Knot Code

AI coding, without the bloat.

A lightweight, AI-native code editor powered by OpenClaw. Your agent, your gateway, your data. Browser + Desktop (Tauri).

Screenshots

Chat	Agent Workshop

Prompt Library	Skills Library

Project Tasks

How It Compares

	Knot Code	Cursor	Windsurf	VS Code + Copilot	Competitor Avg
App Size	7.8 MB	~500 MB	~450 MB	~400 MB + ext	~450 MB
RAM (idle)	~80 MB	500 MB–2 GB	400 MB–1.5 GB	300 MB–1 GB	~750 MB
RAM (AI active)	~120 MB	1–10+ GB	1–4 GB	500 MB–2 GB	~2.5 GB
Startup	<1s	3–8s	3–6s	2–5s	~4s
Electron?	❌ Tauri (native WebKit)	✅ Electron	✅ Electron	✅ Electron	3/3 Electron
AI Backend	Your own gateway	Cursor cloud	Windsurf cloud	GitHub cloud	All cloud
Data Privacy	100% local	Sent to Cursor	Sent to Codeium	Sent to GitHub	All cloud
BYO Model	✅ Any model via OpenClaw	❌ Cursor only	❌ Limited	❌ Copilot only	0/3
Custom System Prompt	✅ Agent Builder wizard	❌	❌	❌	0/3
Themes	7 built-in	3	VS Code themes	VS Code themes	—
Offline AI	✅ Local models supported	❌	❌	❌	0/3
Subscription	Free forever	$20/mo	$15/mo	$10/mo	~$15/mo
Open Source	✅ Apache 2.0	❌ Proprietary	❌ Proprietary	Partially	0.5/3

Why so light? Knot Code uses Tauri (Rust + native WebKit) instead of Electron. No bundled Chromium. No background processes phoning home. The AI runs through your own OpenClaw gateway — your keys, your models, your data stays on your machine.

Quick Start

Desktop

Download the latest release for your platform (.dmg, .exe, .msi, .AppImage, .deb).

After installing, macOS may show "KnotCode is damaged" — this is because the app isn't notarized with Apple (yet). Fix it with:

xattr -cr /Applications/KnotCode.app

Or build from source:

pnpm install
pnpm desktop:dev          # dev mode (Tauri + hot reload)
pnpm desktop:build        # production build (.app + .dmg)

First Tauri build takes 2-5 minutes (compiling Rust deps). Subsequent builds are fast.

Web (self-hosted)

pnpm install
pnpm dev              # http://localhost:3080
pnpm build            # static export

Prerequisites

• OpenClaw gateway running locally
• Node.js 20+
• pnpm

Environment

Copy .env.example to .env and configure. All variables are optional — the editor works without them, but GitHub auth and plugins need their respective keys.

Features

• AI Agent Chat — Ask, Agent, and Plan modes with streaming responses
• Agent Builder — Choose a persona, customize your system prompt, configure behaviors
• Inline Edits — Agent proposes changes, you review diffs and accept/reject per-hunk
• 7 Themes — Obsidian, Bone, Neon, Catppuccin, VooDoo, CyberNord, PrettyPink
• Monaco Editor — Multi-tab, Vim mode, syntax highlighting, Cmd/Ctrl+P quick open
• GitHub Integration — Token-based auth, commit, push, branch switching
• Terminal — Integrated xterm.js with gateway slash commands
• Spotify + YouTube — Built-in music and video plugins
• Desktop Native — Tauri v2 with local file system access, git operations, OS keychain

See docs/FEATURES.md for the full feature list and roadmap.

Architecture

See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the technical architecture, data flow, and component map.

Documentation

Doc	Description
FEATURES.md	Feature list, status, and roadmap
ARCHITECTURE.md	Technical architecture and component map
DEVELOPMENT.md	Development workflow and conventions
DESKTOP.md	Tauri desktop build details
IOS.md	iOS application scope and rollout plan
AGENT.md	AI agent integration
TROUBLESHOOTING.md	Common issues and fixes
SECURITY.md	Security policy and vulnerability reporting

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd/Ctrl+P	Quick file open (fuzzy search)
Cmd/Ctrl+K	Inline edit at selection
Cmd/Ctrl+B	Toggle file explorer
Cmd/Ctrl+I	Toggle agent panel
Cmd/Ctrl+J	Toggle terminal
Enter	Send message / Start chat
Esc	Close overlays

Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 16 + React 19 + TypeScript 5.9
• Desktop: Tauri v2 (Rust + system WebKit) — no Electron
• Editor: Monaco Editor with optional Vim mode
• Terminal: xterm.js with fit addon and web links
• Styling: Tailwind CSS v4 (CSS custom properties)
• Icons: @iconify/react (Lucide icon set)
• Package Manager: pnpm

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. PRs welcome.

License

Apache License 2.0 — Copyright 2025-2026 OpenKnot Contributors