[!TIP]

Learn more about Agentic Coding!

Automaker itself was built by a group of engineers using AI and agentic coding techniques to build features faster than ever. By leveraging tools like Cursor IDE and Claude Code CLI, the team orchestrated AI agents to implement complex functionality in days instead of weeks.

Learn how: Master these same techniques and workflows in the Agentic Jumpstart course.

Automaker

Stop typing code. Start directing AI agents.

[!IMPORTANT]

Claude Agent SDK billing changes on June 15, 2026. If you use Automaker's Claude provider, agent usage moves to a separate monthly credit pool (no longer your subscription limits) that you must claim once. Other providers (Codex, Copilot, Cursor, Gemini, OpenCode) are unaffected. → See details

Table of Contents

• What Makes Automaker Different?
  • The Workflow
  • Powered by Claude Agent SDK
  • Why This Matters
• Security Disclaimer
• Community & Support
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Quick Start
• How to Run
  • Development Mode
  • Interactive TUI Launcher
  • Building for Production
  • Testing
  • Linting
  • Environment Configuration
  • Authentication Setup
• Features
  • Core Workflow
  • AI & Planning
  • Project Management
  • Collaboration & Review
  • Developer Tools
  • Advanced Features
• Tech Stack
  • Frontend
  • Backend
  • Testing & Quality
  • Shared Libraries
• Available Views
• Architecture
  • Monorepo Structure
  • How It Works
  • Key Architectural Patterns
  • Security & Isolation
  • Data Storage
• Learn More
• License

Automaker is an autonomous AI development studio that transforms how you build software. Instead of manually writing every line of code, you describe features on a Kanban board and watch as AI agents powered by Claude Agent SDK automatically implement them. Built with React, Vite, Electron, and Express, Automaker provides a complete workflow for managing AI agents through a desktop application (or web browser), with features like real-time streaming, git worktree isolation, plan approval, and multi-agent task execution.

What Makes Automaker Different?

Traditional development tools help you write code. Automaker helps you orchestrate AI agents to build entire features autonomously. Think of it as having a team of AI developers working for you—you define what needs to be built, and Automaker handles the implementation.

The Workflow

1. Add Features - Describe features you want built (with text, images, or screenshots)
2. Move to "In Progress" - Automaker automatically assigns an AI agent to implement the feature
3. Watch It Build - See real-time progress as the agent writes code, runs tests, and makes changes
4. Review & Verify - Review the changes, run tests, and approve when ready
5. Ship Faster - Build entire applications in days, not weeks

Powered by Claude Agent SDK

Automaker leverages the Claude Agent SDK to give AI agents full access to your codebase. Agents can read files, write code, execute commands, run tests, and make git commits—all while working in isolated git worktrees to keep your main branch safe. The SDK provides autonomous AI agents that can use tools, make decisions, and complete complex multi-step tasks without constant human intervention.

[!IMPORTANT]

Claude Agent SDK billing change (effective June 15, 2026)

This applies only to Automaker's Claude provider, which is built on the Claude Agent SDK. If you run agents with other providers (Codex, Copilot, Cursor, Gemini, OpenCode), they are billed through those services and are unaffected. Anthropic is moving programmatic Agent SDK usage out of your normal subscription rate limits and onto a separate, dollar-denominated monthly credit pool. Interactive use (Claude.ai chat, Claude Code in your terminal/IDE) keeps using your existing subscription limits, but the Agent SDK, the claude -p command, and apps built on it like Automaker draw from this new credit instead.

• Monthly credit by plan: Pro $20, Max 5x $100, Max 20x $200 (Team Standard $20, Team Premium $100, Enterprise $20–$200). Credit is metered at standard API rates, refreshes each billing cycle, and does not roll over.
• You must claim the credit once. It is a one-time opt-in through your Claude account; after that it refreshes automatically each cycle. Team/Enterprise admins receive instructions by email, and each member claims their own credit.
• When the credit runs out: Further Agent SDK usage either flows to usage credits at standard API rates (only if you have usage credits enabled) or stops until the credit refreshes.

See Anthropic's official guidance for the authoritative details.

Why This Matters

The future of software development is agentic coding—where developers become architects directing AI agents rather than manual coders. Automaker puts this future in your hands today, letting you experience what it's like to build software 10x faster with AI agents handling the implementation while you focus on architecture and business logic.

Community & Support

Join the Agentic Jumpstart to connect with other builders exploring agentic coding and autonomous development workflows.

In the Discord, you can:

• 💬 Discuss agentic coding patterns and best practices
• 🧠 Share ideas for AI-driven development workflows
• 🛠️ Get help setting up or extending Automaker
• 🚀 Show off projects built with AI agents
• 🤝 Collaborate with other developers and contributors

👉 Join the Discord: Agentic Jumpstart Discord

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+ (required: >=22.0.0 <23.0.0)
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• Claude Code CLI - Install and authenticate with your Anthropic subscription. Automaker integrates with your authenticated Claude Code CLI to access Claude models.

Quick Start

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/AutoMaker-Org/automaker.git
cd automaker

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install

# 3. Start Automaker
npm run dev
# Choose between:
#   1. Web Application (browser at localhost:3007)
#   2. Desktop Application (Electron - recommended)

Authentication: Automaker integrates with your authenticated Claude Code CLI. Make sure you have installed and authenticated the Claude Code CLI before running Automaker. Your CLI credentials will be detected automatically.

For Development: npm run dev starts the development server with Vite live reload and hot module replacement for fast refresh and instant updates as you make changes.

How to Run

Development Mode

Start Automaker in development mode:

npm run dev

This will prompt you to choose your run mode, or you can specify a mode directly:

Electron Desktop App (Recommended)

# Standard development mode
npm run dev:electron

# With DevTools open automatically
npm run dev:electron:debug

# For WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
npm run dev:electron:wsl

# For WSL with GPU acceleration
npm run dev:electron:wsl:gpu

Web Browser Mode

# Run in web browser (http://localhost:3007)
npm run dev:web

Interactive TUI Launcher (Recommended for New Users)

For a user-friendly interactive menu, use the built-in TUI launcher script:

# Show interactive menu with all launch options
./start-automaker.sh

# Or launch directly without menu
./start-automaker.sh web          # Web browser
./start-automaker.sh electron     # Desktop app
./start-automaker.sh electron-debug  # Desktop + DevTools

# Additional options
./start-automaker.sh --help       # Show all available options
./start-automaker.sh --version    # Show version information
./start-automaker.sh --check-deps # Verify project dependencies
./start-automaker.sh --no-colors  # Disable colored output
./start-automaker.sh --no-history # Don't remember last choice

Features:

• 🎨 Beautiful terminal UI with gradient colors and ASCII art
• ⌨️ Interactive menu (press 1-3 to select, Q to exit)
• 💾 Remembers your last choice
• ✅ Pre-flight checks (validates Node.js, npm, dependencies)
• 📏 Responsive layout (adapts to terminal size)
• ⏱️ 30-second timeout for hands-free selection
• 🌐 Cross-shell compatible (bash/zsh)

History File: Your last selected mode is saved in ~/.automaker_launcher_history for quick re-runs.

Building for Production

Web Application

# Build for web deployment (uses Vite)
npm run build

Desktop Application

# Build for current platform (macOS/Windows/Linux)
npm run build:electron

# Platform-specific builds
npm run build:electron:mac     # macOS (DMG + ZIP, x64 + arm64)
npm run build:electron:win     # Windows (NSIS installer, x64)
npm run build:electron:linux   # Linux (AppImage + DEB + RPM, x64)

# Output directory: apps/ui/release/

Linux Distribution Packages:

• AppImage: Universal format, works on any Linux distribution
• DEB: Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS
• RPM: Fedora, RHEL, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, openSUSE

Installing on Fedora/RHEL:

# Download the RPM package
wget https://github.com/AutoMaker-Org/automaker/releases/latest/download/Automaker-<version>-x86_64.rpm

# Install with dnf (Fedora)
sudo dnf install ./Automaker-<version>-x86_64.rpm

# Or with yum (RHEL/CentOS)
sudo yum localinstall ./Automaker-<version>-x86_64.rpm

Docker Deployment

Docker provides the most secure way to run Automaker by isolating it from your host filesystem.

# Build and run with Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d

# Access UI at http://localhost:3007
# API at http://localhost:3008

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Stop containers
docker-compose down

Authentication

Automaker integrates with your authenticated Claude Code CLI. To use CLI authentication in Docker, mount your Claude CLI config directory (see Claude CLI Authentication below).

Working with Projects (Host Directory Access)

By default, the container is isolated from your host filesystem. To work on projects from your host machine, create a docker-compose.override.yml file (gitignored):

services:
  server:
    volumes:
      # Mount your project directories
      - /path/to/your/project:/projects/your-project

Claude CLI Authentication

Mount your Claude CLI config directory to use your authenticated CLI credentials:

services:
  server:
    volumes:
      # Linux/macOS
      - ~/.claude:/home/automaker/.claude
      # Windows
      - C:/Users/YourName/.claude:/home/automaker/.claude

Note: The Claude CLI config must be writable (do not use :ro flag) as the CLI writes debug files.

⚠️ Important: Linux/WSL Users

The container runs as UID 1001 by default. If your host user has a different UID (common on Linux/WSL where the first user is UID 1000), you must create a .env file to match your host user:

# Check your UID/GID
id -u  # outputs your UID (e.g., 1000)
id -g  # outputs your GID (e.g., 1000)

Create a .env file in the automaker directory:

UID=1000
GID=1000

Then rebuild the images:

docker compose build

Without this, files written by the container will be inaccessible to your host user.

GitHub CLI Authentication (For Git Push/PR Operations)

To enable git push and GitHub CLI operations inside the container:

services:
  server:
    volumes:
      # Mount GitHub CLI config
      # Linux/macOS
      - ~/.config/gh:/home/automaker/.config/gh
      # Windows
      - 'C:/Users/YourName/AppData/Roaming/GitHub CLI:/home/automaker/.config/gh'

      # Mount git config for user identity (name, email)
      - ~/.gitconfig:/home/automaker/.gitconfig:ro
    environment:
      # GitHub token (required on Windows where tokens are in Credential Manager)
      # Get your token with: gh auth token
      - GH_TOKEN=${GH_TOKEN}

Then add GH_TOKEN to your .env file:

GH_TOKEN=gho_your_github_token_here

Complete docker-compose.override.yml Example

services:
  server:
    volumes:
      # Your projects
      - /path/to/project1:/projects/project1
      - /path/to/project2:/projects/project2

      # Authentication configs
      - ~/.claude:/home/automaker/.claude
      - ~/.config/gh:/home/automaker/.config/gh
      - ~/.gitconfig:/home/automaker/.gitconfig:ro
    environment:
      - GH_TOKEN=${GH_TOKEN}

Architecture Support

The Docker image supports both AMD64 and ARM64 architectures. The GitHub CLI and Claude CLI are automatically downloaded for the correct architecture during build.

Playwright for Automated Testing

The Docker image includes Playwright Chromium pre-installed for AI agent verification tests. When agents implement features in automated testing mode, they use Playwright to verify the implementation works correctly.

No additional setup required - Playwright verification works out of the box.

Optional: Persist browsers for manual updates

By default, Playwright Chromium is pre-installed in the Docker image. If you need to manually update browsers or want to persist browser installations across container restarts (not image rebuilds), you can mount a volume.

Important: When you first add this volume mount to an existing setup, the empty volume will override the pre-installed browsers. You must re-install them:

# After adding the volume mount for the first time
docker exec --user automaker -w /app automaker-server npx playwright install chromium

Add this to your docker-compose.override.yml:

services:
  server:
    volumes:
      - playwright-cache:/home/automaker/.cache/ms-playwright

volumes:
  playwright-cache:
    name: automaker-playwright-cache

Updating browsers manually:

docker exec --user automaker -w /app automaker-server npx playwright install chromium

Testing

End-to-End Tests (Playwright)

npm run test            # Headless E2E tests
npm run test:headed     # Browser visible E2E tests

Unit Tests (Vitest)

npm run test:server              # Server unit tests
npm run test:server:coverage     # Server tests with coverage
npm run test:packages            # All shared package tests
npm run test:all                 # Packages + server tests

Test Configuration

• E2E tests run on ports 3007 (UI) and 3008 (server)
• Automatically starts test servers before running
• Uses Chromium browser via Playwright
• Mock agent mode available in CI with AUTOMAKER_MOCK_AGENT=true

Linting

# Run ESLint
npm run lint

Environment Configuration

Optional - Server

• PORT - Server port (default: 3008)
• DATA_DIR - Data storage directory (default: ./data)
• ENABLE_REQUEST_LOGGING - HTTP request logging (default: true)

Optional - Security

• AUTOMAKER_API_KEY - Optional API authentication for the server
• ALLOWED_ROOT_DIRECTORY - Restrict file operations to specific directory
• CORS_ORIGIN - CORS allowed origins (comma-separated list; defaults to localhost only)

Optional - Development

• VITE_SKIP_ELECTRON - Skip Electron in dev mode
• OPEN_DEVTOOLS - Auto-open DevTools in Electron
• AUTOMAKER_SKIP_SANDBOX_WARNING - Skip sandbox warning dialog (useful for dev/CI)
• AUTOMAKER_AUTO_LOGIN=true - Skip login prompt in development (ignored when NODE_ENV=production)

Authentication Setup

Automaker integrates with your authenticated Claude Code CLI and uses your Anthropic subscription.

Install and authenticate the Claude Code CLI following the official quickstart guide.

Once authenticated, Automaker will automatically detect and use your CLI credentials. No additional configuration needed!

Note: As of June 15, 2026, Claude Agent SDK usage (used by Automaker's Claude provider) is billed from a separate monthly credit pool rather than your interactive subscription limits, and the credit must be claimed once via your Claude account. See Claude Agent SDK billing change above for details.

Features

Core Workflow

• 📋 Kanban Board - Visual drag-and-drop board to manage features through backlog, in progress, waiting approval, and verified stages
• 🤖 AI Agent Integration - Automatic AI agent assignment to implement features when moved to "In Progress"
• 🔀 Git Worktree Isolation - Each feature executes in isolated git worktrees to protect your main branch
• 📡 Real-time Streaming - Watch AI agents work in real-time with live tool usage, progress updates, and task completion
• 🔄 Follow-up Instructions - Send additional instructions to running agents without stopping them

AI & Planning

• 🧠 Multi-Model Support - Choose from Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku per feature
• 💭 Extended Thinking - Enable thinking modes (none, medium, deep, ultra) for complex problem-solving
• 📝 Planning Modes - Four planning levels: skip (direct implementation), lite (quick plan), spec (task breakdown), full (phased execution)
• ✅ Plan Approval - Review and approve AI-generated plans before implementation begins
• 📊 Multi-Agent Task Execution - Spec mode spawns dedicated agents per task for focused implementation

Project Management

• 🔍 Project Analysis - AI-powered codebase analysis to understand your project structure
• 💡 Feature Suggestions - AI-generated feature suggestions based on project analysis
• 📁 Context Management - Add markdown, images, and documentation files that agents automatically reference
• 🔗 Dependency Blocking - Features can depend on other features, enforcing execution order
• 🌳 Graph View - Visualize feature dependencies with interactive graph visualization
• 📋 GitHub Integration - Import issues, validate feasibility, and convert to tasks automatically

Collaboration & Review

• 🧪 Verification Workflow - Features move to "Waiting Approval" for review and testing
• 💬 Agent Chat - Interactive chat sessions with AI agents for exploratory work
• 👤 AI Profiles - Create custom agent configurations with different prompts, models, and settings
• 📜 Session History - Persistent chat sessions across restarts with full conversation history
• 🔍 Git Diff Viewer - Review changes made by agents before approving

Developer Tools

• 🖥️ Integrated Terminal - Full terminal access with tabs, splits, and persistent sessions
• 🖼️ Image Support - Attach screenshots and diagrams to feature descriptions for visual context
• ⚡ Concurrent Execution - Configure how many features can run simultaneously (default: 3)
• ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts - Fully customizable shortcuts for navigation and actions
• 🎨 Theme System - 25+ themes including Dark, Light, Dracula, Nord, Catppuccin, and more
• 🖥️ Cross-Platform - Desktop app for macOS (x64, arm64), Windows (x64), and Linux (x64)
• 🌐 Web Mode - Run in browser or as Electron desktop app

Advanced Features

• 🔐 Docker Isolation - Security-focused Docker deployment with no host filesystem access
• 🎯 Worktree Management - Create, switch, commit, and create PRs from worktrees
• 📊 Usage Tracking - Monitor Claude API usage with detailed metrics
• 🔊 Audio Notifications - Optional completion sounds (mutable in settings)
• 💾 Auto-save - All work automatically persisted to .automaker/ directory

Tech Stack

Frontend

• React 19 - UI framework
• Vite 7 - Build tool and development server
• Electron 39 - Desktop application framework
• TypeScript 5.9 - Type safety
• TanStack Router - File-based routing
• Zustand 5 - State management with persistence
• Tailwind CSS 4 - Utility-first styling with 25+ themes
• Radix UI - Accessible component primitives
• dnd-kit - Drag and drop for Kanban board
• @xyflow/react - Graph visualization for dependencies
• xterm.js - Integrated terminal emulator
• CodeMirror 6 - Code editor for XML/syntax highlighting
• Lucide Icons - Icon library

Backend

• Node.js - JavaScript runtime with ES modules
• Express 5 - HTTP server framework
• TypeScript 5.9 - Type safety
• Claude Agent SDK - AI agent integration (@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk)
• WebSocket (ws) - Real-time event streaming
• node-pty - PTY terminal sessions

Testing & Quality

• Playwright - End-to-end testing
• Vitest - Unit testing framework
• ESLint 9 - Code linting
• Prettier 3 - Code formatting
• Husky - Git hooks for pre-commit formatting

Shared Libraries

• @automaker/types - Shared TypeScript definitions
• @automaker/utils - Logging, error handling, image processing
• @automaker/prompts - AI prompt templates
• @automaker/platform - Path management and security
• @automaker/model-resolver - Claude model alias resolution
• @automaker/dependency-resolver - Feature dependency ordering
• @automaker/git-utils - Git operations and worktree management

Available Views

Automaker provides several specialized views accessible via the sidebar or keyboard shortcuts:

Keyboard Navigation

All shortcuts are customizable in Settings. Default shortcuts:

• Navigation: K (Board), A (Agent), D (Spec), C (Context), S (Settings), T (Terminal), H (Graph), I (Ideation), Y (Memory), G (GitHub Issues), R (GitHub PRs)
• UI: ` (Toggle sidebar)
• Actions: N (New item in current view), O (Open project), P (Project picker)
• Projects: Q/E (Cycle previous/next project)
• Terminal: Alt+D (Split right), Alt+S (Split down), Alt+W (Close), Alt+T (New tab)

Architecture

Monorepo Structure

Automaker is built as an npm workspace monorepo with two main applications and seven shared packages:

automaker/
├── apps/
│   ├── ui/          # React + Vite + Electron frontend
│   └── server/      # Express + WebSocket backend
└── libs/            # Shared packages
    ├── types/                  # Core TypeScript definitions
    ├── utils/                  # Logging, errors, utilities
    ├── prompts/                # AI prompt templates
    ├── platform/               # Path management, security
    ├── model-resolver/         # Claude model aliasing
    ├── dependency-resolver/    # Feature dependency ordering
    └── git-utils/              # Git operations & worktree management

How It Works

1. Feature Definition - Users create feature cards on the Kanban board with descriptions, images, and configuration
2. Git Worktree Creation - When a feature starts, a git worktree is created for isolated development
3. Agent Execution - Claude Agent SDK executes in the worktree with full file system and command access
4. Real-time Streaming - Agent output streams via WebSocket to the frontend for live monitoring
5. Plan Approval (optional) - For spec/full planning modes, agents generate plans that require user approval
6. Multi-Agent Tasks (spec mode) - Each task in the spec gets a dedicated agent for focused implementation
7. Verification - Features move to "Waiting Approval" where changes can be reviewed via git diff
8. Integration - After approval, changes can be committed and PRs created from the worktree

Key Architectural Patterns

• Event-Driven Architecture - All server operations emit events that stream to the frontend
• Provider Pattern - Extensible AI provider system (currently Claude, designed for future providers)
• Service-Oriented Backend - Modular services for agent management, features, terminals, settings
• State Management - Zustand with persistence for frontend state across restarts
• File-Based Storage - No database; features stored as JSON files in .automaker/ directory

Security & Isolation

• Git Worktrees - Each feature executes in an isolated git worktree, protecting your main branch
• Path Sandboxing - Optional ALLOWED_ROOT_DIRECTORY restricts file access
• Docker Isolation - Recommended deployment uses Docker with no host filesystem access
• Plan Approval - Optional plan review before implementation prevents unwanted changes

Data Storage

Automaker uses a file-based storage system (no database required):

Per-Project Data

Stored in {projectPath}/.automaker/:

.automaker/
├── features/              # Feature JSON files and images
│   └── {featureId}/
│       ├── feature.json   # Feature metadata
│       ├── agent-output.md # AI agent output log
│       └── images/        # Attached images
├── context/               # Context files for AI agents
├── worktrees/             # Git worktree metadata
├── validations/           # GitHub issue validation results
├── ideation/              # Brainstorming and analysis data
│   └── analysis.json      # Project structure analysis
├── board/                 # Board-related data
├── images/                # Project-level images
├── settings.json          # Project-specific settings
├── app_spec.txt           # Project specification (XML format)
├── active-branches.json   # Active git branches tracking
└── execution-state.json   # Auto-mode execution state

Global Data

Stored in DATA_DIR (default ./data):

data/
├── settings.json          # Global settings, profiles, shortcuts
├── credentials.json       # API keys (encrypted)
├── sessions-metadata.json # Chat session metadata
└── agent-sessions/        # Conversation histories
    └── {sessionId}.json

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[!CAUTION]

Security Disclaimer

This software uses AI-powered tooling that has access to your operating system and can read, modify, and delete files. Use at your own risk.

We have reviewed this codebase for security vulnerabilities, but you assume all risk when running this software. You should review the code yourself before running it.

We do not recommend running Automaker directly on your local computer due to the risk of AI agents having access to your entire file system. Please sandbox this application using Docker or a virtual machine.

Read the full disclaimer

---

Learn More

Documentation

• Contributing Guide - How to contribute to Automaker
• Project Documentation - Architecture guides, patterns, and developer docs
• Shared Packages Guide - Using monorepo packages

Community

Join the Agentic Jumpstart Discord to connect with other builders exploring agentic coding:

👉 Agentic Jumpstart Discord

Project Status

This project is no longer actively maintained. The codebase is provided as-is for those who wish to use, study, or fork it. No bug fixes, security updates, or new features are being developed. Community contributions may still be accepted, but there is no guarantee of review or merge.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for the full text.