Abstract Terpenoids are among the most structurally diverse organic compounds in nature and have widespread applications in the fields of medicine, food, and agriculture. Actinomycetes, as an important source of numerous bioactive natural products, are capable of synthesizing a variety of terpenoids. These terpenoids derived from actinomycetes have garnered significant attention from the scientific community due to their novel structures and potential pharmacological activities. This review provided a detailed overview of the biosynthetic principles of terpenoids in actinomycetes and their main precursor supply pathways. It discussed strategies for the discovery of actinomycete-derived terpenoids and introduced the current research status of actinomycete chassis development. Additionally, this article reviewd the latest research progress on enhancing the yield and diversity of terpenoids in actinomycetes and other microbial chassis through metabolic engineering approaches. Finally, this article looked ahead to the application prospects of synthetic biology strategies, artificial intelligence technologies, and high-throughput automation technologies in terpenoid research. These advancements were expected to provide new ideas and methods for the more efficient discovery and production of actinomycete-derived terpenoids.