Open Design
Turn local coding agents and DESIGN.md into exportable design artifacts.
Per-dimension scores and reasoning
Evidence shows: README claims local-first, BYOK, SSRF protection, but lacks implementation details; test files show ACP session params do not request global MCP config mutation by default, indicating least privilege; user confirmation: README mentions product analytics and session replay are consent-gated, but no mechanism details; data flow transparency: README mentions telemetry always on, but no specifics; sensitive data handling: no explicit mention; dependency security: package.json has overrides and onlyBuiltDependencies, showing control; external effects: README mentions exports, but no permission details; rollback: not mentioned; source attribution: README mentions bundling third-party skills with original license, but no details. Deductions: most trust criteria are asserted without implementation evidence, rollback completely absent.
Evidence shows: test files demonstrate ACP protocol handling including timeouts, model normalization, message deltas, indicating good internal consistency; dependency availability: package.json specifies pnpm and Node versions, but no lockfile evidence; failure messages: tests check timeout error messages, but no user-facing failure handling. Deductions: dependency availability lacks lockfile evidence, failure messages only internal tests.
Evidence shows: README lists many supported coding agents and platforms, indicating broad audience; capability boundaries: README describes multiple output types, but no explicit limits; trigger precision: MCP install commands are clear, but no detailed trigger conditions; environment fit: supports macOS, Windows, Linux, and mentions Docker and Vercel. Deductions: capability boundaries and trigger precision lack detailed documentation.
Evidence shows: README structure is clear with product intro, quick start, platform compatibility; install notes detailed with desktop and CLI options; naming stability: version exists, but no naming conventions; examples and FAQ: README provides many examples and screenshots, but no FAQ; known limitations: not explicitly listed; license: Apache-2.0, complete; versioning changelog: no CHANGELOG; maintenance responsibility: README mentions MAINTAINERS.md, but no content. Deductions: missing FAQ, known limitations, CHANGELOG, and clear maintenance responsibility.
Evidence shows: output usability: README describes multiple export formats and preview; marginal value: as open-source alternative, offers unique features; cost benefit: BYOK may reduce cost, but no specific analysis. Deductions: cost benefit lacks concrete data.
Evidence shows: README claims have screenshots and links, but no verifiable test results; cross-source corroboration: no third-party verification; fact-inference separation: README mixes facts and marketing language. Deductions: lack of verifiable test results and third-party verification.
- Publisher identity is unverified; proceed with caution.
- Many claims in README (e.g., privacy, security) lack implementation details; review code before deployment.
- No rollback mechanism provided, may affect production use.
- No lockfile provided, may affect reproducibility.
What does this agent do, and when should you use it?
Open Design is a local-first design workspace and open-source alternative to Claude Design for macOS and Windows. Its stack combines a Next.js frontend, Electron shell, Express-and-SQLite local daemon, stdio MCP server, and runtime adapters for local coding-agent CLIs. A user selects a skill, design system, or plugin, supplies a brief, and the selected agent writes canonical project files or returns a complete <artifact> block through a BYOK API path. The product previews work in a sandboxed iframe and supports prototypes, live dashboards, decks, images, and HyperFrames-based MP4 motion graphics, with exports including HTML, PDF, PPTX, ZIP, Markdown, and MP4. It fits teams that want brand rules and code-based deliverables in the same workflow; it is not a replacement for a conventional collaborative pixel canvas.
Open Design reads composable content from skills/, design-templates/, design-systems/, and plugins/, using the active DESIGN.md as the brand contract. After od mcp install <agent>, an MCP-compatible agent can query local work through od project list --json, od files list <project-id> --json, od files read <project-id> <relative-path>, od plugin list --json, and od skills list --json. In a filesystem-backed CLI run, it composes a functional skill or design template with DESIGN.md and writes canonical files in a managed project working directory; a BYOK/plain-API run without file tools returns one complete <artifact> block through /api/proxy/{anthropic,openai,azure,google,ollama,senseaudio}/stream. The daemon also exposes /api/skills, /api/design-templates, /api/plugins, /api/design-systems, /api/chat, artifact save/lint routes, and Claude Design ZIP import. Generated content is previewed in a sandboxed srcdoc iframe and can be delivered as HTML, PDF, PPTX, ZIP, Markdown, or HyperFrames MP4.
- A product designer needs a SaaS landing page that Codex or Claude Code can generate from the team’s DESIGN.md and hand directly to engineers as HTML/CSS.
- An operations lead needs an editable KPI wall or decision-room briefing generated as a single-page live artifact with a tweaks manifest.
- A marketing team needs a pitch or weekly-update deck that can be reviewed in the browser and exported to PPTX or PDF.
- A design-systems owner wants to package DESIGN.md, tokens.css, components, assets, and provenance into a reusable system for subsequent renders.
- An engineering team using an internal LiteLLM or Ollama gateway wants a BYOK path and can explicitly allow its internal host with OD_ALLOWED_INTERNAL_HOSTS.
What are this agent's strengths and limitations?
- It offers desktop, web/Docker, CLI, and stdio MCP entry points, so the same system can be used in Studio or from supported coding agents such as Codex and Claude Code.
- Functional skills, renderable templates, plugins, and DESIGN.md-centred design systems are separate portable directories, allowing reusable brand constraints and workflows.
- Filesystem-backed runs write real project files that can be sandbox-previewed and exported as HTML, PDF, PPTX, ZIP, Markdown, or MP4 instead of producing only images.
- The documented runtime registry covers 25 distinct local CLI executables and the BYOK proxy supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Azure, Google, Ollama, and compatible endpoints.
- Source development requires Node.js ~24 and pnpm 10.33.x; Docker deployment additionally requires a token, container environment, and network configuration.
- Generation quality, available models, and authentication depend on either an installed external coding-agent CLI or the user’s own BYOK endpoint and API credentials.
- Direct desktop support is documented for macOS and Windows x64; Linux AppImage is optional, while WSL2 and native Windows have separate troubleshooting guidance.
- The daemon binds to 127.0.0.1 by default. LAN access requires explicit OD_BIND_HOST and OD_ALLOWED_ORIGINS configuration, and internal provider hosts require careful OD_ALLOWED_INTERNAL_HOSTS configuration.
How do you install or deploy this agent?
For the desktop app, the README lists macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows x64 downloads; Linux AppImage is an optional release lane. To 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. The documented development runtime is Node.js ~24 and pnpm 10.33.x. For Docker, enter deploy, run cp .env.example .env, add OD_API_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 32) to .env, then run docker compose up -d and open http://localhost:7456. BYOK requires the selected provider’s baseUrl, apiKey, and model; local CLI use requires a supported coding-agent executable on PATH and its own authentication.
How do you use this agent?
Run od mcp install codex or od mcp install claude after Open Design is installed; use od mcp install <agent> --print to inspect the generated setup first. Then ask the configured agent something like: Use open-design to generate a landing page with the Linear design system. For headless use, run od plugin list, od plugin search "landing page", od plugin info od-default, or od plugin apply od-default --input brief="a one-page pitch for our seed round". On macOS, if od resolves to the system /usr/bin/od utility, use the absolute-path client snippet from the desktop app’s Settings → MCP server instead of the bare command.
How does this agent compare with similar options?
The repository positions Open Design as an open-source alternative to Claude Design, emphasizing replaceable local coding agents, BYOK, DESIGN.md design systems, and self-hosted or desktop operation. Compared with Figma, its workflow is agent-generated, code-based single-page artifacts rather than a pixel-editing canvas. The README also contrasts it with Lovable, v0, and Bolt on local CLI support, templates, and design-system composition, though the resulting experience remains dependent on the selected model and agent.