Local Code: a free, open-source on-device AI agent for Mac

Local Code (getlocalcode.app) is an open-source AI agent for Mac from the Draw Things team. Download a model and work without separately installing Python, ffmpeg, and friends. On a local model, prompts and files stay on your Mac.

What it claims to do: decks and spreadsheets, Word/PowerPoint, images and video, a built-in browser for online tasks, and—with permission—Mail, Messages, Notes, Calendar, and Photos. Public beta started Sep 12, 2026; public release Oct 28. Direct DMG download now; Mac App Store “coming soon.”

Pricing

Pricing: on-device use is $0. Cloud models via your own API keys or prepaid credits from $9.99. Switch to cloud and the privacy pitch ends for that session.

Why it stands out

(per the developer and MacRumors coverage): inference + agent shell + bundled runtime in one app; ~600MB bundle with tools; App Sandbox instead of Full Disk Access. That permission story is the most interesting part as agents get more “hands-on.”

Good fit: privacy-sensitive work, Apple silicon Macs with 32GB+ RAM, open-source tinkerers, Office-heavy workflows, people who don’t want to assemble a local stack. Poor fit: 8GB machines, users who need frontier cloud quality as the daily driver, anyone who needs a battle-tested 1.0.

Hardware

Hardware (from the official site): Qwen 3.8 27B min 16GB / rec 32GB (10–21GB on disk); DeepSeek 4 Flash and 4.1 Flash need much more disk and RAM. Treat 16GB as a floor, not a comfort zone.

Verdict

Verdict: Worth a test install if you have headroom and care about local control. Confirm you’re on a local model, grant one test folder only, and try a real small task before expanding access. Not a full replacement for top cloud agents—more a private complement.

Sources: getlocalcode.app; MacRumors (2026-10-30); Draw Things release notes; github.com/drawthingsai/local-code-community. No hands-on long-term testing yet—claims checked against public pages.