█

AI/TLDR

Goose

Open-source AI agent for your machine — desktop app, CLI, and API

github.com/aaif-goose/goose★ 49.8kgoose-docs.ai

Overview

Goose is a general-purpose, open-source AI agent that runs locally on your own machine. It is not limited to coding — you can use it for research, writing, automation, data analysis, or any task you need to get done.

Built in Rust for performance and portability, Goose ships as a native desktop app for macOS, Linux, and Windows, a full CLI for terminal workflows, and an API you can embed anywhere.

It works with 15+ model providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama, OpenRouter, Azure, and Bedrock, and connects to 70+ extensions through the open Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard. Goose is part of the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF) at the Linux Foundation.

What it does

  • Runs entirely on your own machine as a native app, CLI, or embeddable API
  • General-purpose: handles code, research, writing, automation, and data analysis
  • Works with 15+ LLM providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama, OpenRouter, Azure, Bedrock, and more)
  • Connects to 70+ extensions via the Model Context Protocol (MCP) open standard
  • Use API keys or your existing Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini subscriptions through ACP
  • Build your own custom distribution with preconfigured providers, extensions, and branding

Getting started

You can run Goose as a native desktop app or from the terminal. Download the desktop app for macOS, Linux, or Windows, or install the CLI with a single command.

Install the CLI

Download and run the CLI install script to set up Goose in your terminal.

bashbash
curl -fsSL https://github.com/aaif-goose/goose/releases/download/stable/download_cli.sh | bash

Or download the desktop app

Prefer a graphical experience? Download the native desktop app for macOS, Linux, and Windows from the installation page, then follow the quickstart guide to connect a model provider.

Commands and code are distilled from the project's own documentation — always check the official repo for the latest.

When to use it

  • Automate coding tasks and migrate or refactor projects from the terminal
  • Run research, writing, or data-analysis workflows with a local AI agent
  • Embed an AI agent into your own tools via the Goose API
  • Build a custom, branded agent distribution with preconfigured providers and MCP extensions

How Goose compares

Goose alongside other open-source autonomous coding agents tools AI/TLDR tracks, ranked by GitHub stars.

ToolStarsWhat it does
opencode★ 176kOpenCode is an open source AI coding agent that runs in your terminal, with built-in build and plan agents and an optional desktop app.
Gemini CLI★ 105kAn open-source command-line AI agent from Google that connects your terminal to Gemini models for reading code, editing files, running shell commands, and searching the web.
OpenHands★ 77.8kAn open-source AI software-development agent that plans tasks, edits files, runs commands, and tests code, usable from a terminal CLI, a local web GUI, or a Python SDK.
Goose★ 49.8kOpen-source AI agent for your machine — desktop app, CLI, and API
Continue★ 34.1kContinue is an open-source coding agent available as a CLI, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin, plus version-controlled AI checks that run on pull requests in CI.
Vibe Kanban★ 27.1kVibe Kanban lets you plan tasks on a kanban board, run coding agents like Claude Code and Codex in isolated workspaces, then review their diffs and ship pull requests.
Serena★ 25.6kSerena is an open-source MCP toolkit that gives any LLM coding agent symbol-level code retrieval, editing, and refactoring across 40+ languages.
Crush★ 25.5kCrush is a terminal coding agent from Charm. It connects your code, tools, and workflows to any OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible LLM, with LSP context and MCP plugins.