Loki Mode
Turns software specs into tested code with independently checkable completion evidence.
What does this agent do, and when should you use it?
Loki Mode is a spec-driven CLI for building and verifying software projects. It accepts PRDs, GitHub issues, OpenAPI/JSON/YAML files, and plain-language briefs, then runs a Bash-orchestrated RARV loop: Reason, Act, Reflect, and Verify. A run produces a Git repository with source, tests, configuration, Docker Compose assets, CI/CD configuration, audit logs, and an Evidence Receipt under `.loki/proofs/<run_id>/`. The repository also includes a Python dashboard, cross-project memory, and an MCP server started through `loki mcp`. It can generate deployment assets, but its documented `loki deploy` boundary is to print a deployment command rather than execute a cloud CLI or `git push`.
With loki start <spec>, Loki normalizes Markdown, JSON, YAML/OpenAPI, GitHub issues, Jira tickets, and GitLab or Azure DevOps issues, then invokes autonomy/run.sh through run_autonomous() for RARV cycles. It composes prompt-defined roles according to detected complexity and runs eight quality gates: static analysis, tests, blind review, anti-sycophancy checks, mock-integrity detection, test-mutation detection, documentation coverage, and Magic Modules debate. At completion it writes base/head SHAs, diff_sha256, test and build commands with exit codes, and gate verdicts into an Evidence Receipt, inspectable with loki proof list, loki proof show <id>, and loki proof verify <id>. loki verify can separately run build, test, static-analysis, secret-scan, and dependency-audit gates on a branch or PR diff and writes evidence to .loki/verify/evidence.json. For established repositories, loki modernize heal <path> --assess creates a read-only readiness report covering language mix, maturity, debt signals, and a blast-radius-ranked starting list.
- A product team that wants to hand a PRD or one-line feature brief to a CLI and receive code, tests, and a reviewable evidence artifact.
- An engineering team assessing a long-lived repository with `loki modernize heal ./repo --assess` before permitting any writes.
- An API team that needs an OpenAPI, GraphQL, or Postman contract expanded into per-operation build checklist items.
- A reviewer who wants a pull request accompanied by test results, diff hashes, and gate outcomes instead of an agent's completion narrative.
- A developer centered on Claude Code who still needs documented provider paths for Cline, Codex, Aider, or opencode.
What are this agent's strengths and limitations?
- Evidence Receipts persist diff hashes, actual test commands and exit codes, build outcomes, and gate verdicts in a file that can be rechecked; deterministic facts are separated from AI assessments.
- `loki verify` independently evaluates a branch or PR diff and supplies CI-oriented exit codes: 0 for VERIFIED, 1 for CONCERNS, and 2 for BLOCKED.
- The CLI accepts a broad set of documented spec sources, including PRDs, OpenAPI/JSON/YAML, GitHub issues, Jira tickets, and GitLab/Azure DevOps issues.
- It covers both greenfield building and legacy work through a healing pipeline with archaeology, stabilize, isolate, modernize, and validate phases.
- The repository documents provider paths for Claude Code, Cline, Codex, Aider, and opencode, plus a local MCP server, Docker Compose output, and a local dashboard.
- Claude Code is the only Tier 1, end-to-end-verified provider; Cline, Codex, Aider, and opencode are documented as experimental and run sequentially.
- A real build requires an authenticated model provider CLI or Anthropic credentials; the tour and offline demo replay past receipts and do not evaluate your project.
- For unsigned receipts, the README acknowledges that an actor who rewrites both facts and headline and recomputes the hash can still pass verification; GPG signing must be configured separately.
- The product maintains both Bash and Bun runtimes, with some commands routed through Bun; its documentation also describes a future major-version Bash sunset, creating a migration consideration.
- License evidence conflicts: the supplied repository metadata is `NOASSERTION`, while the README declares BUSL-1.1 and an Apache 2.0 conversion in 2030.
How do you install or deploy this agent?
For an offline sample, run npx loki-mode tour. The recommended global installation is bun install -g loki-mode, followed by loki doctor. Normal builds require Python 3.10+, Git 2.x, curl, and an installed, authenticated provider CLI; the README designates Claude Code as Tier 1. Alternatively, use the bundled Claude Agent SDK by setting ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-... and running LOKI_SDK_MODE=full loki start prd.md; that route requires Bun on PATH.
How do you use this agent?
For a guided first build, run loki quickstart and complete setup checking, idea entry, template selection, and plan review. For a scripted path, run loki init my-app --template simple-todo-app, then cd my-app && loki start prd.md. After a run, use loki proof list to find its receipt and loki proof verify <id> to recompute receipt and diff checks; use loki verify against an existing branch. Open local monitoring or the running app with loki dashboard or loki preview.
How does this agent compare with similar options?
The README compares Loki Mode with bolt.new, Replit, and Lovable, positioning it around self-hosting, user-managed keys, provider failover, eight quality gates, and blind review. The comparison is explicitly limited to those named products, not the broader market.