What is Local Code?
Local Code is a private AI agent for Apple Silicon Macs from the team behind the Draw Things image app, with iPad and iPhone builds in the same code. You give it folders and a task, and it writes and runs Python or JavaScript, reviews code, edits spreadsheets, Word documents and slide decks, charts data, generates images and video, and drives a built-in WebKit browser. Python 3.14, Node.js 24, a shell, LibreOffice, FFmpeg and Lean are compiled into the roughly 600 MiB app and run inside Apple's App Sandbox.
It runs its own quantised builds of Qwen 3.8 27B and two DeepSeek Flash models on the Mac, offline. The largest, DeepSeek 4.1 Flash 1017, is a 376 GB download; Local Code keeps the most used parts of the model in memory and streams the rest from the SSD, so it runs on Macs with less memory than the model. You can also pick a cloud model from Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter or Draw Things' own Cloud Compute, in which case prompts and file contents go to that provider.
It left public beta, which began on 12 September, and became open source under the GPL-3.0 at the end of October 2026. The Mac app cannot yet be built from the published source, because it needs a patched version of the Bazel build tool that has not been released.
Is Local Code worth it?
Handing your spreadsheets, contracts or half-finished code to a cloud AI is easy, and it is also the moment they stop being only yours. Running a model on your own Mac used to mean a chat window that could talk about files but not open them.
Local Code is a free Mac app that closes that gap. You share a folder and describe the job, and the agent writes and runs code, edits Excel, Word and PowerPoint files, draws charts, and checks its work, all on the Mac. Python, Node.js, a shell, LibreOffice and FFmpeg are built into the app, so there is nothing to install, and with the Wi-Fi off it keeps working.
What sets it apart is the engine. It comes from the Draw Things team, and it runs a 173 GB DeepSeek model on Macs that do not have that much memory by streaming the rest from the SSD. The README measures DeepSeek 4.1 Flash 1017 at 18.7 tokens a second on a 128 GB M5 Max, about as fast as you read, and Qwen 3.8 27B at 40.4.
It is also careful about what the agent can touch. The tools run inside Apple's App Sandbox: the agent sees only the folders you share, cannot read your whole disk and cannot launch other apps. It can read Mail, Messages and Notes and edit Calendar and Photos, but only after you grant each one, and it cannot send mail or messages.
The catch: it is hungry. The minimum is 16 GB of memory for the smallest model, the strongest needs 32 GB to start and 64 GB to be pleasant, and its download is 376 GB, more than many MacBooks have free. On a 16 GB machine you get Qwen at 2-bit, a long way from a cloud model. Draw Things' privacy policy does not cover Local Code by name or say whether prompts sent to its Cloud Compute are kept or used for training, so treat that option as unknown. And although the code is GPL-3.0, the Mac app cannot yet be built from it.
Our take: Hob is the gentler choice for an ordinary laptop, and Claude Cowork remains smarter on hard work; Local Code earns its place on a big-memory Mac whose files you would rather not upload anywhere.
Where it earns its place
A solicitor on a 64 GB MacBook Pro with confidential client files
Summarise contracts and pull clauses into a spreadsheet without uploading them
Share the matter folder, leave the cloud model off, and ask the DeepSeek 4.1 Flash model for a clause table in Excel. It costs nothing beyond the laptop and the 376 GB of disk.
A data analyst on a 32 GB Mac mini
Clean a CSV export and chart it for a weekly report
Qwen 3.8 27B at 4-bit writes and runs pandas and Matplotlib inside the app, and the chart lands in the answer and the project folder. Slower than a cloud model on long jobs, but free and offline.
An IT lead at a 30-person studio of Mac users
Give staff an agent without a per-seat subscription
Each install is free and separate, with no central admin; for the hosted DeepSeek or cloud models, buy credits from $9.99 or ask Draw Things about team setup, which it prices on request.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Download the DMG from getlocalcode.app (a Mac App Store release is listed as coming), pick the model it suggests for your memory, and wait for a 10 GB to 376 GB download.
- Integrations
- Cloud models from Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, any OpenAI-compatible server and Draw Things Cloud Compute; MCP servers through MCPorter; Calendar, Photos, Mail, Messages and Notes with permission; a LocalCodeCLI for scripts.
- Data and privacy
- With an on-device model, prompts and files stay on the Mac; with a cloud model they go to that provider under its terms. Draw Things says it uses no third-party analytics, but its policy does not mention Local Code or Cloud Compute prompt retention or training. GPL-3.0.
- Cost at scale
- Free per seat; the real cost is hardware, with 32 GB recommended for Qwen 3.8 27B and 64 GB for DeepSeek 4.1 Flash, plus prepaid credits from $9.99 for hosted models.
- Limits
- Apple Silicon only; 16 GB minimum; large models are slow below the recommended memory; the Mac app needs an unpublished patched Bazel to build from source.
What’s good
- Runs DeepSeek and Qwen models offline, streaming large ones from the SSD
- Python, Node.js, a shell, LibreOffice and FFmpeg built in, nothing to install
- App Sandbox limits the agent to folders you share
- Free locally; cloud models on your own key with no markup
- GPL-3.0 source published
What’s not
- Needs 16 GB of memory at minimum and 64 GB for its best model
- Top model is a 376 GB download
- Privacy terms for Draw Things Cloud Compute prompts are not published
- Mac app cannot yet be built from the published source
- Apple Silicon only; no Windows or Linux
Best for
Mac owners with 32 GB of memory or more who want an agent that works on private files without sending them to a cloud provider.
Local Code alternatives
Local Code: common questions
- Is Local Code worth it?
- A genuinely useful agent that never leaves your Mac, as long as you have the memory and the disk for it and keep the cloud switch off. We rate it 3.9 out of 5.
- How much does Local Code cost?
- Free for on-device models and for cloud providers on your own API keys, at no markup. Optional prepaid credits for Draw Things' hosted models: $9.99, $19.99 or $99.99, no subscription. Team setup and on-premises work on request.
- What are the downsides of Local Code?
- Needs 16 GB of memory at minimum and 64 GB for its best model; top model is a 376 GB download; privacy terms for Draw Things Cloud Compute prompts are not published; mac app cannot yet be built from the published source; apple Silicon only; no Windows or Linux.
- Who is Local Code best for?
- Mac owners with 32 GB of memory or more who want an agent that works on private files without sending them to a cloud provider.
- How much does Local Code cost for a team or in production?
- Free per seat; the real cost is hardware, with 32 GB recommended for Qwen 3.8 27B and 64 GB for DeepSeek 4.1 Flash, plus prepaid credits from $9.99 for hosted models.
- Is Local Code safe for company data?
- With an on-device model, prompts and files stay on the Mac; with a cloud model they go to that provider under its terms. Draw Things says it uses no third-party analytics, but its policy does not mention Local Code or Cloud Compute prompt retention or training. GPL-3.0.
- What are the best Local Code alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Claude Cowork and OpenAI Codex.
Answers checked Nov 11, 2026.