OD GitHub

Local-first · open-source · agent-native

Open Design

An open alternative to closed design-agent products: coding agents on your laptop become a design engine for prototypes, decks, dashboards, images, videos, and export-ready artifacts.

16coding-agent CLIs detected on PATH
31composable skills across prototype and deck modes
129built-in design systems and style starters
93prompt templates for image, video, and HyperFrames
0.8preview branch moving fast on main

01 · The loop

Design work with a filesystem.

Open Design turns the chat into a controlled production line: ask, choose direction, show todos, write files, review, render, export.

Turn 1

Question form before pixels.

Every fresh design brief starts by locking audience, tone, brand context, scale, and constraints. The redirect happens before the agent writes a single div.

surfaceprototype
platformresponsive
riskfreestyle reduced

02 · What ships

Not a theme. A working design runtime.

The repository positions design output as real files with real preview, persistence, import, and export paths.

AgentsBYOK

Use the agent you already trust.

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor Agent, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Qwen, Copilot, Kimi, and more can become the design engine.

SkillsSeeds

Skills are folders, not black boxes.

Each skill carries instructions, templates, references, and checklists so artifacts are assembled from repeatable design systems.

SystemsMarkdown

Design systems travel as readable files.

Color, type, spacing, components, motion, voice, and anti-patterns live in editable DESIGN.md contracts.

PreviewSandbox

Artifacts render in a clean iframe.

The output is not a chat transcript. It is a file-backed artifact visible in the workspace and previewed safely.

MediaMotion

HTML can become moving output.

Image, video, audio, and HyperFrames surfaces sit beside web, mobile, dashboard, editorial, and deck workflows.

ExportPersist

Leave with usable assets.

HTML, PDF, PPTX, ZIP, Markdown, project files, saved tabs, and SQLite-backed conversation state stay available tomorrow.

03 · Architecture

The privileged process stays local.

A web UI talks to a local daemon. The daemon scans tools, launches the chosen agent inside the project folder, and keeps keys behind BYOK boundaries.

Browser UIchat · files · preview · exports
SSElive chat stream
Local daemonExpress · SQLite · adapters
Skillstemplate · layouts · checklist
cwdproject workspace
Agent CLIreads · writes · runs tools
BYOK proxyAnthropic · OpenAI · Azure · Gemini
guardSSRF blocked at edge
ArtifactHTML · PDF · PPTX · ZIP

04 · First run

Clone, install, send a brief.

The source path expects Node 24 and pnpm 10.33.x. Desktop builds and Docker are documented in the repository too.

Run from source

git clone https://github.com/nexu-io/open-design.git && cd open-design && corepack enable && pnpm install && pnpm tools-dev run web

First load detects agent CLIs, loads skills and design systems, creates the local .od/ runtime folder, then lets you prompt into the artifact workflow.

Design agents should be inspectable, portable, and yours.