xcoding · by @c7s89r

A local-model coding agent by @c7s89r — like Claude Code, but it talks to a model running on your own machine instead of a cloud API.

✅ Works with Ollama for now. Just install Ollama, pull a tool-capable model, then pip install xcoding and run xcoding. (llama.cpp support is in too, but Ollama is the tested path.)

It auto-detects whichever backend is running, gives the model tools to read/write files and run shell commands, and loops until your task is done. Every file write and every shell command asks for your approval first.

Quick start (Ollama)

ollama serve
ollama pull qwen2.5-coder     # a model that's good at tool use
pip install xcoding
xcoding

Install

pip install xcoding

Then just run xcoding from any project folder.

Or from source:

pip install -e .

(Python 3.9+. Pulls in openai, httpx, rich.)

Run a backend

Ollama (easiest — supports tool-calling natively):

ollama serve
ollama pull qwen2.5-coder        # a model that's good at tool use

llama.cpp (raw GGUF files):

llama-server -m your-model.gguf   # listens on :8080, OpenAI-compatible

Tool-calling quality depends heavily on the model. Use a model trained for it (e.g. qwen2.5-coder, llama3.1, mistral-nemo). Tiny models will struggle.

Use it

xcoding
# or:  python -m xcode

Then just talk to it:

› add a /health endpoint to app.py that returns {"ok": true}

In-REPL commands: /help, /models, /model, /init, /todos, /perms, /compact, /sessions, /resume, /reset, /exit.

• Replies stream live; the prompt shows a context meter (~3.2k/8k).
• Writes/commands ask y / n / a; a ("always") is saved to .xcode/permissions.json. Edits show a colored diff preview.
• Attach files inline with @path (e.g. explain @xcode/agent.py).
• The agent tracks a todo list for multi-step work (/todos to view).
• Old turns are auto-compacted when the context meter fills; /compact forces it. Conversations are saved per project — xcoding --resume or /resume to pick up where you left off.
• Drop an XCODE.md at the repo root (or run /init) and it's auto-loaded as project memory.

Modes (shift+tab to cycle)

• ·· normal — asks before writes/commands
• ⏵⏵ auto — runs & writes without asking
• ◷ plan — read-only; explores but makes no changes

Sub-agents, web, MCP, hooks

• spawn_agent lets the model delegate an isolated subtask to a fresh context.
• web_search (DuckDuckGo) and web_fetch give it internet access.
• Drop a .xcode/settings.json to add hooks (run a formatter after every edit), env vars, seed permissions, and declare MCP servers:

{
  "hooks": { "after_edit": ["ruff format {path}"] },
  "permissions": { "commands": ["git", "ls", "python"] },
  "mcpServers": {
    "fs": { "command": "npx",
            "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "."] }
  }
}

MCP tools show up to the model as mcp__<server>__<tool>.

Headless / scripting

xcoding -p "summarize what this repo does"        # read-only, prints, exits
xcoding -p "bump the version to 0.2.0" --yes      # auto-approve writes
xcoding -p "what changed?" --resume               # continue last session

Configuration (env vars)

var	meaning
XCODE_BASE_URL	point straight at any OpenAI-compatible /v1 URL
XCODE_MODEL	force a specific model name
XCODE_API_KEY	token if your endpoint needs one (default local)
XCODE_MAX_STEPS	max tool round-trips per turn (default 25)

How it works

cli.py       REPL + permission prompts (the only UI code)
agent.py     the loop: model ⇄ tools until it stops calling tools
backends.py  auto-detect Ollama (:11434) / llama.cpp (:8080)
tools.py     read_file, write_file, list_dir, run_command + JSON schemas
config.py    system prompt + knobs

Roadmap

• Streaming token output
• edit_file (targeted edits instead of full rewrites)
• grep / glob_files search tools
• Persistent permission rules ("always allow git …")
• /model picker + smart default-model selection
• Context compaction for long sessions + context meter
• Diff-style preview when confirming edits
• Project memory (XCODE.md) + /init
• Todo/task tracking
• Session save + --resume
• Headless mode (-p) + @file mentions
• Web fetch / web search tools
• Sub-agents (delegate a subtask to a fresh context)
• MCP server support
• Hooks + settings.json
• Themes + ghost logo, shift+tab mode cycling (normal/auto/plan)

Made by

Built by @c7s89r (nzv).

• GitHub: @c7s89r
• Discord: c7s89r

MIT licensed — see LICENSE.