax Code
│       ├── GUI, browser preview, schedules, phone remote?
│       │     → Desktop app (download page)
│       ├── Terminal TUI / scripts / CI / editor ACP?
│       │     → CLI (`mcode`)
│       └── Split work across specialist agents?
│             → Agent Team inside the same product
├── Long-horizon work in the browser, not necessarily a local repo
│   └── → MiniMax Agent (#73; not this directory)
├── Keep Claude Code / Cursor and only swap in MiniMax-M3
│   └── → Open Platform "AI coding tools" guide, not this product
├── Video
│   └── → Hailuo / MiniMax H3 / MiniMax Design
├── Speech / music
│   └── → MiniMax Audio
└── Character chat
    └── → Talkie (intl) or 星野 (CN)

Two surfaces

Official CLI docs: the desktop client is for "graphical task management and result review"; the CLI is closer to "repositories, the terminal, scripts, CI, and editors" (Features).

Surface	Entry	Use when
Desktop	International download / CN download	Tasks, workspace, browser, schedules, Remote Control
CLI · TUI	mcode	Ongoing repo work in a terminal
CLI · Headless	mcode exec	Scripts and CI
CLI · ACP	mcode acp	Embed in an ACP host such as Zed

The desktop app also has Coding / Work modes (same agent, different tool exposure). See the tutorial.

When it is worth trying

Try it if

• You want a first-party agent, not just another model plugged into a third-party tool.
• You want one desktop workspace for the repo, terminal, browser, skills, and memory.
• You want mcode in the terminal: TUI, exec, ACP.
• You already have a MiniMax account or a Token Plan. The M3 post says: "MiniMax Code can be used with MiniMax Token Plans."

Wait if

• You only want MiniMax-M3 inside Claude Code / Cursor — use the Open Platform guide.
• You want the web general agent — that is MiniMax Agent (#73).
• You want video or character chat — Hailuo / Talkie, not Code.
• You need a Linux desktop client — official desktop docs list macOS and Windows only. The CLI supports macOS, Windows, common Linux distros, and WSL. Alpine / musl is not supported.

Learning path

Stage	Read	Goal
1. Install	Tutorial desktop or CLI install	Send the first task after sign-in
2. Modes and workspace	Tutorial: Coding / Work, workspace, permissions	Let it edit local code
3. Workflows	Cookbook	Agent Team, mcode exec, ACP
4. Look up	Cheatsheet	Commands, slash, permission tiers, official links
5. Names	Glossary	Code vs Agent, desktop vs CLI, orthogonal modes

Feature index

Only capabilities that have official doc pages.

Capability	One line	Official page
Coding / Work	Same agent, different tool exposure	modes
Workspace	Attach a local project directory	workspace
Permissions	Confirm file, command, and external actions	permissions
Agent Team	Split complex work across specialist agents	team
Skills / memory / custom agents	Reuse workflows and keep preferences	llms.txt desktop tree
Schedules / Remote Control / IM	Recurring jobs, phone remote, chat apps	Desktop /docs/code/automation/*
CLI TUI / exec / acp	Terminal, scripts, editors	features
Token Plan and check-in credits	See in-product usage	usage

Model internals (MSA, training, benchmarks) stay out of this directory. See Learn LLM and the M3 post.