y_demo.mp4
this is a flexible desktop coding-agent app.
It’s built around a simple idea: software should be flexible when you use it. The main interface is a chat, but the app can reshape its own UI through a protected modify surface. You can tell y to change how y itself works, keep the change if it renders safely, or roll it back if it doesn’t.
y is not a new agent model. It’s a local, chat-first workspace for the coding agents you already use: Cloud Code, OpenAI codecs, and other CLI-native agents over time.
- Run cloud codes and codecs together from one desktop app.
- Start separate chats in different workspaces so agents can work in parallel without touching the same checkout.
- Tell Modify to change the interface of y live, then review the generated differences before committing it.
- Add or adjust app UI controls, layouts, copies, and local workflow expenses through modify.
- Open the file tree, terminal, and different views when an agent is running.
- Undo the change if the new UI is not what you wanted.
Modified is that part of y that edits y itself. This is a separate chat that focuses on changing the app interface, not your project code. Changes still happen through code and diff review: modify the local userland UI, render it, and you choose whether to keep it or revert it.
The purpose of modification is not to control the protected app core. It should not have access to auth/session internals, analytics controls, privileged host APIs, or modified systems. Those limitations reside in the protected kernel.
Most coding-agent apps are fixed products. You can use them, configure them, maybe install plugins, but the product still belongs to someone else.
You are different. It treats apps as flexible software:
- Chat first. The default surface is a centered conversation, not an editor clone.
- Self modified. Modified Rails can edit the live userland UI while the protected kernel remains locked.
- Local agent. Cloud Code and Codex run as the official local CLI with the user’s own login.
- Parallel work. Chats can use separate workspaces so agents can work in parallel without stepping over the same files.
- Different changes. UI changes compile, render, show differences and can be kept or discarded.
- Rollback made. The app keeps known-good snapshots so that broken UI changes can be fixed.
y is divided into two parts:
| layer | what does it do |
|---|---|
| protected kernel | Authenticator, Local Engine Adapter, App State, Security Rails, File System Boundaries, Terminal Bridge, Modify Rails, and Rollback Runway. |
| variable user land | Chat UI and app surface that can be edited or modified live by the user. |
This partitioning lets you experience self-modification without giving control over the protected core to the modifying agent. The app can change its own interface, but the kernel still owns the trust boundaries.
y Runs coding agents locally rather than proxying through a hosted account.
- cloud code Uses the official Cloud Code CLI.
- manual The official codex uses the CLI.
- Model and effort settings remain visible in Composer.
- Multiple chats can run against different engines.
- Isolated workspaces allow parallel agents to work without interfering with each other.
The user’s local CLI authentication remains the source of truth. y organizes experience; It does not replace agent providers.
The latest macOS build is published on GitHub Release:
Current release target: macOS Apple Silicon.
cd app
pnpm install
pnpm dev
Useful tests:
pnpm typecheck
pnpm test:ui
Create a local macOS bundle:
The generated app artifact is written to app/dist/ And are not intentionally committed.
y Keeps the coding workflow local. Project files, terminal commands, and agent prompts are not sent to Product Analysis.
Product analytics for app usage health are: sign-in status, feature usage, feedback, and missing-brick requests. Missing-brick reports are structured and should describe the missing capability, not the user’s personal information or source code.
y is under active development. The current focus is on launch-readiness for macOS: packaging, auth, analytics, local app-state persistence, and self-modifying modified workflows.
MIT. View license.
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