About
A local-first workspace for shipping real apps with AI.
Caide is a desktop AI app builder for React Native (Expo), Flutter, Next.js, and blank projects. It combines an autonomous coding agent with architecture blueprints, explicit tool consent, live device previews, database branching, and production builds. Your code, keys, and project history stay on your machine.
Caide at a glance
- Category
- Local-first AI app builder
- Platforms
- macOS, Linux, Windows (coming soon)
- Frameworks
- React Native (Expo), Flutter, Next.js, Blank
- Providers
- OpenRouter, OpenCode Console, Caide Agent, ChatGPT/Codex, Claude Code, DeepSeek, Google
- Pricing
- Free BYOK; optional Caide Agent at ₦3,000 for 30 days
- License
- Proprietary; public release builds
What Caide is not
Caide is not a hosted no-code website builder, not a general-purpose chatbot, and not the CAIDE research centre at the University of Melbourne or CAIDE Systems. It is a desktop developer tool for building and shipping full-stack apps with the model providers you already use.
Principles
Local-first by default
Project files, SQLite state, thread history, and keys stay on your machine. Caide is a desktop workspace, not a hosted IDE that holds your codebase.
Bring your own keys
Connect the provider you already pay for. BYOK is free forever with no quota or token markup from Caide. Caide Agent is optional, not required.
Architecture before code
App Blueprints and short questionnaires align on routes, data models, and tradeoffs before the agent writes files. Consent gates keep destructive actions explicit.
Verify in the real runtime
DeviceLab previews the running app across device frames, with hot reload, console logs, and diagnostics. The agent is judged by whether the app runs, not by a chat reply.
Who builds Caide
Caide is maintained by the Caide team. The application source is private; signed desktop builds, release notes, and checksums are published in the public caide-releases repository. Product updates are posted on X, and release history is on the changelog.
Start with the docs
See how the turn loop, DeviceLab, providers, and database branching fit together.