Mistral AI logo, a pixel-style M in yellow, orange and red blocks, for a guide to the Mistral Vibe 3.1 CLI release

Mistral Vibe 3.1: Power-User Guide to the November 2026 CLI Release

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Last updated: November 4, 2026

Mistral Vibe 3.1, released November 4, 2026, adds a /context command that shows what fills the context window, a footer meter for monthly Vibe Code usage, image reading in read_file and Ctrl+R prompt history search. It also makes copy-on-write worktrees the macOS default and fixes config overwrites and shell interrupts.

Contents

Mistral Vibe is Mistral AI’s open-source terminal coding agent, the CLI side of Vibe Code. The v3.1.0 release on GitHub was published on November 4, 2026, five days after v3.0.4. It is the first minor version since the 3.0 line, which we covered in our Mistral Vibe CLI 3.0 guide.

What’s new at a glance

Feature What it does How to use it
/context command Per-category token estimates for the context window Type /context or click the footer token counter
Usage meter Footer shows monthly Vibe Code usage, yellow then red, or PAYG On by default when signed in with a plan
Image reading read_file can open an image so the model sees it Needs a model that reads images
History search Ctrl+R searches previous prompts Voice recording moved to Ctrl+T
Worktrees on macOS Copy-on-write clones of a template checkout are now the default worktree_copy_on_write = false to turn off
File autocomplete switch Turns off @ file completion and its background index enable_file_autocomplete or VIBE_ENABLE_FILE_AUTOCOMPLETE
Mistral MCP connector Built-in connector, experimental experimental_enable_mistral_mcp_connector
Themes mistral-dark and mistral-light /theme or theme in config.toml

The /context command and footer gauges

The most useful addition for long sessions is /context. It lists what is filling the context window, split into the system prompt, tool definitions, skills, the conversation, free space and the auto-compaction buffer, each with a token estimate. You can also open it by clicking the token counter in the footer.

This helps when sessions compact earlier than expected. According to the project README, Vibe takes a model’s context window from its configured max_context_length, then the known window for that model, and falls back to 262,144 tokens.

The footer was also redesigned. The context gauge now reads as a bar with a label such as ctx 23k/600k, the model and thinking level moved to the top border of the input box (click it to open /model), and a copy icon after the working directory copies the full path.

Monthly usage meter and pay-as-you-go

The footer now shows how much of your monthly Vibe Code usage is spent. It turns yellow and then red as you approach the limit, or shows PAYG when pay-as-you-go covers usage past it.

The CLI install and setup docs explain that signing in through the browser uses your Mistral plan, with usage and rate limits based on your plan and pay-as-you-go settings; an API key is the alternative. On the Mistral pricing page, Free includes limited coding sessions, while Pro ($14.99 per month) and Team ($24.99 per user per month) include all-day coding in the CLI, IDE or on web, subject to fair usage limits. PAYG credits let you continue past the plan limit at API rates. Our Mistral API pricing guide covers the per-token rates.

Image reading, history search and other input changes

  • Images in read_file. The agent can open an image file with read_file and see it when the active model reads images. A binary file that is not an image is now refused instead of returned as unreadable text.
  • Prompt history search. Ctrl+R searches earlier prompts and loads the selected one into the input. Voice recording moved from Ctrl+R to Ctrl+T.
  • File autocomplete switch. Setting enable_file_autocomplete to false, or VIBE_ENABLE_FILE_AUTOCOMPLETE, turns off @ file completion and its background index.
  • Navigation. A Jump to bottom button appears over a scrolled-up conversation.

Worktrees, config safety and MCP sign-in

On macOS, new worktrees of a trusted repository are now cloned from a template checkout by default. The 3.0.4 notes said this experimental mode makes worktrees use less disk and start faster. The setting was renamed from experimental_worktree_copy_on_write to worktree_copy_on_write, and existing configs are updated on startup.

Several fixes protect your configuration. Saving a setting, an MCP server change, an agent install or an always-allow approval no longer erases hand edits or changes made by another Vibe session, and a symlinked config.toml is no longer replaced with a regular file. MCP servers whose sign-in is hosted elsewhere, such as Cloudflare Access or Keycloak, now renew their login silently.

Agent behavior also changed. Interrupting a ! shell command now stops the processes it started. A retried response replaces the unfinished one, and /retry works after pressing Esc. Smart approve no longer asks on every tool call with models that cannot turn reasoning off, such as GLM 5.3 or Mistral Large 4.

How to upgrade and try the new features

  1. Run vibe update (or vibe --check-upgrade). Both prompt before installing, then exit. You can also rerun curl -LsSf https://mistral.ai/vibe/install.sh | bash or use uv tool upgrade mistral-vibe.
  2. Check the version with vibe --version, then open a session; it lists what is new since your last session. /release-notes shows the full notes.
  3. Type /context to see how your context window is used, and remove MCP servers or skills you do not need.
  4. Press Ctrl+R to find an earlier prompt. Use Ctrl+T for voice recording.
  5. If you used smart_approve_default, replace it with default_agent = "smart-approve" in ~/.vibe/config.toml.
  6. Optionally run /theme and pick mistral-dark or mistral-light.

How 3.1 compares with 3.0.4

Version 3.0.4 focused on headless and configuration controls: /release-notes, vibe -p --model, --system-prompt-file, output token caps and the /fork alias. Version 3.1 shifts to visibility in the interactive interface, with the context breakdown, usage meter, redesigned footer and clearer pull request status. 3.0.4 introduced copy-on-write worktrees as an experiment; 3.1 makes them the default on macOS.

For other terminal agents, see our guides to Codex CLI 0.166, Gemini CLI 0.67 and Qwen Code 0.26. For Mistral’s flagship model in Vibe, see our Mistral Large 4 guide.

Limitations and breaking changes

  • The Mistral MCP connector and browser sign-in for first-party CLI requests are experimental.
  • Image reading depends on the active model supporting images.
  • Copy-on-write worktrees are macOS only.
  • The README notes that Vibe works on Windows but officially supports and targets UNIX environments.

Frequently asked questions

What is new in Mistral Vibe 3.1?

Mistral Vibe 3.1.0, released November 4, 2026, adds a /context command that breaks down context window use, a footer meter for monthly Vibe Code usage, image reading through read_file, Ctrl+R prompt history search, new Mistral themes and an experimental Mistral MCP connector, plus many fixes.

How do I see what fills the context window in Vibe?

Run /context, or click the token counter in the footer. Vibe 3.1 shows per-category token estimates for the system prompt, tool definitions, skills, conversation, free space and the auto-compaction buffer.

What shortcut starts voice recording in Vibe 3.1?

Voice recording moved from Ctrl+R to Ctrl+T in version 3.1.0. Ctrl+R now searches your prompt history and loads the selected prompt into the input.

How do I upgrade to Mistral Vibe 3.1?

Run vibe update or vibe –check-upgrade, which prompt before installing the newer version. You can also rerun the one-line installer or use uv tool upgrade mistral-vibe. On Windows, Vibe prints the upgrade command to run after closing every session.

Is Mistral Vibe free to use?

Mistral’s pricing page lists limited coding sessions on the Free plan. Pro and Team include all-day coding in the CLI, IDE or on web, subject to fair usage limits, and pay-as-you-go credits can extend usage past your plan limit at API rates.

What was removed in Vibe 3.1?

The floating notification popups in the bottom-right corner were removed, along with the smart_approve_default setting. To keep smart approve as your default, set default_agent = “smart-approve” in config.toml.

Sources

Image: Mistral AI logo, public domain (trademarked), via Wikimedia Commons. Rendered on a white background. Mistral AI is a trademark of Mistral AI; FreeAnswers is not affiliated with Mistral AI.

Related guide: Mistral Managed Agents guide: deploy and run modes.



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